Tit Kiu Saam

Tiit Kiu Saam (1815 - 1887) was known as 'the great master of the Hong Fist' and was one of the Ten Tigers of Canton, a group of ten of the top Chinese martial arts masters in Guangdong towards the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).

Born 'Liang Kun' in 1815, he studied martial arts in his youth under the famous Shaolin master Li Huzi ("Bearded Li", also known as 'Golden Hook'). He loved studying martial techniques, and travelled around in search of friends and great masters, frequently seeking out the company of Buddhist monks. Dedicated training in Shaolin techniques helped him to develop a rock-solid stance. He went on to teach martial arts at the Guangzhi dye-works at Rainbow Bridge in Guangzhou and he became an extremely well-known figure.

He was born during the reign of the Emperor Jiaqing (1796 - 1821), and died in the 12^th or 13^th year of the reign of Emperor Guang Xu (1887 or 1888). His death was caused by over-zealous training in the '36 Point Copper Ring Pole' technique, under the monk Yuan Guang at Haichuang Monastery. He had long been an opium smoker; the monk advised him to break the habit and train in the pole technique instead. But he pushed himself too hard for his age, fell ill and died around the age of 70.

He is best known for his 'Iron Bridges' and the fist form Iron Wire Fist. His Iron Wire Fist is the highest level in most Hung Gar schools and his work is very important to the current Hung Gar Kung Fu system.

External links

* [http://www.ehga.org/eng/masters.html European Hung Gar Association]