Leung Kwan (; 1815–1887), popularly nicknamed "Iron Bridge Three" or "Tit Kiu Sam", was known as 'the great master of the Hong Fist' and was one of the

Ten Tigers of Canton Ten Tigers of Canton or Ten Tigers of GuangdongKim, Sun-Jin. Tuttle Dictionary of the Martial Arts of Korea, China & Japan. 996(1996). Tuttle publishing. Korea. . refers to a group of ten Chinese martial artists from Guangdong Province lived arou ...

, a group of ten of the top

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 ...

masters in

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

towards the end of 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 ...

(1644–1912).

Biography

Born in 1815, Leung studied martial arts in his youth under the famous Shaolin master Li Huzi (''Bearded Li'', also known as "Golden Hook"). He loved studying martial techniques, and travelled around in search of friends and great masters, frequently seeking out the company of

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monks. Dedicated training in Shaolin techniques helped him to develop a solid foundation. He went on to teach martial arts at the Guangzhi dye-works at Rainbow Bridge in Canton (now known as

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

) and he became an extremely well known figure. Leung was born during the reign of the

Jiaqing Emperor The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, born Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, fro ...

(1796–1821), and died in the 12th or 13th year of the reign of the

Guangxu Emperor The Guangxu Emperor (14 August 1871 – 14 November 1908), personal name Zaitian, was the tenth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, wi ...

(1887 or 1888). His death was caused by over-zealous training in the "36 Point Copper Ring Pole" technique, under the monk Yuanguang at

Hoi Tong Monastery The Hoi Tong Monastery, also known by many other names, is a Buddhist temple and monastery on Henan Island in Guangzhou, China. It shares its grounds with the city's . Names The official English form of the name is "Hoi Tong Monastery", ...

. Leung had long been an

opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...

smoker; the monk advised him to break the habit and train in the pole technique instead. But he pushed himself too hard for his age, fell ill and died around the age of 70. Leung is best known for his "Iron Bridges" and the fist form Iron Wire Fist. His Iron Wire Fist is the highest level in most Hung Ga schools and his work is very important to the current Hung Ga system.

External links

European Hung Gar Association
Chinese martial arts Chinese Hung Gar practitioners 1815 births 1887 deaths Sportspeople from Guangdong People from Nanhai District {{PRChina-martialart-bio-stub