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Chinese martial artist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leung Jan (born Leung Tak-wing; 1826–1901) was a Chinese martial artist and Wing Chun practitioner from Heshan, Guangdong. He was known in Foshan as Mr. Jan of Foshan and King of Wing Chun Kuen.
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| Leung Jan | |||||||
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| Born | Leung Tak-wing (梁德榮) 1826 Heshan, Guangdong, Qing Empire | ||||||
| Died | 1901 (aged 74–75) Heshan, Guangdong, Qing Empire | ||||||
| Native name | 梁贊 | ||||||
| Other names | Mr. Jan of Foshan (佛山贊先生) King of Wing Chun Kuen (詠春拳王) | ||||||
| Residence | Heshan, Guangdong, Qing Empire Foshan, Guangdong, Qing Empire | ||||||
| Nationality | Chinese | ||||||
| Style | Wing Chun | ||||||
| Teacher(s) | Leung Yee-tai[1] Wong Wah-bo[2] | ||||||
| Occupation | Dit Da practitioner, martial artist | ||||||
| Spouse | Ms. Wong Ms. Cheng Ms. Poon | ||||||
| Children |
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| Notable students | Leung Bik Chan Wah-shun | ||||||
| Notable school(s) | Hang Chai Tong | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 梁贊 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 梁赞 | ||||||
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| Leung Tak-wing (birth name) | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 梁德榮 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 梁德荣 | ||||||
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Leung Jan is one of the earliest well-documented practitioners of Wing Chun, which was mainly passed down verbally from teacher to student prior to Leung Jan.[3][4][5]
Leung Jan was born Leung Tak-wing in 1826 in Heshan, Guangdong. He had an elder brother, Leung Tak-nam, who would later become a successful businessman. His father later moved to Kuai Zi, Foshan and there Leung helped run a traditional Chinese medicine Dit Da clinic. At the age of 18, he was trained by Leung Yee-tai in Southern Shaolin skills. Yee-tai later introduced Jan to his partner Wong Wah-bo, who was also a Gulao (古勞) resident like Jan. Wong taught Jan the entire Wing Chun skill set.[6]
From 1870 onwards, under the nickname Leung Jan, he succeed his father medical business and work within the Wing Sang Tong (榮生堂), also known as Jan Sang Tong, in Foshan and would occasionally take in students to train them in Wing Chun privately. His name eventually became well known due to his wins in competitive bouts and he was respected by other martial artists. He was called Mr. Jan of Foshan (佛山贊先生). He later became a government official and was known as King of Wing Chun Kuen (詠春拳王). His training and medical hall was looked after by his student Lee Wah (李華), nicknamed Woodman Wah (木人華).[7]
Leung had three wives, nine sons and eight daughters. His first wife Ms. Wong (黃氏), bore him no children. His second wife Ms. Cheng (鄭氏), bore him seven sons. His third wife Ms. Poon (潘氏), bore him two sons.
His nine sons were:
There is currently no available historical information on any of Leung's eight daughters.
In 1888, his physical health began to decline and his five remaining sons had since left Foshan to make a living and they had no intention to take over his training and medical hall. Notably, Leung Yuen moved to Vietnam, while Leung Bik moved to Hong Kong.
While searching for a successor, Leung took in a money changer Chan Wah-shun as his student. Leung later often went back and forth between Foshan and his hometown Gulao Village, and Chan continued to be trained by Lee. Leung also taught Chan in Dit Da. Chan eventually closed his money changing business and helped run a Dit Da clinic.
After the death of Lee Wah on the following year in 1889, Chan took over the operations of the training and medical hall, while Leung continued to go back and forth between Foshan and Gulao. Wing Sang Tong was later renamed to Hang Chai Tong (杏濟堂).
Around the age of 70, Leung retired permanently back to his hometown, there he taught a group of four youths, including his nephew Wong Wah-sum, a modified form of Wing Chun which focused on side-facing positions (known as Kulo village Pin Sun Wing Chun in present day).[8] Leung died in 1901.
| Lineage (詠春拳承傳) | |
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| Leung Jan (梁贊) | |
| Known students |
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In the 1978 film Descendants of Wing Chun, he was portrayed by Melvin Wong.
He was portrayed by Bryan Leung in the 1978 film Warriors Two as the master role as a more disciplined and older man. He takes up the student Chan Wah-shun alongside a few other ones he is already training, but is caught up in an elaborate scheme by Foshan's new mayor. The mayor plans to remove all top martial artists from the town, so he may rule with an iron fist. Putting both Cashier Wah (Chan Wah-shun), and Leung Jan himself on the mayor's hit list.
In the 1981 TVB television drama series Kung Fu Master of Fat Shan, he was portrayed by Kwan Hoi-san.
Leung Jan, as an already somewhat skilled martial artist, is featured in a student role in the 1981 film The Prodigal Son. In this fictional tale of his life, Yuen Biao as Leung Jan, is a young man determined to learn real martial arts after a humiliating defeat by undercover Wing Chun master Leung Yee-tai who is a seemingly harmless man, despite Leung Jan being known as Foshan's "kung fu king".
Leung was portrayed by Yuen Biao again in the Hong Kong TV series Real Kung Fu, which aired on TVB in 2005, along with Wing Chun a year later or two from 2006 to 2007.
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