Hung Hei-gun or Hong Xiguan (1745—1825) was a Chinese martial artist who lived in the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. He was also an influential figure in the

Southern Shaolin The Southern Shaolin Monastery or Nan-Shaolin () is the name of a Buddhist monastery whose existence and location are both disputed although associated ruins have been identified. By tradition, it is considered a source of Nanquan. Establishment T ...

school of

Chinese martial arts Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. Th ...

. His name is also alternatively romanised as Hung Hei-koon, Hung Hei-kwun, Hung Hsi-kuan, and similar renditions. He was believed to be the creator and founder of

Hung Ga Kuen Hung Ga (), Hung Kuen (), or Hung Ga Kuen () is a southern Chinese martial art belonging to the southern Shaolin styles. The hallmarks of Hung Ga are strong stances, notably the horse stance, or "si ping ma" (), and strong hand techniques, not ...

Life

Hung was originally a tea merchant. He escaped to the

Southern Shaolin Monastery The Southern Shaolin Monastery or Nan-Shaolin () is the name of a Buddhist monastery whose existence and location are both disputed although associated ruins have been identified. By tradition, it is considered a source of Nanquan. Establishment T ...

Fujian Province Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

after having an argument with

Manchus The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and Q ...

elites. The abbot, Jee-sin, accepted him into the monastery and soon found out how talented and hardworking he was in Southern Shaolin martial arts. Jee-sin was impressed by these qualities and soon began to teach Hung the Black Tiger Fist that he specialised in. After six years, Hung became the best among the "

lay Lay may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada *Lay, Loire, a French commune *Lay (river), France *Lay, Iran, a village *Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community People * Lay (surname) * ...

" members of Southern Shaolin Monastery. These "lay" members refer to people who learnt Southern Shaolin martial arts but were not ordained as monks in the monastery. However, Qing government forces destroyed Southern Shaolin Monastery later because the monastery provided refuge for many rebels seeking to overthrow the Qing dynasty.

Students

Hung had two notable students: Luk Ah-choi (陸阿采) and Lei Jou-fan (李祖寬). Luk learnt Southern Shaolin martial arts from both Hung and Hung's master, Reverend Jee-sin. He founded the

Hung Ga Hung Ga (), Hung Kuen (), or Hung Ga Kuen () is a southern Chinese martial art belonging to the southern Shaolin styles. The hallmarks of Hung Ga are strong stances, notably the horse stance, or "si ping ma" (), and strong hand techniques, not ...

(洪家) style of martial arts, which he named after the Hung-mun (洪門), a Chinese fraternal organisation that was associated with the anti-Qing revolutionary movement. Lei founded the

Hung Fut Hung Fut () is a southern style of Chinese martial art, first developed in the early 1800s by Lei Jou Fun, also known as Shaolin Buddhist Master Wun Lei and is a system that is widely practiced today. System Hung Fut is considered to be a hyb ...

(洪佛) style of martial arts.

Cultural references

Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan (; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director. Yen is one of Hong Kong's top action stars. Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream Asian cinema by cho ...

portrayed Hung in the 1994 Hong Kong television series ''

The Kung Fu Master ''The Kung Fu Master'' is a 2020 Indian Malayalam-language martial arts film written and directed by Abrid Shine and produced by Shibu Thekkumpuram under the banner of Fullon Studio Frames. The film stars Neeta Pillai, Sanoop Dinesh and Jiji S ...

'', which was produced by ATV and based on legends about Hung and

Fong Sai-yuk Fong Sai-yuk (or Fang Shiyu) is a semi-fictional Chinese martial artist and folk hero from Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province of the Qing dynasty. Fong was also associated with Hung Hei-gun and the Five Elders of the Southern Shaolin Mona ...

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, Chinese martial arts, martial artist, and retired wushu (sport), Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singapo ...

also portrayed Hung in the 1994 Hong Kong film ''

The New Legend of Shaolin ''The New Legend of Shaolin'' (; released in the United Kingdom as ''Legend of the Red Dragon'' and in the Philippines as ''Once Upon a Time in China-4'') is a 1994 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Wong Jing and Corey Yuen, and produced ...

'', which was loosely based on Hung's life and incorporated elements from the Japanese manga ''

Lone Wolf and Cub is a Japanese manga series created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. First published in 1970, the story was adapted into six films starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, four plays, a television series starring Kinnosuke Yorozuya, and is ...

''.

Chen Kuan-tai Chen Kuan-tai (born 24 September 1945) is a martial artist and Hong Kong martial arts film star. Background A former fireman, he won a world's kungfu Championship in 1969. He has primarily appeared in Shaw Brothers productions, and was one of th ...

portrayed Hung in the 1977

Shaw Brothers Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...

film, ''

Executioners from Shaolin ''Executioners from Shaolin'' or ''Hung Hsi Kuan'' is a 1977 Shaw Brothers kung fu film based on the life of Hung hsi Kuan directed by Lau Kar-leung. It is released as ''Shaolin Executioners'' outside of Hong Kong and as ''Executioners of Dea ...

'', directed by

Lau Kar-leung Lau Kar-leung (28 July 1934 – 25 June 2013), was a Chinese actor, filmmaker, choreographer, and martial artist from Hong Kong. Lau is best known for the films he made in the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio. His most famous wor ...

References

*''Beginning Shaolin Hung-Gar Kung Fu'' - John Leong *''Hung Gar Kung Fu: Chinese art of self defense'' - Bucksam Kong and Eugene H. Ho, copyright 1973 Ohara Publications Inc. *
The Tiger/Crane Form of Hung Gar Kung Fu
' - Bucksam Kong, copyright 1983 Ohara Publications Inc. *''

Kung Fu Magazine __NOTOC__ ''Kung Fu Tai Chi'' (also commonly known as ''Kung Fu Magazine'') is a United States magazine covering martial arts and combat sports (mainly Chinese Martial Arts). ''Kung Fu Tai Chi'' magazine began publication 1992 and is owned by TC ...

'' - Sept.1999, Pacific Rim publications, Arnaldo Ty Nunez {{DEFAULTSORT:Hung Hei-gun 1745 births 1825 deaths Buddhist folklore Chinese folklore Chinese Hung Gar practitioners People from Huadu District Qing dynasty Buddhists Sportspeople from Guangzhou Buddhism in China 18th-century Chinese people 19th-century Chinese people

Life

Students

Cultural references

See also

References