LAM FAMILY HUNG KUEN
Kung Fu Legacy
Hung Gar Kung Fu has been an integral part of Lam Family for the past 4 generations. So much so that to speak of Lam Family is to speak of Hung Kuen and vice versa.
The Lam family has earned a distinguished reputation as one of the most respected and renowned kung fu families worldwide. Recognized not only for their exceptional martial and medical expertise but also for their unwavering dedication to teaching, promoting, and preserving the authentic spirit of Hung Gar kung fu. For generations, from master to disciple and father to son, the Lam family has carried forward and shared the traditional practices of Hung Gar kung fu and Chinese Medicine (Dit-Da), always with integrity and pride.
Lam Family’s Kung Fu legacy begins with the great Lam Sai Wing who is regarded as one of the best kung fu expert of his time.
Kung Fu Lineage
The Lam Family’s Hung Kuen lineage traces its origins to the Southern Shaolin Temple and its renowned founder, Hung Hei Goon (洪熙官). While various accounts and discrepancies exist about the early history and origins, the Lam Family lineage is well-documented, from Lam Sai Wing to the present day.
Hung Kuen was an integral part of the Lam Family tradition long before Lam Sai Wing’s time. His grandfather, Lam Baak Sin, and great-uncle, Lam Geui Chung, were both prominent martial artists and skilled Hung Kuen practitioners. It is believed that Lam Sai Wing studied under six or seven different masters before becoming an indoor disciple of the legendary Wong Fei Hung.
Lam Sai Wing passed the Hung Kuen style down to his nephew, Lam Cho, who became known as the “living legend” of Hung Kuen and undoubtedly one of the most significant authorities on the style in the last century. Lam Cho dedicated his life to Hung Kuen, innovating, spreading and preserving the Lam Family’s teachings for over a century. He passed the art down to his children and students, who have carried it across the globe.
Below are brief biographies of the masters from the Lam Family lineage, spanning from Lam Sai Wing to our current sifu (teacher) at Loong Fu Martial Arts.
Lam Sai Wing
Lam Sai Wing (1861-1943) was born in Ping Jau, in the Nam Hoi (Nanhai) prefecture of Guangdong province, China. Raised in a family of skilled kung fu masters, he began his martial arts training at an early age, learning Hung Kuen and traditional Chinese medicine from his father, Lam Che-chung, his grandfather, Lam Bak-sin, and his granduncle, Lam Geui-chung. In addition to his family training, Lam Sai Wing is said to have studied under six or seven other masters, including renowned martial artists such as Wu Kam Sing and Chung Hung San, an expert in the Buddhist Fist (Fat Gar), before eventually becoming an inner chamber disciple of the legendary Wong Fei Hung.
Lam Cho
A legendary figure in Hung Gar, Grandmaster Lam Cho was the last of the great masters of his generation. He devoted his entire life to the practice, study, and progression of Hung Kuen. Born in the village of Ping Jau on the 18th day of the first lunar month in 1910, Lam Cho was orphaned at an early age and raised by his renowned uncle, Lam Sai Wing. Under his uncle’s strict discipline, Lam Cho was trained in the traditional ways with the intent of becoming his uncle’s successor. Lam Sai Wing imparted all his martial arts knowledge and Dit Da medicine skills to Lam Cho, including many secret herbal formulas passed down only to the future heir of the art.
Lam Chun Fai
Grandmaster Lam Chun Fai, the eldest son of the esteemed Grandmaster Lam Cho, was born in Hong Kong in 1940. Named by his great-uncle, Lam Sai Wing, he began his Hung Gar training at the age of five under the careful and strict guidance of his father. As a young man, he assisted his father in teaching kung fu and treating patients. Over time, he rose to become the chief instructor of four schools—two on Hong Kong Island and two on the Kowloon side, including the renowned Lam Sai Wing Physical Training School.
Lam Chun Sing
The youngest son of the legendary Grandmaster Lam Cho, Lam Chun Sing Sifu was born on January 30th, 1952. Raised in a family of expert kung fu masters, Grandmaster Lam Chun Sing began his training as soon as he was able to stand. The training was rigorous and demanding, and like his siblings, he was required to practice daily under the strict discipline of his renowned father. In the Lam family household, mastering the family art of Hung Gar was taken with the utmost seriousness and dedication.
Lam Chun Chung
Grandmaster Lam Chun Chung was born in October 1948 in Hong Kong, into a family of kung fu masters. He is the third son and sixth child of the Hung Kuen legend, Grandmaster Lam Cho. Like all his siblings, Grandmaster Lam Chun Chung began his training at the early age of 7 under the strict and watchful guidance of his renowned father. He shared a close bond with his father and, as a young boy, often accompanied him on trips around Hong Kong to observe his teachings and witness his work treating patients.
Leon Dogan
Leon Dogan Sifu has been dedicated to practicing martial arts since the early 1980s. With over 40 years of experience in training and teaching martial arts globally, Leon has spent more time in martial arts training halls than anywhere else. Throughout his journey, he has trained in a variety of styles, including wrestling, Kung Fu, Thai boxing, and karate, among others. In his late teens, he began to focus more on his Kung Fu practice and eventually moved to Hong Kong to train at the renowned studio of Grandmaster Lam Cho. While living in Hong Kong, he fully immersed himself in the Lam Family’s Hung Kuen, and had the privilege of traveling across China and Southeast Asia to train and explore various martial arts styles.
