The history of the Chinese Martial Arts is diverse and mysterious due to   the secrecy, lack of photographs, manuscripts and other important documentation. It is always very difficult to authenticate what is fact and what is fiction because of this.

This information on the history of Choy Lay Fut is the combination of 33 years of research and my personal collection of material on this martial art style. This history may differ somewhat from other versions and may therefore be disagreeable to some individuals. It is my intent to have you read and absorb what you want from this history, not to start a conflict of opinions.

My only interest is to share my knowledge and further help to propagate Choy Lay Fut so others can appreciate not only this martial art style, but it's colorful history as well.

Grandmaster Lay Wing Sung (Vince Lacey)

The following history is from a magazine article and interview with Chan Yung Fa and translated by Howard Choy. This is from the Chan Family documents and history as passed down from Chan Yiu Chi to his son, Chan Wah Hon and daughter, Chan Kit Fong and onto Chan Yung Fa.

Chan Heung was born July 10, 1806, in the village of Ging Mui, district of Ngai Sai, Kwantung province. He began training under his uncle, Chan Yuen Wu, at the age of six, and trained  for a period of approximately eight years.

Although he was only a child, Chan Heung was quite strong, and having a natural ability for the martial arts, he was very quick to learn. He quickly gained the affection and admiration of his uncle, who continued to teach Chan Heung all he knew.

Within a few short years, Chan Heung had made such amazing progress in his kung fu studies, that he was invited to establish a school in Sun Wui for his uncle, Chan Yuen Wu.

As time passed, Chan Heung’s reputation grew, and many students came to his school to study the martial arts. One day, Chan Heung learned that another master, Lee Yau Shan, had come to Sun Wui to open a school and teach. Lee was a student of the Shaolin monk, Ji Sin, and his skills were said to be formidable.

Being quite strong willed, and a lover of a good fight, Chan Heung decided to test his skills against this newcomer. He ambushed Lee as he was leaving a restaurant, trying to throw him to the ground by putting his arms around Lee’s waist. Lee resisted the attack calmly, as he bent his knees slightly, lowering his “chi”, and center of gravity, so that Chan Heung could not move him, no matter how hard he tried. Lee then spun around, lifted his foot to trip and kick Chan Heung simultaneously, and he landed a few yards away!

Lee was rather amazed that Chan Heung was able to jump up after such a hard kick and landing. He praised Chan Heung and immediately demanded to know what school he belonged to and why he had attacked him in such a sneaky manner, rather than challenging him properly. Chan Heung was filled with shame, and answered that the attack was his own idea, an effort to test the adequacy of his own skills, and he did not want to involve his teacher in his defeat. Lee was amused at this admission, and left with Chan Heung standing in bewilderment.

Some time later, word came to him that Lee had stated that someone as young and strong as Chan Heung, with intellect and ability, was wasting his life. “Vanity,” Lee had said, would prevent Chan Heung from ever improving his skill. Realizing that this was indeed true, and that there was no limit to the art of kung fu, Chan Heung resigned his position as Head Instructor, and immediately enrolled in Lee’s school. Chan Heung studied as Lee Yau Shan’s disciple for five years, and his skills improved immensely.

Toward the end of this five-year training, Lee and Chan Heung heard stories of a reclusive, hermit-like monk named Choy Fook. Choy Fook was rumored to be living in a temple on Law (Lo) Fou San, or Tiger Mountain. This monk was said to be greatly skilled in the art of “dit da”, the treatment of muscular and skeletal injuries. Lee theorized that any monk with this healing knowledge must certainly be a great martial artist.

Lee Yau Shan and Chan Heung set out to find this monk named Choy Fook, and after an extensive search, they found the gates of a temple on Law (Lo) Fou San. Standing near the gates, they found an old man, sweeping and cleaning around the outside of the temple. They introduced themselves, and told him they had come to see monk Choy Fook. He stared at them with a penetrating gaze, and upon questioning by the pair, admitted that he was a disciple of monk Choy Fook. He told his visitors that his master was out, then invited the pair inside the gates, and asked if they would like to take tea with him while they waited for his masters return.             

When the two visitors were seated, the old man began to chop wood to boil water for the tea. To the amazement of Lee and Chan Heung, the old man was chopping the wood with his bare hands! Lee commented that they should show the old man a trick or two of their own. Rising up from his seat, he moved to the rice grinder, (a device comprised of two round granite slabs, about 24” in diameter, and close to 9” thick). Loosening the dirt around the grinder with his foot, Lee then kicked it clean off the ground.

The old man observed this with amusement. Then he walked up to the rice grinder, and with a single blow, chopped off a corner of the top slab, and pulverized it into powder with his bare hands. Blowing the powder into the face of Lee, he announced that he was the monk, Choy Fook, and the powder was to act as a warning to intruders who did not behave in a respectful manner. Lee Yau Shan was filled with respect and awe for Choy Fook, and he quickly thanked the old man and departed, leaving Chan Heung to deal with him.

Chan Heung realized that this was an opportunity to further his training under another teacher of a higher level. He fell upon his knees, and begged Choy Fook to accept him as his disciple. Choy Fook was reluctant at first, and replied that he was many years retired from the teaching of the martial arts, but if Chan Heung were willing to obey three conditions, he would consider taking him as his disciple.

The three conditions that Choy Fook demanded were as follows;

1.       Chan Heung must stay with him in the temple for at least ten years, until the end of his apprenticeship.

2.       Chan Heung was forbidden to use his skills to kill or to maim, and must never be boastful of what he had attained.

3.       Chan Heung must kick the remains of the rice grinder back into its original resting place. (This third instruction was used by Choy Fook to test the strength of Chan Heung and to seek a heavenly mandate for Chan Heung’s discipleship.)