HISTORY OF HUNG GA
The Hung Ga system began in the Ching dynasty during the reign of Yung Jing (1723-1736 a.d.). Hung Ga was the number one style among five family styles of the south. These were:
Hung Ga: Founded by Hung Hei Guen
Lau Ga: Founded by Lau Sam Ngan
Choy Ga: Founded by Choy Gau Yee
Lei Ga: Founded by Lei Gum Lun
Mok Ga: Founded by Mok Ching Gui
Each of these systems is unique and possesses distinctive and special techniques. Originally, Hung Hei Guen's surname was Jyu. His grandfather was an official of the Ming government and the family was well off. Hung was originally a tea merchant before becoming a student of master Jee Sim and graduating from the south Siu Lam temple. As a staunch supporter of the deposed Ming regime, he changed his surname from Jyu to Hung in honor of the first Ming emperor Jyu Hung Mo (1271-1368 a.d.). Hung would have referred to his martial arts as Siu Lam kung fu, but out of fear that the Siu Lam connection would get him and his followers in trouble, he called the art Hung Ga of Hung family kung fu to hid its true source.
Later, his followers would continue his practice, in honor of their venerated master. After the burning of the Siu Lam temple in Fukien, he met and married fong Wing Chun, a former student of the buddhist nun Ng Mui. Fong was knowledgeable in the Crane style of kung fu. He later moved to Fa city in Gwang Dung Province and later died there at the advanced age of ninety years. His tomb is still located there. Historical records at Fukien Chan Jau Fu Ji indicate that Hung Hei Guen killed someone there with a single punch. In addition to this as evidence of Hung's existence. It also attests to the devastating power of Hung's fist.
Hung Kuen became known for two things:
The "thousand pound foundation" or horse stance.
The "iron fist" and "iron arm" or fists and forearms continuously conditioned on sandbags and wooden posts.
For example, when Hung Hei Guen sank into a horse stance, more than ten people with staffs were unable to move him. This is a difficult achievement, requiring three to seven years practice. Some others occasionally say that Hung Kuen is slow. This is untrue. Like many systems, Hung Kuen emphasizes fast strikes. However, it believes that a firm root is the most indispensable feature of training. It is when people are mobile and flexible but do not have a solid foundation, it becomes easy for people to lose. Thus, Hung Kuen emphasizes being solid first, and then being mobile and flexible second.
WONG FEI HUNG
In recent times in southern China, there were many famous masters of martial arts. On the Hung Shuen or red boats, which carried the Chinese opera companies, Leung yee Tai and Wong Wah Bo, both descendents of Siu Lam, were well known. On land, the strongest masters were known as the "ten tigers of Gwan Dung". Their names were Wong Yan Lum, Tit Kiu Sam, Jao Tai, Wong Kay Ying, Sou Hak Fu, Tit Ji Chan, Wong Ching Haw, Sou Hut Yee, Tam Jai Kwan, and Wong Fei Hung.
These were the ten best martial artists as seen by their peers in south China. After Wong Fei Hung's induction, it was known that his martial skills had to be good. His life story has been immortalized in books and movies for forty years. During a party at the Ying Ging restaurant in Hong Kong for the opening of Wong Fei Hung's school there, the plans for the movie starring Kwen Tak Hing were made. The first movie played to a packed house and this continued until over one hundred Wong Fei Hung Pictures were filmed. These movies made his name famous and his legend grew steadily to the status of a folk hero. Today, Master Wong's life is still often the subject of cinema films.
When he was a young man, Wong Fei Hung taught martial arts to the army. Wong Fei Hung was married four times. His first wife, surnamed Law died three months after they were married from an illness. His second wife, surnamed Ma, bore him two sons. Hawn Sum and Hawn Lum. She died soon after. Wong's third wife also bore him two sons, Hawn Hei and Hawn Hsu, but she also did not live long. By this time, the word was out that Wong Fei Hung was bad luck for women and no women wanted anything to do with him.
Even Wong resigned himself to this, and stopped trying to remarry. Unfortunately, Wong's son Hawn Sum was killed by gangsters with pistols after an altercation. This caused Wong to withhold his knowledge from the other sons, in order to protect them. In addition, he had several good students including Lueng Foon (who was famous for his horse stance) and Ling Wan Gai (who was famous for his kicking skills). These two good students died at a young age and did not go on to have their own schools and disciples. Other famous students of Wong Fei Hung include popular Lam Sai Wing, a former pork butcher who had many students and wrote three volumes on Hung Kuen. There was another student as well by the name of Tang Fong. More of him will be spoken later.
Many years later, in Fatsan Gao Heung, Wong's school was performing a lion dance in honor of the anniversary of the Lam Hoi Association. Wong Fer Hung's good students Leung Foon and Ling Wan Gai performed the head and tail respectively. After the lion dance, a martial arts demonstration was held outside on the stage. After all the students had shown their kung fu, Wong stepped up to the platform to perform the Yu family trident, a type of weapon now considered the king of southern Chinese weapons. During his performance, he accidentally kicked off his shoe into the crowd. The shoe struck a young woman and she was incensed.
Despite attempted apologies by Wong, she slapped him in the face, yelling he had no excuse since he was a famous master of martial arts. "What if that had been your weapon?!" she retorted "I could have been killed!". After this, a rather chastened Wong returned to the stage to perform his set.
Later on, though the woman was plain in appearance, he could not get her out of his mind. She was young and strong and he thought maybe she would live longer than his previous wives. He found out later that her name was Mok Gwai Lan and was in town with her number two aunt looking for a husband. As it turned out, the aunt, fearing Wong would want revenge for his humiliation, sought him out to apologize and he told her of his feelings. She agreed to act as a go-between and eventually Mok Gwai Lan and Wong Fei Hung were married. Mok Gwai Lan had a strong foundation in her Mok Ga kung fu, so Wong Fei Hung taught her Hung Kuen. She eventually became the instructor for all women's classes in Hung Kuen. This provided an opportunity to learn that martial art, an opportunity they had not had before.
Mok Gwai Lan did indeed live long. She survived her husband by many years and later became an assistant teacher alongside Tang Fong.