Lam Yiu-Kwai
Encyclopedia
Lam Yiu Gwai 林耀桂 was the master responsible for the dissemination of Dragon Kung Fu
.
He was born in 1877 in Huìyáng (惠陽) County in the prefecture of Huizhou
in Guangdong Province, China
.
From a young age Lam learned martial arts from his father and grandfather and, like them, he would eventually undertake training from masters on Loh Fu Mountain in neighboring Bo Loh (博羅) County, where he was taught by Chan
(Zen) master Tai Yuk
of the Wa Sau Toi
temple, who knew the Dragon style.
He also learned the routines Saam Tung Goh Kiu (“Three Ways to Cross the Bridge”) from the Taoist Wong Lei Giu and Mui Fa Chat Lo (“Plum Flower Fist in Seven Sections”) from Ke Hing Ma.
Good friends since their youth in Huizhou, Lam Yiu Gwai and the Bak Mei
master Jeung Lai Chuen later became cousins by marriage and opened several schools together.
Lam Yiu Gwai married and had several children.
In the 1920s, he moved to Guangzhou
, where he opened a number of Dragon style schools and met Mok Gar
master Lin Yin-Tang, who became a friend with whom he had much in common.
Lin Yin-Tang was from the prefecture of Dongguan
, which bordered both Huìyáng and Bóluó counties.
Like Yiu Gwai, Yin-Tang studied at a temple on Loh Fu Mountain; in Yin-Tang's case, the Temple of Emptiness (沖虛觀), where he studied meditation
and traditional Chinese medicine
.
After a stroke in the early 1950s, Lam Yiu Gwai moved to Hong Kong
for medical treatment where, after another stroke in 1965, he died in 1966.
He passed the art on to his students Wu Hua Tai, Ma Chai, Chan Cheung, Tsoi Yiu-Cheung, and Chan Dak, in addition to his sons Lam Chan Gwong (林燦光) and Lam Wun Gwong (林煥光), who supervises the Dragon Sign Athletic Association in Hong Kong.
Dragon Kung Fu
The movements of the Southern Dragon style of Shaolin Boxing are based on the mythical Chinese dragon. The Dragon style is an imitative-style that was developed based on the imagined characteristics of the mythical Chinese dragon....
.
He was born in 1877 in Huìyáng (惠陽) County in the prefecture of Huizhou
Huizhou
Huizhou , historically known as Waichow, is a city located in central Guangdong province of the People's Republic of China. Part of the Pearl River Delta, Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shaoguan to the north, Heyuan to the northeast, Shanwei to the east, Shenzhen...
in Guangdong Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
From a young age Lam learned martial arts from his father and grandfather and, like them, he would eventually undertake training from masters on Loh Fu Mountain in neighboring Bo Loh (博羅) County, where he was taught by Chan
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
(Zen) master Tai Yuk
Tai Yuk
Daai Yuk 大玉禪師 was a Chan Buddhist master who is credited with teaching Southern Dragon Kung Fu, or Lung Ying 龍形拳, to Lam Yiu Gwai. He was a monk at Wa Sau Toi, one of the many temples on the sacred mountain Luofushan.-References:...
of the Wa Sau Toi
Wa Sau Toi
Huashoutai or commonly known in its Cantonese name Wa Sau Toi was a Buddhist monastery on the sacred mountain Luofushan. It was destroyed in early 20th century.It is located in Boluo County, Huizhou, Guangdong, China.- History :...
temple, who knew the Dragon style.
He also learned the routines Saam Tung Goh Kiu (“Three Ways to Cross the Bridge”) from the Taoist Wong Lei Giu and Mui Fa Chat Lo (“Plum Flower Fist in Seven Sections”) from Ke Hing Ma.
Good friends since their youth in Huizhou, Lam Yiu Gwai and the Bak Mei
Bak Mei
Bak Mei is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders — survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Temple by the Qing Dynasty imperial regime — who, according to some accounts, betrayed Shaolin to the imperial government...
master Jeung Lai Chuen later became cousins by marriage and opened several schools together.
Lam Yiu Gwai married and had several children.
In the 1920s, he moved to Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, where he opened a number of Dragon style schools and met Mok Gar
Mok Gar
Mok Gar is one of the five major family styles of Southern Chinese martial arts. It was developed by a Shaolin monk named Monk Mo Ta Shi as an inheritance of the Southern Shaolin Fist in Guangdong province in China....
master Lin Yin-Tang, who became a friend with whom he had much in common.
Lin Yin-Tang was from the prefecture of Dongguan
Dongguan
Dongguan is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong province, People's Republic of China.An important industrial city located in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, Shenzhen to the south, and the Pearl River to...
, which bordered both Huìyáng and Bóluó counties.
Like Yiu Gwai, Yin-Tang studied at a temple on Loh Fu Mountain; in Yin-Tang's case, the Temple of Emptiness (沖虛觀), where he studied meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
and traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
.
After a stroke in the early 1950s, Lam Yiu Gwai moved to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
for medical treatment where, after another stroke in 1965, he died in 1966.
He passed the art on to his students Wu Hua Tai, Ma Chai, Chan Cheung, Tsoi Yiu-Cheung, and Chan Dak, in addition to his sons Lam Chan Gwong (林燦光) and Lam Wun Gwong (林煥光), who supervises the Dragon Sign Athletic Association in Hong Kong.