People of Kung Fu
Kung Fu: 79 documented people. Also: traditional founder (13), codifier (4), predecessor / teacher (4), grandmaster (3), master (22), champion (1), notable figure (11), historian (2).
Founder (18)
Chan HeungFounder: Choy Li FutChinese kung-fu master (1806–1875) from the village of King Mui in Guangdong, founder of the Choy Li Fut style, which was entered in 2008 on the Chinese list of intangible heritage.Chen WangtingFounder: Chen Style Tai ChiOfficer of the late Ming dynasty (1597–1664 according to Wile) from Chenjiagou in Henan, whom the Chen family and the historian Tang Hao regard as the creator of Chen-style taijiquan.Cheng TinghuaFounder: Cheng Style BaguazhangChinese baguazhang master (1848–1900), student of Dong Haichuan and founder of the Cheng style, from which the Sun and Gao branches came, killed during the occupation of Beijing.Choy Gau LeeFounder: Choy GarAccording to tradition, the Cantonese founder of the Choy Gar style, one of the five main family styles of southern Chinese kung fu, and teacher of the monk Choy Fook.Chu Nan-ChiehFounder: Chuka Gar (Chuka Southern Praying Mantis)A student of master Tung Chan, who brought the praying mantis style to the Hakka people in Guangdong; they named it Chuka Southern Praying Mantis in his honor.Dong HaichuanFounder: BaguazhangFounder of baguazhang from Wen'an County in Hebei, who served in the household of Prince Su in Beijing and died in 1882. Sources disagree on his year of birth.Gao YishengFounder: Gao Style BaguazhangChinese baguazhang master (1866–1951), student of Cheng Tinghua and Song Changrong, founder of the Gao baguazhang style with 64 houtian palms.Huo DiangeFounder: Huo Style BajiquanChinese Bajiquan master from Cangzhou, a student of Li Shuwen, personal bodyguard and instructor of Emperor Puyi and founder of the Huo-style Bajiquan branch.Ji JikeFounder: XingyiquanSpear master from Shanxi (1588–1662), also known as Ji Longfeng, regarded as the founder of Xinyiquan, from which Xingyiquan arose.Li YoushanFounder: Li GarFounder of the Li Gar style from Xinhui in Guangdong and teacher of Chan Heung; the Choy Li Fut style was named, among other things, in his honour.Liang ZhenpuFounder: Liang Style BaguazhangChinese baguazhang master, student of Dong Haichuan, nicknamed Clothing Liang after a Beijing clothing shop, founder of the Liang style of baguazhang.Sun LutangFounder: Sun Style Tai ChiChinese master and scholar (1860–1933), founder of the Sun style of taijiquan, which combined xingyiquan, baguazhang and Hao-style taijiquan.Wang XiangzhaiFounder: Yiquan (Dachengquan)Chinese master (1885–1963), founder of the Yiquan style (Dachengquan), one of the first to publicly teach the standing posture zhan zhuang.Wong Bil HongFounder: Fu Jow Pai (Tiger Claw)Founder of the Fu Jow Pai (Tiger Claw) style, who combined the temple system Hark Fu Moon with Hung Gar training and renamed it in 1934.Wu YuxiangFounder: Wu (Hao) Style Tai ChiChinese scholar from Yongnian (c. 1812–1880), student of Yang Luchan and Chen Qingping, founder of the Wu (Hao) style of taijiquan and author of texts on its theory.Wu ZhongFounder: BajiquanA member of the Hui minority from Mengcun in Cangzhou, the first historically documented figure of bajiquan, nicknamed the god of the spear for his spear mastery.Xu Ai'sanFounder: Zi Ran Men (Natural Boxing)Founder of the Chinese Zi Ran Men style (Natural Fist), known in sources as Dwarf Xu, teacher of Du Xinwu in Yunnan province.Yang LuchanFounder: Yang Style Tai ChiFounder of the Yang style of taijiquan (1799–1872), student of Chen Changxing and martial arts instructor of the imperial family, known as Yang Wudi.
Chan HeungCo-founder (1)
Traditional founder (13)
Ah Dat TaTraditional founder: Pak Hok Pai (Tibetan White Crane)Legendary Tibetan lama whom tradition regards as the originator of the Lion's Roar and Pak Hok Pai (Tibetan White Crane) styles; he is not documented as a historical person.Bak MeiTraditional founder: Bak Mei Kung FuA semi-legendary Taoist ascetic of the 17th century whom tradition ranks among the five survivors of the destruction of Shaolin and links to the Bak Mei style.BodhidharmaTraditional founder: Shaolin QuanA semi-legendary Buddhist monk from the turn of the 5th and 6th centuries, whose link to the martial art of the Shaolin monastery historians regard as a 20th-century invention.Cai MaoTraditional founder: Huaquan (China Flourishing Boxing)Legendary knight from Mount Hua in Shaanxi province, whom Chinese tradition regards as the founder of the Shandong style Huaquan (Blossom Fist).Chen TuanTraditional founder: Liu He Ba Fa (Water Boxing)Chinese Taoist scholar and hermit from Mount Wudang and Mount Hua, who died in 989; tradition credits him with creating the Liuhebafa (Water Fist) system.Fang QiniangTraditional founder: Baihequan (Fujian White Crane)According to tradition, the founder of the Fujian White Crane style (Baihequan), said to have been inspired by a crane deflecting the blows of her staff.Hong XiguanTraditional founder: Hung GarAccording to tradition a tea merchant and student of Abbot Jee-sin of southern Shaolin, regarded as the founder of Hung Gar; information about him comes mainly from legends.Lau Sam NganTraditional founder: Lau GarBy tradition, the founder of the southern Chinese Lau Gar style, nicknamed Three-Eyed Lau after a scar on his forehead resembling a third eye.Ng MuiTraditional founder: Wing ChunLegendary nun, according to tradition one of the Five Elders who survived the destruction of Shaolin; tradition credits her with the origin of Wing Chun and other styles.Wang LangTraditional founder: Tanglangquan (Praying Mantis)Legendary founder of the Shandong mantis boxing style tanglangquan, whose historical existence many researchers doubt.Zha Mi'erTraditional founder: Chaquan (Cha Family Boxing)Legendary fighter from Central Asia or Xinjiang of the late Ming dynasty, after whom tradition names the Chinese Chaquan (Zhaquan) style, widespread among the Hui Muslims.Zhang SanfengTraditional founder: Tai ChiLegendary Taoist master associated with Mount Wudang, to whom tradition attributes the invention of taijiquan; his existence was questioned by the researcher Stanley Henning.Zhao KuangyinTraditional founder: Changquan (Traditional Long Fist)Founding emperor of the Song dynasty (927–976), a rider and archer to whom tradition attributes the Taizu Changquan style, from which modern Changquan (Long Fist) derives.
BodhidharmaCodifier (4)
Chua Giok BengCodifier: Wuzuquan (Five Ancestors Boxing)Southern Chinese master from Fujian (1853–1910 according to a 2009 study), regarded as the creator of the Wuzuquan style, the Five Ancestors Fist.Ha Hon HungCodifier: Yau Kung Mun (Flexible Hard Power Kung Fu)Chinese master and physician from Guangdong Province, the first lay student of the Yau Kung Mun style, who opened the first school of this style in Guangzhou in 1924.Teat YunCodifier: Yau Kung Mun (Flexible Hard Power Kung Fu)Buddhist priest, the last keeper of the secret temple lineage of the Chinese style Yau Kung Mun, who gave the style its name and was the first to accept a lay student, Ha Hon Hung.Yang ChengfuCodifier: Yang Style Tai ChiChinese taijiquan master (1883–1936), grandson of Yang Luchan, who settled the now most widespread form of the Yang style and taught in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Predecessor / teacher (4)
Chan Yuen-wuPredecessor / teacher: Choy Li FutUncle and first teacher of Chan Heung, a fighter from the Qingyun Temple near Mount Dinghu, whose Fut Gar gave its name to one component of the Choy Li Fut style.Choy FookPredecessor / teacher: Choy Li FutA monk who, according to Choy Li Fut tradition, spent nine years teaching Chan Heung both Buddhism and martial arts; the style's name honours him as well.Sun BinPredecessor / teacher: Sun Bin Quan (Sun Bin Boxing)Chinese military strategist (c. 382–316 BCE), author of Sun Bin's Art of War, with whom tradition associates the martial art style Sun Bin Quan.Zhang SongxiPredecessor / teacher: WudangquanZhang Songxi of the Ming dynasty period is cited as the starting point of the Wudang Danpai lineage of the Wudangquan style, passed down from him for 13 generations already.
Grandmaster (3)
Chen XiaowangGrandmaster: Chen Style Tai ChiChinese master of Chen style taijiquan (born 1945), grandson of Chen Fake, founder of the World Chen Xiaowang Taijiquan Association and one of the four Buddha guardians.Du XinwuGrandmaster: Zi Ran Men (Natural Boxing)Chinese master of the Zi Ran Men style (1869–1953), personal bodyguard of Sun Yat-sen and teacher of Wan Laisheng, known for his exceptional kicking technique.Huang Chien-LiangGrandmaster: Tianshan Pai (Tien Shan Mountain Kung Fu)Huang Chien-Liang is the 64th-generation grandmaster of Tianshan Pai, chairman of the World Kuoshu Federation, and served as head coach of the U.S. Kuo Shu team from 1986 to 2000.
Huang Chien-LiangMaster (22)
Chang Dsu YaoMaster: Tai ChiChinese master of meihuaquan and taijiquan (1918–1992), a former officer who after leaving the army taught in Italy and in 1977 founded Scuola Chang in Milan.Chen ChangxingMaster: Tai ChiMaster of Chen family taijiquan (1771–1853) from Chenjiagou, creator of the Laojia forms and teacher of Yang Luchan, the first documented student from outside the Chen family.Chen FakeMaster: Tai ChiMaster of Chen family taijiquan (1887–1957), great-grandson of Chen Changxing, who taught in Beijing from 1928 and made the Chen style famous beyond Chenjiagou.Chen Pan-lingMaster: Tai ChiChinese engineer and Kuomintang politician, author of a 99-movement taiji form, founder of the Kaifeng Martial Arts Union and a similar society in Taiwan.Chen PeishanMaster: Chen Style Tai ChiMaster of Chen-style taijiquan, born in 1962 in Chenjiagou, who has taught in Japan since 1988 and spreads the small frame (xiaojia) with his sister Chen Peiju.Chen QingpingMaster: Tai Chi7th-generation master of the Chen style and 7th successor of the Zhaobao lineage, author of a small-frame form with 76 postures and teacher of Wu Yuxiang and He Zhaoyuan.Cheng Man-ch'ingMaster: Tai ChiChinese painter and taijiquan master (1902–1975), a student of Yang Chengfu and creator of the shortened form of the Yang style with 37 postures, which he spread in Taiwan and the USA.Chi Kuan-chunMaster: Hung GarHong Kong actor of Shaw Brothers martial arts films and a Hung Gar master ranked in the 4th generation of the Wong Fei-hung lineage, founder of his own school (2000).Feng KeshanMaster: Meihuaquan (Plum Blossom Fist)Eighth-generation master of the meihuaquan style, who in 1814 recruited members for the Eight Trigrams Sect, took part in the uprising against the Qing dynasty, and was executed.Gu RuzhangMaster: Iron Palm Kung FuChinese master of Northern Shaolin and the iron palm (1894–1952), a participant in the Guoshu examination in Nanjing in 1928 and one of the five Southern Tigers.Huang Sheng-shyanMaster: Tai ChiMaster of Fujian White Crane and student of Cheng Man-ch'ing, who founded over 40 taiji schools with about 10,000 students in Singapore and Malaysia.Huo YuanjiaMaster: Mizongyi (Lost Track Boxing)Chinese master of the family style Mizongyi from Tianjin, who in 1902 defeated a Russian wrestler and in 1910 co-founded the Chin Woo Athletic Association.Ip ManMaster: Wing ChunWing Chun master from Foshan (1893-1972), who from the nineteen-fifties taught in Hong Kong, trained Bruce Lee, and in 1967 co-founded the Ving Tsun Athletic Association.Jin YuntingMaster: XingyiquanPractitioner of Xingyiquan and author of the manual The Xingyi Boxing Manual, published in English translation by North Atlantic Books in 2003.Mok Kwai-lanMaster: Hung GarChinese master of the Hung Gar and Mok Gar styles (1891/1892–1982), a dit da healer and wife of Wong Fei-hung, who taught his style in Hong Kong.Wang Zi-PingMaster: Chaquan (Cha Family Boxing)Chinese master of the Chaquan style from the Hui Muslim community, vice-chairman of the Chinese Wushu Association and author of the Twenty Fists Method and the Green Dragon sword technique.Wong Fei-hungMaster: Hung GarA master of the Hung Gar style and physician from Foshan, owner of the Po Chi Lam clinic, about whose life more than 100 films and series have been made since 1949.Wong Shun LeungMaster: Wing ChunHong Kong master of Wing Chun and student of Ip Man, known for street duels called beimo, teacher of Bruce Lee, and president of the Ving Tsun Athletic Association from 1972.Yang BanhouMaster: Tai ChiSon of Yang Luchan, creator of the compact Yang Small Frame (Xiao Jia) form and teacher of Wu Quanyou, father of Wu-style co-founder Wu Jianquan, as well as of Wang Jiaoyu.Yip ChingMaster: Wing ChunHong Kong Wing Chun master and second son of Ip Man, who from 1994 devoted himself fully to teaching and, with his brother, advised on the filming of Ip Man 3 and Ip Man 4.Yip ChunMaster: Wing ChunA Wing Chun master and Ip Man's eldest son, co-founder of the Ving Tsun Athletic Association (1968) and co-author of the book 116 Wing Tsun Dummy Techniques (1981).Zhu GuofuMaster: XingyiquanMaster of Xingyiquan, one of the fifteen most successful competitors at the first national Guoshu examination in Nanjing in 1928.
Chang Dsu Yao
Cheng Man-ch'ing
Chi Kuan-chun
Huang Sheng-shyanChampion (1)
Notable figure (11)
Bolo YeungHong Kong actor and bodybuilder, holder of the Mr. Hong Kong title for ten years, known as Bolo in Enter the Dragon (1973) and Chong Li in Bloodsport (1988).Chang NaizhouChinese scholar and martial artist from Henan province (1724-1783), author of writings on internal martial arts and the theory of six harmonies and central energy.Donnie YenHong Kong actor and action choreographer, a student of his mother Bow-sim Mark in taijiquan, who played Ip Man in the eponymous film series from 2008 to 2019.Gan FengchiNotable figure: Sanhuang Paochui (Three Emperors Cannon Fist)Semi-legendary Chinese fighter from the era of the Kangxi and Yongzheng emperors who, with Qiao Sanxiu, learned from the monk Puzhao the style later called Sanhuang Paochui.Gordon LiuNotable figure: Hung GarA Hong Kong actor who trained in Hung Gar at Lau Cham's school in his youth and became famous for the role of monk San Te in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978).Jackie ChanHong Kong actor, stuntman and fight choreographer, trained in Peking opera, known for the films Drunken Master (1978) and Drunken Master II (1994).Kenichi SawaiNotable figure: Yiquan (Dachengquan)Japanese colonel and judoka who studied yiquan under Wang Xiangzhai in Beijing and in 1947 founded taikiken (Taiki Seiseikenpo) in Japan.Mark DacascosAmerican actor and fight choreographer, son of Al Dacascos, founder of the Wun Hop Kuen Do style, known for Only the Strong and Crying Freeman.Sammo HungHong Kong actor, director and fight choreographer trained in Peking opera, choreographer of the films Ip Man (2008), Ip Man 2 (2010) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004).Yu ChenghuiChinese wushu master and actor Yu Chenghui reconstructed the two-handed sword technique shuangshou jian and starred in the film Shaolin Temple (1982).Yuen Woo-pingHong Kong director and action choreographer, creator of the film Drunken Master (1978) and of the fight choreography for The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Kill Bill.
Kenichi SawaiHistorian (2)
Huang ZongxiChinese Neo-Confucian philosopher (1610-1695), whose 1669 epitaph for Wang Zhengnan was the first to introduce the term neijia, meaning internal martial arts.Qi JiguangChinese general of the Ming dynasty (1528–1588), a fighter against pirates and the author of the manual Jixiao xinshu with a chapter on fist fighting in 32 movements.