Hung Ga

Hung Ga (洪家 ), Hung Kuen ( 洪拳 ), or Hung Ga Kuen ( 洪家

拳 ) is a southern Chinese martial art belonging to the southern Hung Ga Kuen

洪家拳
Shaolin styles. The Hallmarks of Hung Ga are strong stances,
notably the horse stance or "si ping ma" ( 四平馬 ), and strong
[2]
Also known Hung Ga, Hung Gar,
hand techniques, notably the bridge hand[3] and the versatile tiger as Hung Kuen, Hung
claw. [4] Traditionally, students spent anywhere from several Ga Kuen, Hung Gar
months to three years in stance training, often sitting only in horse Kuen
stance from half an hour to several hours at a time, before learning
Focus Striking
any forms. Each form could then take a year or so to learn, with
weapons learned last. In current times, this mode of instruction is Country of China
generally considered impractical for students, who have other origin
concerns beyond practicing kung fu. However, some instructors
Creator Hung Hei-gun[1]
still follow traditional guidelines and make stance training the
majority of their beginner training. Hung Ga is sometimes mis- Famous (see below)
characterized as solely external—that is, reliant on brute physical practitioners
force rather than the cultivation of qi—even though the student Parenthood Shaolin Kung Fu,
advances progressively towards an internal focus. Five Animals, Mok

Contents 洪家
Hung Ga Descendant
Gar (additional
influence for Wong
Fei Hung lineage)
Choy ga, Fut Gar,
Historical origins
Pinyin: Hóng Jiā arts Hung Fut, Jow-Ga
The Hung Ga curriculum of
Yale Kung Fu
Wong Fei-hung Hùhng Gār
Cantonese: Olympic No
Branches of Hung Kuen
"Hung sport
The dissemination of Hung Literally
family"
Kuen
Wong Fei-Hung Lineages 洪拳
Other Lineages Hung Kuen
Popular Culture Pinyin: Hóng Quán
See also Yale Hùhng
Cantonese: Kyùhn
References
"immense
Literally
fist"
Historical origins
Hung Ga's earliest beginnings have been traced to the 17th century in southern China. More specifically,
legend has it that a Shaolin monk, Jee Sin Sim See (”sim see” = zen teacher) was at the heart of Hung Ga's
emergence. Jee Sin Sim See was alive during a time of fighting in the Qing Dynasty. He practiced the arts
during an era when the Shaolin Temple had become a refuge for those that opposed the ruling class (the
Manchus), allowing him to practice in semi-secrecy. When the Shaolin temple was burned down, many
fled to the Southern affiliated Shaolin temple in the Fukien Province of Southern China along with him.
There it is believed Jee Sin Sim See trained several people, including non-Buddhist monks, also called
Shaolin Layman Disciples, in the art of Shaolin Kung Fu.

Of course, Jee Sin Sim See was hardly the only person of significance that had fled to the temple and
opposed the Manchus. Along with this, Hung Hei-gun also took refuge there, where he trained under Jee
Sin Sim See. Eventually, Hung Hei-gun became Jee Sin Sim See's number one student.

That said, legend has it that Jee Sin Sim See also taught four others, whom in their entirety became the
founding fathers of the five southern Shaolin styles: Hung Ga, Choy Ga, Mok Ga, Li Ga and Lau Ga. Luk
Ah-choi was one of these students.[5]

洪
Because the character "Hung" ( ) was used in the reign name of the emperor who overthrew the Mongol
Yuan Dynasty to establish the Han Chinese Ming Dynasty, opponents of the Manchu Qing Dynasty made
陸阿采
frequent use of the character in their imagery.
(Ironically, Luk Ah-choi was the son of a Manchu
stationed in Guangdong.)
Hung Hei-gun is itself an assumed name intended to honor that first Ming
Emperor.
Anti-Qing rebels named the most far reaching of the secret societies they formed the "Hung Mun"
洪門
( ).

The Hung Mun claimed to be founded by survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Temple, and the
martial arts its members practiced came to be called "Hung Ga" and "Hung Kuen".

Its popularity in modern times is mainly associated with the Cantonese folk hero Wong Fei-hung, a Hung
Ga master.

The Hung Ga curriculum of Wong Fei-hung

The Hung Ga curriculum that Wong Fei-hung learned from his father consisted of Single Hard Fist,
Double Hard Fist, Taming the Tiger Fist ( 伏虎拳 ), Black Tiger Fist ( 黑虎拳
), Angry Tiger Fist ( 狂虎
拳 羅漢拳
), and Arhat Fist ( ),
Fifth Brother Eight Trigram Pole ( 五郎八卦棍 ), Mother & Son
Butterfly Swords ( 子母雙刀 ), and the
Flying Hook ( 飛鉤).

Wong distilled his father's empty-hand material along with the material he learned from other masters into
the "pillars" of Hung Ga, four empty-hand routines that constitute the core of Hung Ga instruction in the
Wong Fei-hung lineage: Taming the Tiger Fist, Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist, Five Animal Fist, and
Iron Wire Fist. Each of those routines is described in the sections below.

" 工" Taming the Tiger Fist 工字伏虎拳

pinyin: gōng zì fú hǔ quán; Yale Cantonese: gung ji fuk fu kuen.

The long routine Taming the Tiger trains the student in the basic techniques of Hung Ga while building
endurance. It is said to go at least as far back as Jee Sin Sim See, who is said to have taught Taming the
Tiger—or at least an early version of it—to both Hung Hei-gun and Luk Ah-choi.

工
The " " Character in Taming the Tiger Fist is so called because its footwork traces a path resembling the
工
character " ".

Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist 虎鶴雙形拳

pinyin: hǔ hè shuāng xíng quán; Yale Cantonese: fu hok seung ying kuen.
Tiger Crane builds on Taming the Tiger, adding "vocabulary" to the Hung Ga practitioner's repertoire.
Wong Fei-hung choreographed the version of Tiger Crane handed down in the lineages that descend from
him. He is said to have added to Tiger Crane the bridge hand techniques and rooting of the master Tit Kiu
Saam as well as long arm techniques, attributed variously to the Fat Ga, Lo Hon, and Lama styles. Tiger
Crane Paired Form routines from outside Wong Fei-hung Hung Ga still exist.

Five Animal Fist 五形拳 / Five Animal Five Element Fist 五形五行拳
pinyin: wǔ xíng quán; Yale Cantonese: ng ying keun / pinyin: wǔ xíng wǔ háng quán; Yale
Cantonese: ng ying ng haang keun; Ng Ying Kungfu, Five Animal Kung Fu (Chinese: 五形
功夫 )

This routine serve as a bridge between the external force of Tiger Crane and the internal focus of Iron Wire.
"Five Animals" (literally "Five Forms") refers to the characteristic Five Animals of the Southern Chinese
martial arts: Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Leopard, and Crane. "Five Elements" refers to the five classical Chinese
elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Metal, and Wood.
The Hung Ga Five Animal Fist was choreographed by
Wong Fei-hung and expanded by Lam Sai-wing ( 林世榮 ), a senior student and teaching assistant of Wong
Fei-hung, into the Five Animal Five Element Fist (also called the "Ten Form Fist"). In the Lam Sai-wing
branch of Hung Ga, the Five Animal Five Element Fist has largely, but not entirely, superseded the Five
Animal Fist, which has become associated with Dang Fong and others who were not around when the Five
Animal Five Element Fist was created.

Iron Wire Fist 鐵線拳

pinyin: tiě xiàn quán; Yale Cantonese: Tit Sin Keun.

Iron Wire builds internal power and is attributed to the martial arts master Leung Kwan ( 梁坤 ; Liáng Kūn;
1815–1887), better known as Tit Kiuh-saam ( 鐵橋三 ; tiěqiáosān). Like Wong Fei-hng's father Wong Kei-
Ying, Tit Sin-saam was one of the Ten Tigers of Canton. As a teenager, Wong Fei Hung learned Iron Wire
from Lam Fuk-sing ( 林福成 ; Línfúchéng)
a student of Tit Sin-saam. The routine has been enhanced and
thus lengthened by his students. The Iron Wire form is essentially a combination of Hei Gung ( 气功 ;
qigong) or meditative breathing with isometric exercise, particularly dynamic tension, although weights
were also used in traditional practice in the form of iron rings worn on the wrists. If properly practiced, it
can increase strength considerably and promote a stable root. However, as with both most forms of qigong
and most forms of isometric exercise, it must be practiced regularly or the benefits are quickly lost.

Wong Fei-hung weapon of choice was primarily the Fifth Brother Eight Trigram Pole ( 五郎八卦棍 ),
which is a very popular routine in southern styles as its origins is linked toa famous patriot hero. The
Mother & Son Butterfly Swords ( 子母雙刀 ) is also a primary weapon found in all Southern styles. Other
weapons credited to having been taught in Wong Fei-hung curriculum were the Spring & Autumn
Guandao ( 春秋大刀 ), and the Yu Family Tiger Fork ( 瑤家大扒 刀 槍
) broadsword ( ), the spear ( ), the
扇
fan ( ). Experiences of generations of practitioners has seen the curriculum grow extensively in all areas.

Branches of Hung Kuen

The curricula of different branches of Hung Ga differ tremendously with regard to routines and the
selection of weapons, even within the Wong Fei-hung lineage.
Just as those branches that do not descend
from Lam Sai-wing do not practice the

Five Animal Five Element Fist. Those branches that do not descend from Wong Fei-hung, are sometimes
called "old" or "village" Hung Kuen, do not practice the routines he choreographed, nor do the branches
that do not descend from Tit Kiu Saam practice Iron Wire.
Conversely, the curricula of some branches
have grown through the addition of further routines by creation or acquisition.

Nevertheless, the various branches of the Wong Fei-hung lineage still share the Hung Ga foundation he
systematized. Lacking such a common point of reference, the "village" styles of Hung Kuen show even
greater variation.

The curriculum which Jee Sin Sim See taught Hung Hei-gun is said to have comprised Tiger style,
Luohan style, and Taming the Tiger routine.
Exchanging material with other martial artists allowed
Hung to develop or acquire Tiger Crane Paired Form routine, a combination animal routine, Southern
Flower Fist, and several weapons.

According to Hung Ga tradition, the martial arts that Jee Sin Sim See originally taught Hung Hei-gun were
short range and the more active footwork, wider stances, and long range techniques commonly associated
with Hung Ga were added later. It is said to have featured "a two-foot horse," that is, narrow stances, and
routines whose footwork typically took up no more than four tiles' worth of space.

Ha Sei Fu Hung Ga 下四虎洪家

The Ha Sei Fu ( 下四虎) is said to fit this description, though the implied
link to the legendary Jee Sin Sim See is more speculative than most because of its poorly documented
genealogy.
Ha Sei Fu Hung Ga of Leung Wah-chew is a Five Animal style with a separate routine for each
animal. Other Branches of Ha Sei Fu Hung Ga also contain combined animal sets, like Tiger & Crane,
Dragon & Leopard, etc.

Five-Pattern Hung Kuen 五形洪拳

Similar to Ha Sei Fu Hung Ga, the Ng Ying Hung Kuen ( 五形洪拳 )
苗顯
fits the description of Jee Sin Sim See's martial arts, but traces its ancestry to Ng Mui and Miu Hin ( )
who, like Jee Sin Sim See, were both survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Monastery.
From Miu Hin,
the Five-Pattern Hung Kuen passed to his daughter Miu Tsui-fa ( 苗翠花 ), and from his daughter to his
grandson Fong Sai-yuk ( 方世玉 ), both Chinese folk heroes like Jee Sin Sim See, Ng Mui, and their
forebear Miu Hin.
Yuen Yik-kai's books introduced this branch to the Western/European venue. while
conventionally translated as "Five-Pattern Hung Fist" rather than "Five Animal Hung Fist", it is a Five-
Animal style, one with a single routine for all Five Animals but also has other sets as well.

Tiger Crane Paired Form 虎鶴雙形

The Tiger-Crane Combination style has been found in almost every
Hung style. While not as long as the Wong Fei-hung version, it is typically seen as containing 108
movements/techniques.

Ang Lian-huat attributes the art to Hung Hei-gun's combination of the Tiger style he learned from Jee Sin
Sim See with the Crane style he learned from his wife, whose name is given in Hokkien as Tee Eng-choon.
Like other martial arts that trace their origins to Fujian (e.g. Fujian White Crane, Five Ancestors), this style
uses San Chian as its foundation.

Wong Kiew-kit trace their version of the Tiger Crane routine, not to Hung Hei-gun or Luk Ah-choi, but to
their senior classmate Harng Yein.

Northern Hung Kuen 洪拳

There are northern styles that use the name "Hung Kuen" ( 洪拳
; pinyin:
hóng quán), though these predate the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). Other northern styles use the character
for "Red Fist" (紅拳 ).

The dissemination of Hung Kuen

The dissemination of Hung Kuen in Southern China, and its Guangdong and Fujian Provinces in particular,
is due to the concentration of anti-Qing activity there.
The Hung Mun began life in the 1760s as the
Heaven and Earth Society, whose founders came from the prefecture of Zhangzhou in Fujian Province, on
its border with Guangdong, where one of its founders organized a precursor to the Heaven and Earth
Society in Huizhou.
Guangdong and Fujian remained a stronghold of sympathizers and recruits for the
Hung Mun, even as it spread elsewhere in the decades that followed.
Though the members of the Hung
Clan almost certainly practiced a variety of martial arts styles, the composition of its membership meant that
it was the characteristics of Fujianese and Cantonese martial arts that came to be associated with the names
"Hung Kuen" and "Hung Ga".
Regardless of their differences, the Hung Kuen lineages of Wong Fei-hung,
Yuen Yik-kai, Leung Wah-chew, and Jeung Kei-ji ( 張克治 ) nonetheless all trace their origins to this area
and this time period, are all Five Animal styles, and all claim Shaolin origins.
Northern Hung Kuen ( 洪拳 ),
by contrast, is not a Five Animal style and dates to the 16th century.
Cantonese and Fujianese are also
predominant among Overseas Chinese, accounting for the widespread dissemination of Hung Kuen outside
of China.

Wong Fei-Hung Lineages

Lam Sai-wing’s Lineage mainly descends from Wong Fei-hung.

- Chan Hon-chung ( 陳漢宗 ), who was very famous in Hong Kong and represented what was best in his
generation of masters. He held incredible knowledge and had the full Hung Kuen system passed down
from Lam Sai-wing. In 1938, he established the Chan Hon Chung Gymnasium to teach Hung Gar (Hung
Family) kung fu. At the same time he had a chiropractic clinic.In 1970, he formed The Hong Kong
Chinese Martial Arts Association with the intention of coordinating and promoting Chinese martial arts in
Hong Kong, and held the position of chairman for many years.

- Lau Jaam Hung Kuen ( 劉湛家傳 ) family lineage (Learn From Lam Sai-wing). One of the more-famous
teachers of Hung Kuen today was the Shaw Brothers movie director/actor, Lau Kar-leung ( 劉家良
), who
has many students in Hong Kong. One of Lau Kar-leung's notable disciples is Mark Ho (Ho Mai, ),何麥
also known as Mark Houghton, an Englishman who has lived in Hong Kong for 20 years. Mark Ho, with
the blessing of Lau Kar-leung, has opened a unique Hung Kuen school in Fanling. The school itself looks
like a scene from a Shaw Brothers movie; it has many training chambers, wooden dummies, and hanging
logs. There are now Lau Family Hung Kuen schools in China and England. Lau Kar-yung / Lau Ga-yung
劉家勇
( ) He is the grandson of [Lau Cham ( 劉湛 ) (Lau Jaam)]]. Kar-yung is the son of Lau Cham's ( 劉
湛 ) second daughter Lau Shiu-yee and His uncle is Lau Kar-leung ( 劉家良) and also he is Lau Kar-wing’s
nephew. Kar-yung was followed by Lau Shiu-yee (Mother) to learn Lau’s Family Hung Ga kung fu and,
Chinese herbal medicine at Lau cham’s martial arts school in Hong Kong. Then he becomes a member of
the Lau Kar Ban (Liu Jiaban) / Lau’s brothers and making some of the best Kung Fu Movie ever seen.
After 50 years of training and profession, he is currently the Grandmaster of Lau’s family Hung Kuen
Branch and he continues spreading his family lineage across the globe. Also, become President of Hung
Gar Association Lau Kar Yung Hung Kuen Kung Fu Association. Additional Lau's family disciples were
added for the 6th generation apprentice, representing Germany: Master Jau-chi Hang, Mexico: Master
James Valentino Santi, and United States: Master Chun Ho and Grandmaster Lau Kar-yung.

- Lam Cho ( 林祖 ) (Lam Sai-wing's adopted nephew) was an icon in the Hong Kong martial arts scene. He
succeeded in successful innovations and creative additions of various Hand and Weapon Routines. Lam
Cho has taught many well known masters that now have students around the world. - Y.C. Wong ( 黃耀楨
)
(San Francisco), Bucksam Kong ( 江北山 ) (Los Angeles and Hawaii), Kwong Tit-fu ( 鄺鐵夫 ) and Tang
Kwok-wah ( 鄧國華 ) (Boston) . Lam Cho's children, Anthony Lam Chun-fai ( 林鎮輝 林鎮忠
), ( ) and Lam
Chun-sing ( 林鎮成 ), now carry on his Hung Ga teaching in Hong Kong. Anthony Lam Chun-fai, his
eldest son, has also done much to spread Hung Kuen in Europe, while Simon Lam Chun-chung, his third
son, continues to teach his father's students and new students at Lam Cho's renowned studio in Mong Kok,
Hong Kong.
(Among Tang Kwok-wah's students currently teaching in the area are Winchell Ping Chiu-woo ( 胡炳超 )
(Chiu Mo Kwoon, Boston), Yon Lee ( 李健遠 ) (who is also the master instructor for the Harvard Tai Chi
Tiger Crane kung fu Club at Harvard University since 1985), and Sik Y. Hum. Calvin Chin of Newton
Highlands, Massachusetts, carries on Kwong's legacy.)

- Chiu Kau ( 趙教 ) began learning Hung Kuen in Singapore then became a student of Lam Sai-wing. He
later married Wong Siu-ying ( 黃邵英 ), who began learning Hung Ga from her husband. The couple
eventually settled down in Hong Kong, where they continued their Hung Ga training at the Lam Sai-wing
National Art Association Second Branch. Their sons Chiu Chi-ling ( 趙志淩 ) of Alameda, California, and
Chiu Wai ( 趙威 ) of Calgary, Alberta, Canada are the inheritors of this lineage. Kwong-wing Lam (Lam
Kwong-wing, 林光榮 ) of Sunnyvale, California, studied with Chiu Kau, Chiu Wai, and Lam Jo, and
learned the Ha Sei Fu style of Hung Ga from Leung Wah-chew. In Hong Kong, the original Chiu Wai
Hung Kuen school continues under the teaching of Chiu Wah ( 趙華 ), and in 1998 another branch (洪拳學
社 ) was established in Hong Kong under the teaching of Gam Bok-yin ( 金博賢 ).

John Leong ( 梁崇) of Seattle Washington, USA learned from Lam Sai-wing's student, Wong Lee (王利).
Dang Fong lineage students consists of such notables as: Ho Lap Tien - Represented in the U.S. by
Philadelphia's Master Cheurng Shu Pui.( 張樹培 ), Yuen Ling - Represented in the U.S. by Master Frank
Yee (余志偉 ; Yee Chi-wai), Lau Kai Ton - Represented in the U.S. by New Mexico's Master Frank
Rivera., Luk Gan Wing - Represented in Ontario, Canada by his son., Cheung Tai Hing - Represented in
the U.S. by New York's Master Wan Chi Ming., Jao/Chow Wing Duk - Represented in Spain by Master
Lam Chuen Ping , Wong Jo, Kwan Kei Tin & Won Lei

Lin Jia Kun Guandong/Canton - Zhāng kèzhì ( 張克治 ) Taiwan - Gary Mitchell of USA and Daniel Král,
Vladimír Šanda, David Kříženecký, Stanislav Fraibiš, Martin Veselý of Prague, Czech Republic.

Other Lineages
Hung Hei Goon

- Lee Lung Bil ( 李龍彪) to Wong On (黃安) to Nelson Chin (錢國輝) (usa)
- Ng Hei Kwoon - Hang Yat Siu - Lai Ng Sam (1927 - 1995) - Jeff Hasbrouck

- Tam Man* ( 譚敏)

Leung Kwan

- Ang Lian-huat

Fong Sai Yuk

-Yuen Yik-kai (Hong Kong)

Harng Yein

- Wong Kiew Kit

Tam Yi Kwan
- Gam Faat Sim Si ( 感法禅師) - Tam Yi Kwan ( 譚義均
) - Tam Yeung ( 譚讓
), Tam An*
譚安
( ) and Tam Gin Hing ( 譚建興) - Tam Man* ( 譚敏
) - Zhou Hanxing (1911-1969) - Huo Shi Shangwei
(hong kong)
Lin Jia Kun - Zhāng kèzhì (張克治 ) Taiwan - , Gary Mitchell of USA and Daniel Král, Vladimír Šanda,
David Kříženecký, Stanislav Fraibiš, Martin Veselý of Prague, Czech Republic.

Popular Culture
On Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, earthbending was mostly based on
Hung Ga.
On Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Hung Ga was used by Wenwu, the Marvel
Cinematic Universe's version of the Mandarin.

See also
The five major family styles of southern Chinese martial arts
Jee Sin Sim See
Wong Kei-ying
Wong Fei-hung
Lam Sai-wing
Tang Fung
Fu Jow Pai - Tiger Claw System
Cantonese culture
Hak Fu Mun - Black Tiger System

References
1. Ashley Martin (2013). The Complete Martial Arts Training Manual: An Integrated Approach.
Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 1-4629-0555-2.
2. Sei Ping Ma
3. Bridge Hand
4. Tiger Claw
5. Vinh-Hoi Ngo (1996). Martial Arts Masters: The Greatest Teachers, Fighters, and Performers
(https://archive.org/details/martialartsmaste00ngov). Lowell House Juvenile. ISBN 1-5656-
5559-1.

Sources

Kennedy, Brian; Guo, Elizabeth. Chinese Martial Arts Training Manuals: A Historical Survey.
Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books. pp. 152–153. ISBN 1-55643-557-6. "[quote]
Fujian province was reputed to be home to one of the Shaolin temples that figure so
prominently in martial arts folklore. As a result, Fujian province and the adjacent province of
Guangdong were the birthplace and home of many southern Shaolin systems, at least
according to the oral folklore. A military historian might be of the opinion that the reason
those two southern provinces had so many different systems of martial arts had more to do
with the fact that, during the Qing Dynasty, rebel armies were constantly being formed and
disbanded in those provinces, resulting in a wide variety of people who had some training
and interest in martial arts."
Rene Ritchie, Robert Chu and Hendrik Santo. "Wing Chun Kuen and the Secret Societies"
(https://web.archive.org/web/20060316221458/http://www.wingchunkuen.com/modules.ph
p?name=News&file=article&sid=10). Wingchunkuen.com. Archived from the original (http://
 www.wingchunkuen.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10) on March 16,
2006. Retrieved August 14, 2005.
Wing Lam. Southern Shaolin Kung Fu Ling Nam Hung Gar. Copyright 2003 Wing Lam
Enterprises. p. 241. ISBN 1-58657-361-6.
Hagen Bluck "Hung Gar Kuen - Im Zeichen des Tigers und des Kranichs"; 1998/2006 MV-
Verlag, Edition Octopus, ISBN 978-3-86582-427-1
Lam Sai-wing. "Iron Thread. Southern Shaolin Hung Gar Kung Fu Classics Series" (http://w
ww.kungfulibrary.com/qi-gong-tiet-sin.htm). Second Edition, 2007. Paperback, 188 pages.
ISBN 978-1-84799-192-8 / Original edition: Hong Kong, 1957; translated from Chinese in
2002 - 2007

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