Chan Heung

Chan Heung (Chinese: 陳享; pinyin: Chén Xiǎng) was born on August 23, 1806 (7 moon 10th day of 1806 of the lunar calendar), in Ging Mui 京梅 (Jing Mei), a village in the San Wui 新會 (Xin Hui) district of Guangdong 廣東 province in China He is also known as Din Ying 典英 and Daht Ting 逹庭. He was the founder of the Choy Li Fut 蔡李佛 martial arts system.

At age seven, his uncle Chan Yuen Wu 陳遠護 a boxer from the Shaolin temple in Fujian 福建, China started teaching him Fut Ga 佛家, literally "Buddha Family," which specializes in palm techniques. Chan Yuen Wu had received his training from Ji Sin (Du Zhang) Monk 至善禪師. When Chan Heung 陳享 was fifteen, Chan Yuen Wu 陳遠護 took him to Lei Yau Saan 李友山, Chan Yuen Wu's 陳遠護 senior classmate from the Southern Shaolin temple. Lei Yau Saan had trained under Zhi Shan Monk 独杖禪師.

Chan Heung 陳享 spent the next four years learning the Li Gar style under Lei Yau Saan's 李友山 instruction. Impressed with Chan Heung's martial arts abilities Lei Yau Saan suggested he then train with a Shaolin monk called Choi Fuk 蔡福 to learn Choy Gar, a northern Shaolin style, as well as Chinese medicine and other Shaolin techniques. Choi Fuk 蔡福 had learned his martial arts from Gok Yuen (Jue Yuan) Monk 覺遠上人, Yat Gwai (Yi Guan) Monk 一貫禪師, Lei Sou (Li Sou) 李叟, Baak Yuk Fung (Bai Yu Feng) 白玉峰 and Choi Gau Yi (Cai Jiu Yi) 蔡九儀. There is some speculation that Choi Fuk also studied under Choi Gau Yi 蔡九儀, the founder of Choy Gar.

Choi Fuk 蔡福 lived as a recluse on Loh Fu 羅浮山 mountain and no longer wished to teach martial arts. Chan Heung 陳享 set out to Loh Fu mountain to find him. Choi Fuk 蔡福, had been seriously burned and his head had healed with scars. This gave him the nickname "Monk with the Wounded Head 爛頭和尚". Using that description, Chan Heung 陳享 eventually located the monk and handed him a letter of recommendation from Lei Yau Saan 李友山. However, Chan Heung 陳享 was disappointed when Choi Fuk 蔡福 turned him down. After much begging Choi Fuk 蔡褔 agreed to take the young man as a student but only to study Buddhism.

One morning, when Chan Heung 陳享 was practicing his kung fu, Choi Fuk 蔡福 pointed to a heavy rock and told him to kick it into the air. Chan Heung 陳享 exerted all of his strength as his foot crashed against the rock, sending it twelve feet away. Instead of being complimented, Choi Fuk 蔡福 placed his own foot under the heavy rock and effortlessly propelled it through the air. Chan Heung 陳享 was awestruck by this demonstration. Again he begged Choi Fuk 蔡福 to teach him his martial arts. This time the monk agreed, and for nine years Choi Fuk 蔡福 taught Chan Heung 陳享 both the way of Buddhism and the way of martial arts.

When he was twenty-eight, Chan Heung 陳享 left Choi Fuk 蔡福 and returned to King Mui village in 1834, where he revised and refined all that he had learned. In 1835 Choi Fuk 蔡福 gave Chan Heung 陳享 advice in the form of a special poem known as a double couplet.

龍虎風雲會, The dragon and tiger met as the wind and the cloud.

徒兒好自爲, My disciple, you must take good care of your future.

重光少林術, To revive the arts of Shaolin,

世代毋相遺. Don't let the future generations forget about this teaching.

In 1836 he formally established the Choi Lei Fut system, named to honor the Buddhist monk Choi Fuk 蔡福 who taught him Choy Gar, Lei Yau Saan 李友山 who taught him Li Gar, and his uncle Chan Yuen-Woo 陳遠護 who taught him Fut Gar, to honor the Buddha from which the art was named. Chan Heung died on August 20, 1875.