Wong Shun Leung
黃淳樑
Hong 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.
Quick Facts
Hong KongBiography
Wong Shun Leung (Chinese 黃淳樑, pinyin Huang Chunliang) was born on 8 May 1935, according to the lunar calendar on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. He is known as a master of Wing Chun, a student of Ip Man, and the teacher who trained Bruce Lee.
In Wing Chun he trained under Ip Man; in his youth he also practised taijiquan and boxing. According to one source, between the ages of 17 and 32 he fought between 60 and over 100 street duels, known as beimo, without losing. In 1957 he took part in the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Open tournament, where he was eliminated by Wu Ming Jeet. After the bout, in which he accidentally blinded his opponent, he ended his competitive career. He earned the nickname Gong Sau Wong (講手王, "King of Talking Hands").
His most famous student was Bruce Lee; his first student was Wu Chan-nam, followed by Gary Lam, Tommy Yuen Yim-keung, Attilio Reale, and Wan Kam-leung. In December 1972, after the death of Ip Man, he became president of the Ving Tsun Athletic Association. In the early 1980s he made the instructional film Wing Chun: The Science of In-fighting, and in 1996 he led a seminar in Beijing for 12 students in front of about 200 attendees.
On 12 January 1997 he suffered a stroke while playing mahjong or cards, and he died on 28 January 1997 in Hong Kong at the age of 61.
Teachers, students and family
Associated Martial Arts
Organisations
- Ving Tsun Athletic AssociationPresident · 1972