Cheung Bo Lineage

Posted By : tommy56nc

Last Update: Dec 10, 2015

Category:

Lineages

Sources

  • AWCKRI
  • Leungs Publishing
  • Yuen Kay Shan:History and development - By Rene Ritchie
  • Oral tradition Mak Yiu Ming
  • Oral and written tradition Sum Num

    Lineages

Not much is known about Cheung Bo. He was very private, and prefered students “Go practise” than concern themselves about “Who learned from who”. There are several differant traditions, on who he learned his Wing Chun from.

The usual story preserves that Au Shi, a friend of Yuen Kay Shan, that learned along side Yuen, from famed Bounty Hunter Fung Siu Ching, passed his system to a Nationalist doctor named Wai Yuk Sang. For a brief period of time Wai taught Wing chun and passed some of what he knew to Cheung Bo. Later in life, Wai Yuk Sang regretted teaching fighting skills and became a devoit Taoist. It was he who taught Sum Num the Sun Hei Gwun Hei Gung form, telling Sum to start and end his training with this special healing set.

Cheung Bo was a cook at Tien Hoi restraunt, and passed down Wing Chun to some of the employees. He was fairly large and strong, and had a fierce fighting reputation. Cheung Bo’s Wing chun, was taught in mini sets refered to as San Sik. In the Cheung Bo family, Its not known if the Wing chun system they practise, was always San Sik based, or if it had at some point been a form, that was broken down into segments for ease of teaching. Its also possible that Cheung Bo may have worked or at least known famed Cho Gar Wing Chun Kuen Master Cho On who was also a cook by trade and had worked at Tien Hoi during the same time period, Cheung Bo did.

As Cheung Bo was a larger guy, he didnt have the body structure to keep his elbows in, as many of the Wing Chun masters of the day did. So he compensated with fast body shifting and wide sweeping “Sickling hand” motions.

He passed his art to Sum Num prior to Sum being accepted by Yuen Kay Shan, as his only disciple. Sum used some of Cheung Bo’s San Sik method, as well as San sik he learned from Yuen, as early training to his students and has become a valuable part of the Sum Num lineages curiculum. It is also said that the Cheung Bo method, was refined by Yuen’s expresion of Wing Chun Kuen.

Cheung Bo, just prior to his death, asked Sum Num, to help train both of his sons, in the Wing chun System. Sum Num, vowed to do so, and to this day, Cheung Bo’s lineage preserves the hand forms of Yuen Kay Shan, just as the Yuen Kay Shan/Sum Num lineage presereves some of the Cheung Bo’s San Sik method. Cheung Hon (Cheung Bo’s 3rd Son), Cheung Mo Kun (Cheung Bo’s 7th Son) as well has their classmate Wong Gut Chuen, incorporated the hand forms into there training system. Cheung Mo Kun accepted Fok King On to pass his skills down to.

Wong Gut Chuen, known as one of Cheung Bo’s top students, lived in a house in a “4 in 1 building” owned by a landlord named Mak Gee Wan. Mak Gee found out Wong Gut was a Wing Chun Sifu, and asked to be taught. Wong Gut Chuen accepted him as a student, due to his serious nature in learning Wing Chun.

Mak Gee’s son Mak Yiu Ming, developed a love for the Wing Chun system from all the time watching his father train. When Mak Yiu Ming was 16 years old, he asked his father if he could learn from Wong Gut Sifu. His father agreed and took him to see Wong Sifu. Mak Yiu was immediatly accepted as a student and learned from Wong Gut Chuen Sifu up until 1988, when he was given permision to start teaching himself. Mak Yiu Ming also learned from his Sisook Cheung Mo Kun. Mak Yiu Ming started teaching at the Culture Club of the Workers, and has had many champions from various Chi Sau and Jing Wu Athletic Association competitions. Wong Gut Chuen is still alive to this day being ruffly 92 years old.

According to information passed down by Mak Yiu Ming, Wai Yuk Sang learned from his elder brother, not Au Tzu.

Oral tradition from Sum Num varies dependent upon who asked him. It has been said he clearly stated Cheung Bo learned from Wai Yuk Sang -student of Au Tzu. Others he stated, “no one knows for sure, as Cheung would never confirm”. An interesting fact surfaces, when one considers Fung Siu Ching was teaching Yuen and Au in 1933–1936. Sum started learning from Cheung Bo in 1938. So that means that Au Tzu would have had to have taught Wai Yuk Sang, who than taught Cheung Bo within a two year period, which seems highly unprobable.

Some Oral tradition suggests Cheung Bo didnt pass down a Look Dim Boon Gwun Form, or Knives, but did pass down a double ended pole/ Chan Mei Gwun, San Sik, San Sau and a Muk Yan Jong form.

Posted By : tommy56nc

Last Update: Dec 10, 2015

Category:

Lineages

Sources

  • AWCKRI
  • Leungs Publishing
  • Yuen Kay Shan:History and development - By Rene Ritchie
  • Oral tradition Mak Yiu Ming
  • Oral and written tradition Sum Num

    Lineages