UK Lam Family Hung Kuen

Lam Cho

Grand Master (Sigung) Lam Cho is the living legend of Hung Gar. The last of the great masters of his generation, Lam Cho sigung has dedicated his whole life to the research, promotion and advancement of Hung Kuen.

Lam Cho sigung, also known as Lam Kwoon Kau was born in 1910 in Ping Chow, a small village in Namhoi district of Kwangtung province Lam Cho sigung's lifelong journey in Chinese Martial Arts began when he was still a young boy. He was only 6 years old when he began training in Hung Gar gung fu under the strict but caring guidance of his uncle Lam Sai Wing. Extremely talented, young Lam Cho was not only a natural athlete but also very intelligent and hardworking. His natural flair combined with his conscientious attitude towards training allowed him to quickly learn and grasp the finer points of the art. Under the watchful eyes of his uncle, young Lam Cho diligently practiced everything he was taught and kept on practicing day after day until he perfected every single move and mastered everything Lam Sai Wing taught him. Grand master Lam Cho was born to be a gung fu man and destined to be a great master. Lam Sai Wing taught his nephew everything he knew, including the traditional art of dit da medicine along with many secret herbal formulas which was only passed down to the next successor of the art. Not surprisingly, grand master Lam Cho is as famous as a dit da healer as he is for his Hung Gar. Using his first hand knowledge and years of experience in dit da, Lam Cho sigung has helped and healed thousands of people throughout his life and still continues to do so today.

In his teens, Lam Cho sigung had already become a well known and respected figure within the martial arts community throughout the whole of Southern China and Hong Kong. He was only sixteen years old when he began teaching the art of Hung Gar. He was admired by all and called sifu even at the tender age of sixteen. However during those times teaching gung fu and being called sifu was not taken lightly. Lam Cho had to prove his skills and martial abilities in many challenge matches against expert gung fu masters and fighters. Initially he assisted his uncle in teaching at his Southern Martial Physical Culture Association which he eventually took over. Later, he set up his own gung fu schools and dit da clinics in and around Hong Kong. Grand master Lam Cho was an excellent teacher and taught his art openly to all those willing to learn. He was extremely accurate in his teaching and always ensured that his students completely understood even the hardest aspects of the art. Tons of students from all over southern China traveled to learn Hung Kuen from Lam Cho. Some of these students also became quiet well known within the Chinese Martial Arts community in Hong Kong and around the world. Following the footsteps of their master, many of grand master students went on to open gung fu schools of their own through out Hong Kong and southern china.

Grand master has been one of the most celebrated gung fu masters of his time. He often demonstrated his skills and power of his art to the public and was invited to all important events. In one such event during the 1930's for the British military, Lam Jo sigung was invited to perform gung fu in front of hundreds of foreign and Chinese spectators. The audience was amazed by grand master powerful performance. The photos and articles about sigung's amazing performance was published in a London newspaper as well as local newspapers in Hong Kong. The art of Hung Gar had now become internationally renowned.

On December 8, 1941, during World War II, Hong Kong woke up to find itself in war. The Japanese military had invaded Hong Kong and a great darkness had fallen up on the people of Hong Kong. This was the beginning of almost four years of hardship and deprivation. Grand Master did all he could to help ease the pain and suffering of the people. People looked up to him and recognized him as a leading figure within the community. The cruel treatment by the Japanese military soon resulted with a civil disorder breaking out in the streets of Hong Kong. Lam Cho sigung came forward as a leader to try to maintain the peace and lead people to safety. The Japanese well aware of grand master Lam's status and influence on the public wanted him on their side. They pressured sigung to work for the Japanese and offered him many privileges. However, Lam Cho refused everything and as a result his studio/school was burned down by the Japanese. He became a wanted man and had no choice but to flee to China. He eventually ended up in his native village of Ping Chow. There he taught Hung Gar gung fu in secret until the end of the war. Sigung returned to Hong Kong once the Japanese invasion was over. His deeds and efforts to help those in need during the hard, haunting times of Japanese occupation are still remembered to this day.

Back in Hong Kong, grandmaster reopened his school and dit da clinic. He also became the chairman of the Physical Culture Association, the martial arts consultant for the Paper and Boxes Association Union and the Dit Da herbalist of the Restaurant Workers Union. Sigung carried on teaching his art openly to the public and continued to treat patients using his superb dit Da skills. Treating the rich he never over charged, treating the poor he charged a very little or nothing at all.

Today, at the age of 98, Lam Cho sigung is still vigorous and full of life. Even at such advance age, he still practices gung fu every single morning, operates a dit da clinic and occasionally teaches hung gar to some of the students training at his famous studio and dit dat clinic located in Mong Kok. Grand Master Lam Cho is one of the most venerable and greatest grand masters Hong Kong has ever seen in its rather short history. An exceptional man, sigung has had an incredible life and accomplished much. Despite all that he remains extremely humble and very much down to earth. Every year Hung Gar practitioners from all corners of the world travel to Hong Kong to pay their respects to grand master Lam Cho and train at his legendary gung fu studio.

Lam Cho sigung no longer takes on students and has retired from teaching. He has passed down his great legacy to his sons Lam Chun Fai and Lam Chun Sing. Like father, like son, both master Lam Chun Fai and master Lam Chun Sing are exceptional masters gifted with natural talent with decades of experience in their family art of Hung Gar and Dit Da medicine. As a matter of fact all of grandmasters children have been trained in their family art since childhood. Grand Master's first born son, Master Lam Chun Fai runs his own gung fu school and dit da clinic, located in North Point/Hong Kong. Master Lam Chun Sing, sigung's youngest son, is in charge of his father’s legendary studio in Mong Kok where he teaches gung fu.