Lam Sai-wing

Lam Sai-wing (1861 – 1943) was a Hung Gar martial artist. He was a student of the Chinese martial artist, acupuncturer and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, Wong Fei-hung.

Early life
Lam was born in Nanhai district, Guangdong. He followed the customs of his ancestors and learned the traditional martial arts and traditional Chinese medicine Dit Da of his family; from his father Lam Che-chung, grandfather Lam Bak-sin and granduncle Lam Geui-chung, and progressed to learn from Wu Kam-sing (胡金星), a northern Chinese boxer known only by the surname of Kang (康), and Chung Hung-san (鍾雄山). He later learned from Wong Fei-hung, and also assisted with him to work as guards in the entertainment venues. He was eventually considered an expert in Hung Ga ("Hung family fist", a style originating from the Southern Shaolin Tiger style, known for its efficiency and widespread at the time in various secret societies), and may have also studied Fut Kuen ("Buddhist Fist", a style practiced by various Buddhist sects in Guangdong province).

He founded the Wu Ben Tang (Hall of Fundamental Study) in Guangzhou (Canton) where he taught his martial arts. Towards the end of the Qing dynasty, Lam gained first place at a large martial arts competition that took place at the Dongjiao ground.

Between 1917 and 1923, Lam served in the National Revolutionary Army of Fujian province as Chief Instructor in hand-to-hand combat. In 1921, his performance of Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist (虎鶴雙形拳) to raise fund for an orphanage in Guangdong won praise from Sun Yat-sen. Sun awarded him with a silver presidential medal and addressed him as Mr. Fuk-Hok (虎鶴先生).

In about 1926, he was invited by the Hong Kong Butchers' Association to teach martial arts. In 1928, Lam eventually moved to Hong Kong with his adopted nephew Lam Cho (林祖) (1910–2012), where he started teaching martial arts there. With the help of one of his disciples Chu Yu-zai, he wrote and published three books on the three primary forms (taolu) of Hung Ga: gung ji fuk fu keun ("Taming the Tiger Fist"), fu hok seung ying keun ("Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist"), and tit sin keun ("Iron Wire Fist").

Death
Lam died at the age of 82 in 1943, at the Dit Da Clinic (跌打醫館), of the four-storey building (later known as Blue House in 1990) at Stone Nullah Lane during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. Whilst conditions were difficult during the occupation, there has been no indication that the occupation contributed to his death.

Legacy
Lam and his students, which were said to have numbered over 10,000 during his life, are primarily responsible for popularizing the style in the 20th century. Some of his students became among the first actors and stunt people in the fledgling Hong Kong "kung fu" film industry in the 1940s. They included two men who would work as action directors on the Wong Fei-hung films that starred Kwan Tak-hing – Leong Wing-hang and Lau Cham, father of action director and star, Lau Kar-leung. Another student of Lam was Golden Harvest producer Raymond Chow.

The most famous student of Lam Sai-wing and the leader of the Hong Kong Martial Arts Community was Chan Hon-chung (1909–1991), the founding chairman of Hong Kong Chinese Martial arts association and the only Chinese Martial Artist honored by the Queen during the colonial Hong Kong. Chan's best student Kong Pui Wai is still leading the association. Another famous student was Chiu Kao. His son Chiu Chi-ling made his name from movies and teaching Hung Gar worldwide.

Lam Sai-wing's kung fu was also continued by his adopted nephew Lam Cho, his disciple and successor, who resided & taught in Hong Kong with his own sons Anthony Lam Chun-fai, Simon Lam Chun-chung and Lam Chun-sing. Simon Lam Chun-chung continues to teach his father's students and new students at Lam Cho's renowned studio in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. Among Lam Cho's senior disciples, Kwong Tit Fu (鄺鐵夫) (died 1999) and Tang Kwok-wah (鄺鐵夫) (1924–2011) taught in Boston.

Kwong's well-known students was Calvin Chin. While among Tang's disciples are Winchell Ping Chiu Woo (胡炳超) (Chiu Mo Kwoon, Boston), Yon Lee (李健遠) (Harvard Tai Chi Tiger Crane Shaolin Cultural Foundation, Shaolin Institute, Quincy). and Sik Y. Hum.

Portrayal in the media
Lam had been portrayed by one of his students Lau Cham in many of the Wong Fei-hung films starring Kwan Tak-hing from 1949 to 1959.

He was portrayed by Ng Ming-choi in the 1979 film Butcher Wing.

He has been portrayed by Sammo Hung in the 1979 film Magnificent Butcher, which was also one of the many of the (over 100) films made about Wong Fei-hung starring Kwan Tak-hing.

Andy Lau portrayed Lam in the 1984 TVB series The Return of Wong Fei Hung, which featured Lam as the main protagonist.

In the 1991 film Once Upon a Time in China, Lam was portrayed by Kent Cheng, Lam was a butcher by trade, causing his name to be translated as "Porky" in the English version. Cheng also reprised the role in the 1994 film Once Upon a Time in China V and the 1995 Chinese television series Wong Fei Hung Series.

He was portrayed by Dickson Li in the 2004 TVB television drama series Wong Fei Hung – Master of Kung Fu.