Chan Hon Chung (1909 - 1991)

Chan Hon Chung (1909 - 1991)

Chan Hon Chung was born in 1909 in a small village of Hing Ling county in the Kwantung province of southern China. Growing up in poverty, Chan Hon Chung worked and lived in the mainland China untill his teenage years. At the age of 19, he immigrated to Hong Kong with his family. Soon after arriving in Hong Kong Chan Hon Chung started working as a street vendor near St.Joseph College of Hong Kong island. Chan Hon Chung's life long journey in gung fu began when hejoined the "Lam Saiwing National Art Association First Branch". Here he began learning the traditional art of hung gar. He was diligent and hard working. Despite the difficult living conditions of the time, young Chan Hon Chung trained at the Lam Sai WIng's martial arts center most evenings from seven until midnight. He would then wake up early in the morning in order to train more before heading for work. He would often concentrate on his weaknesess and try to perfect his skills, sometimes concentrating on a single movement untill he got it right. Due to his hard work and strong interest he began to improve and eventually became one of the top students there.

During 1936, Chan Hon Chung travelled to Kwantung(canton) for business. By this time the Japanese aggression against China had already started. These were difficult times and people were greatly worried about the Japanese forces. Groups of swordsmen were being formed to fight the Japanese forces. Chan Hon Chung wa asked by the county authorities to help and train these volunter swordsmen. Chan Hon Chung trained hundreds of skilled swordsmen to fight against the aggression.

Up on his return to Hong Kong, Chan Hon Chung established his own gung fu school and dit da clinick in 1938, the "Chan Hon-Chung Gymnasium" where he began teaching hung gar. As a teacher, he demanded his students to work hard and dedicate the time required to learn the art correctly. As his reputation grew so did the number of students. He had a lot of students. Chan Hon Chung was also one of the first gung fu masters in Hong Kong to accept western (non-chinese) students. People from diffrent countries from all over the world came to train at his school in Hong kong.

Besides being a well know gung fu master, Chan Hon Chung was also a respected dit da doctor. He treated patients at his clinick/school day in day out as well as teaching gung fu openly.

Chan Hon Chung dedicated his entire life to the preservence, advancement and promotion of gung fu and his chosen style of Hung Kuen. He is well known and remmebered for his endless efforts to promote the art of gung fu all over the world. He was the leading figure behind the organisation of Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Association, one of the biggest and well known martial art associations in Hong Kong. In 1969, at a meeting between numorues gung fu masters, Chan Hon Chung suggested that Hong Kong should have a martial arts association and bring diffrent gung fu schools together inorder to expand and coordinate the Chinese martial arts in Hong Kong. In 1970, after months of work and preperation The Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Association was born. Chan Hon Chung was ellected as the President of the association. The HKCMAA brought together the most gung fu schools in Hong Kong and eventualy grew to be the one of the biggest gung fu association in Hong Kong.

He also contributed a lot to the community and often took part in the charity events. Consequently, in 1973, Chan Hon Chung was awarded a medal by Queen Elizabeth II of England for his contribution to community and efforts in the development of chinese martial arts.

A humble master of gung fu, Chan Hon Chung achived much through out his life and did much for the development and advancment of gung fu in and around Hong Kong. He appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers as well as TV shows both in Hong Kong and around the world. At times he also acted as a martial arts advisor for the Hong Kong gung fu movies. Chan Hon Chung passed away in 1991.