Hung Gar
洪家拳One of the five great family styles of southern Chinese kung fu, known for its deep horse stance. The documented lineage begins in the nineteenth century with the Wong family.
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About Hung Gar
Hung Gar is one of the five great family styles of southern Chinese kung fu. It takes its name from Hung Hei-gun, a tea merchant from Guangdong whom tradition links to the southern Shaolin temple, though the documented lineage only begins in the 19th century with the Wong family; the earlier part of the story is legend rather than history. The style rests on a deep horse stance (sei ping ma) and on forearm work — the so-called bridges. The hand does not seek distance but contact: once the forearms meet, pressure, rooting and timing decide the exchange. Tiger and crane form the core, crushing power against precision and soft deflection; the extended curriculum works with five animals and five elements. Three forms are central. Fu Hok Seung Ying Kyun joins tiger and crane, Sap Ying Kyun adds the remaining animals and elements, and Tit Sin Kyun — the Iron Wire form — is a breathing exercise using whole-body isometric tension, traditionally taught only after years of practice. Its best-known exponent is Wong Fei-hung, a physician and master from Canton around whom a hundred Hong Kong films were built. His student Lam Sai-wing systematised the style into the form practised worldwide today.
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