Choy li fut kung fu

Chan Heung (1806–1875) was born on August 23, 1806, in King Mui village, Guangdong (Canton), China. Also known as Din Ying and Daht Ting, he began studying Chinese martial arts at age seven under his uncle, Chan Yuen-Woo, a respected boxer associated with the Southern Shaolin tradition of Fujian. Under his uncle’s instruction in Southern Shaolin Kung Fu, Chan Heung progressed rapidly; by fifteen, he was reputed to be undefeated among challengers from neighboring villages.

At seventeen, seeking deeper knowledge, he was introduced to Li Yau-San, a senior martial artist and colleague of his uncle. Chan Heung trained intensively with Li Yau-San for four years, refining his technique and expanding his martial understanding. His advancement was extraordinary: within roughly a decade of total training, he had reached a level that had taken his teachers decades to attain.

Recognizing his potential, Li Yau-San recommended that he study under the reclusive Shaolin monk Choy Fook, who lived on Lau Fu Mountain (Luofu Mountain). The challenge was that Choy Fook had withdrawn from martial instruction and devoted himself solely to Buddhist cultivation. Determined to fulfill his potential, Chan Heung traveled to the mountain and sought him out.

Choy Fook, known as the “Wounded Head Monk” because of burn scars sustained when he took his vows, initially refused to teach him martial arts. After persistent requests, the monk agreed to accept him—but only as a student of Buddhism. Chan Heung complied, studying Buddhist doctrine daily while continuing to practice martial arts alone at night.

One morning, while Chan Heung demonstrated impressive kicking techniques—shattering stones midair—the monk challenged him to strike a heavy rock weighing over 30 kilograms a distance of twelve feet. Chan Heung succeeded with great effort. Choy Fook then effortlessly propelled the same rock into the air with a subtle movement of his foot, revealing a level of internal power far beyond brute strength. Deeply impressed, Chan Heung once again requested full martial instruction. This time, Choy Fook accepted him as a disciple.

After years of training, Chan Heung left the mountain at age twenty-nine and returned to King Mui. Over the next two years, he synthesized and refined the teachings of his three mentors. In 1836, he formally established the Choy Li Fut system. The name honored Choy Fook and Li Yau-San, while “Fut” (Buddha) paid tribute to his uncle and the Shaolin Buddhist roots of the art.

He opened a school in his village’s family temple, where the system quickly gained popularity. As his reputation spread, students arrived from surrounding regions to learn Choy Li Fut.

During the First Opium War, Chan Heung joined forces in Canton to resist foreign invasion. Following China’s defeat in 1842, he returned home, continuing to teach and develop the martial system that would become one of the major Southern Chinese kung fu styles.​