History of Hung Gar Kung Fu

 The origin of the Hung Gar Kung Fu was in the southern Shaolin Temple, a branch of the famous North-Shaolin Temple (province Honan). The South-Shaolin Temple was build in the "Nine Lotus mountains" (Gau Li Shan) in the province Fukien/South-China. In the same way as the North-Shaolin Temple the Fukien-Shaolin Temple became also very wellknown and many famous Kung Fu masters had learned in this Temple. And after the big burning and destroying of the Honan-Shaolin Temple ( - 1570) the role of the South-Shaolin Temple became more important. Many monks run away from the Northern Temple. Some of this monks could save precious martial art books and went to the Fukien-Temple for a temporary stay. During the Ching (Manchu) Dynastie China was reigned under an unmerciful and tyrannical government. The pieceful monks of the Fukien-Temple get an alliance together with the supporter of the last Ming Dynastie which took refuge with the South-Shaolin Temple.

Hung Gee Gung -

the founder of the Hung Gar Kung Fu

 One of this people was Hung Gee Gung. He was alleged a supporter of the Ming Dynastie and hated the Ching Government. After big trouble he escaped from the soldiers of the Ching Government and went to the Fukien-Temple. Hung Gee Gung was a strong man with much will-power and big interest and talent for the chinese martial art. With this attributes he became very quickly one of ten directly disciples of the very famous Abbot Chi Sim Sum Si. The Abbot teached Hung Gee Gung the powerful Tiger Kung Fu Style which was perfect for Hung ´s physical and mental attributes. After a short while Hung Gee Gung was one of the best Kung Fu disciples of the Fukien-Temple during this period. But the Shaolin monks defended more and more against the Ching Government and one night the Temple was completly destroyed from the Ching soldiers. Only few monks and disciples escaped from the South shaolin Temple and two of this were Hung Gee Gung and his Kung Fu master Abott Chi Sim Sum Si. The Abott went to Kanton, had build a small temple and lived there until his death.

Hung Gee Gung got shelter by the Hung Shao theatre and travelled with them by boat through different seaports in South-China. In one of this seaports he met his later wife Fong Wing Chun, the niece of the legendary Shaolin master Fong Si Yu. He teached his niece a special martial art, which based on the fighting techniques of a crane. Hung Gee Gung saw this flexible and effective crane-style and integrated it in his powerful tiger style as an optimum supplement to his martial art. A new kung fu style was founded. The new Kung Fu style of Hung get in a short time very famous and was welknown under the name of "Shaolin Tiger and Crane fighting techniques" or as "Hung´s fist (Hung Kuen). After a while Hung Gee Gung opened his own Kung Fu school in his hometown Fa City/Kwantung and teached only supporter of the Ming-Dynastie. During the following years Hung Gar style was more and more famous and the best of the five important Kung Fu styles (Hung Gar, Mok Gar, Lee Ga, Lau Gar) in South-China.  

 After his escape the Abott Chi Sim Sum Si teached only some devoted disciples. The student with the most talent was Luk Ah Choy and the Abott showed him the origin "Shaolin Five Animal Kung Fu". After the opening of Hung Gee Gung´s Kung Fu school the Abott Chi Sim Sum Si sended his disciple Luk Ah Choy to Hung Gee Gung to complete his knowledge and techniques. Under the supervision of Hung Luk Ah Choy became an expert in the Shaolin Tiger and Crane Kung Fu. He helped Hung Gee Gung to support and to refined the Hung Gar style and get one of the important and famousest masters. Later Luk Ah Choy travelled to Kanton and opened there his own Kung Fu school, which was very known and had many disciples. Two of the best students were Wong Tai and later his son Wong Kay Yin. Both became very famous masters and fighters too and Wong Kay Yin get a member of the "10 tigers of Kwantung", a combination of the best ten Kung Fu Masters from South-China. The glory of Wong Kay Yin was only surpassed by his own son Wong Fei Hung. And the legends, biographie and his heroic deeds were the proposal for many Kung Fu films, reports and articles with historical background. Wong Fei Hung was the hero of the chinese nation and the famoust Kung Fu fighter and master of all the time in China.

Wong Fei Hung also teached the Hung Gar style and one of the best disciples was Lam Sai Wing who loyal helped his master on many adventures and fights. In the older time it was a secret law that the best disciple of a Kung Fu master hat to fight for his master after a provocation. And Lam Sai Wing had to fight many times for his master Wong Fei Hung. So Lam Sai Wing became also very famous in Kwantung and after winning the first place during a championship on the Dum Gau Cheung place in Kwantung his fame grow up more and more. After the battle between Japan and China Wong Fei Hung died.

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