Lam Sai Wing

Lam Sai Wing (Cantonese:林世榮, Pinyin:Lin Shi Rong ) (1861 - 1942, or 1860 - 1943 depending on the source), was a student of the legendary Cantonese martial artist, healer and folk hero Wong Fei Hung.

Early life

Lam Sai Wing was born in Nanhai district, Guangdong. He followed the customs of his ancestors and learned the traditional martial arts of his family, progessing to learning from Lin Fu Cheng, Wong Fei Hung and Wu Quan Mei. He was eventually considered an expert in Hung Gar Kuen ("Hung family fist", a style originating from the Southern Shaolin Tiger style, known for its efficiency and widespread at the time in various secret societies), and may have also studied Fo Kuen ("Buddhist brotherhood Fist", a style practised by various Buddhist sects in Guangdong province).

He founded the ‘Wu Ben Tang’ (Hall of Fundamental Study) in Guangzhou (Canton) where he taught his martial arts.

Towards the end of the Qing dynasty, Lam gained first place at a large martial arts competition that took place at the Dongjiao ground, receiving a silver medal from Dr. Sun Yat Sen as a token of recognition for his service and success.

Between 1917 and 1923, Lam served in the National Revolutionary Army of Fujian province as Chief Instructor in hand-to-hand combat.

Later life

Lam eventually moved to Hong Kong, where he started teaching martial arts. Together with his favorite students Zhu Yu Zhai, Zhang Shi Biao, Li Shi Hui, and others, he wrote three books on the the three primary forms (kata) of Hung Gar: gung ji fuk fu keun ("Taming the Tiger Fist"), fu hok seung ying keun ("Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist"), and tit sin keun ("Iron Wire Fist").

Although his exact age is not known, Lam was over 80 when he died during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. Whilst conditions were difficult during the occupation, there has been no indication that the occupation contributed to his death.

Legacy

He and his students, which are said to have numbered over 10,000 during his life, are primarily responsible for popularizing the style in the 20th century. Some of his students became among the first actors and stunt people in the fledgling Hong Kong "kung fu" movie industry in the 1940s, including Lau Cham, father of action director and star, Lau Kar-leung, and Golden Harvest producer, Raymond Chow.

Portrayal in the media

Lam has been portrayed in film, including the 1991 film "Wong Fei Hung" ("Once Upon a Time in China") (Lam was a butcher by trade, causing his name to be translated as "Porky" in the English version), and by Sammo Hung in the 1979 film "Lam Sai Wing" ("Magnificent Butcher"), as well as many of the (over 100) movies made about Wong Fei Hung.

References

* [http://www.kungfulibrary.com/hunggar.htm Hung Gar Bible - Canonical Books by Lam Sai Wing (Translated from Chinese)]
* [http://hung-gar-kung-fu.netfirms.com/LamSaiWing1.htm Short Historical Essay on Hung Gar Master Lam Sai Wing Written by His Disciple Zhu Yuzhai. As related by Zhang Shibiao from Pangyu. The twelfth year Kuihai of the Peoples Republic (1923), the first month of the summer.]
* [http://www.hungkuen.com/gallery-lamsaiwing.htm Lam Saiwing photogallery]