User:Nate1481/Wong Shun Lung

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All sorts of problems don't even know where to start with cleaning any more, archived here & put short version up.

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In this Chinese name, the family name is Wong (黃).

Wong Shun Leung (黃淳樑 1935–1997) was a Chinese Wing Chun stylist.

Wong started training with Yip Man in 1954 at the age of 19. He had single-handedly beaten one of the senior students, then went head to head with another. Wong was then challenged by the intrigued Yip Man and found himself completely controlled by him. Already at this age had a reputation as a fighter, and Yip Man was at first worried that he would bring trouble for Wing Chun. Wong's prowess as a "Beimo" fighter helped secure for Wing Chun its reputation. "Beimo" were semi-organised bare-knuckle challenge fights between youths in Hong Kong. Wong, who stood only 5'6" tall, participated in perhaps over 100 of these challenge fights and was never beaten. wong earned the name Gong Sau Wong (講手王), King of Talking Hands. Once asked if he was the best fighter in the world, he replied, "No, only the second best." When asked who was the best, he said, "I don't know, I haven't met him."

Wong stayed with Yip Man many years longer than most of Yip Man's other famous students. While with Yip Man, Wong helped Yip Man teach, not formally opening his own school until late 1960s. He taught Wing Chun at his kwoon until his untimely death from a stroke. His students included, notably, Jeet Kune Do founder and martial arts legend Bruce Lee (technically Yip Man's student & Wong's sidai).

Beginnings

Wong started training in several styles of martial arts while in his early teens, and he developed a real interest in Boxing. The reason he abandoned Boxing and "changed his approach to combat once and for all" was because of "two particular incidents". Firstly, he knocked out his boxing coach in sparring, and secondly, he got into a fight with Yip Man, (葉問, often written Ip Man).

Wong knocked out his boxing coach in one afternoon and lost respect for him. "....while sparring with his boxing coach one afternoon, Wong accidentally landed a damaging blow to the face. In a rage, the coach began pounding Wong until, bleeding from nose and mouth, Wong managed to gain the upper hand, eventually knocking his coach out cold. After this event, Wong lost all respect for his Boxing coach and never went back for another lesson".

Ving Tsun Update has also mentioned this incident. "When Wong Shun Leung accidentally hit his former boxing coach too hard, the coach became irritated and attacked him back. Wong, with a bloody mouth and nose, achieved despite this, to drive his former trainer in a corner and knocked him out. After this day Wong stopped his boxing lessons, as he had lost respect for his trainer."

Wong was fascinated by the stories of those legendary Wing Chun heroes such as the "money-changer" / Chan Wah-shun (找錢華 / 陳華順) and Mr. Jan from Foshan / Leung Jan (佛山贊先生 / 梁贊), he decided to seek out a Wing Chun teacher to see what they had to offer him. Friends of his older brother took him to meet Yip Man, and had a match with Yip Man after defeating a couple of Yip Man's students. Yip Man easily defeated him, "from that moment onwards", in 1954, Wong became a devoted Wing Chun practitioner and "a devoted member of the Wing Chun clan."

In Wong Shun Leung: the Legend Behind the Legend, Recalling the life of Bruce Lee's teacher, David Peterson states that Lee said in a letter to Wong: "Even though I am (technically) a student of Yip Man, in reality I learned my Kung fu from you." According to a Wing Chun school in UK, Wong "carried" the supposed letter "in his wallet". However, the best-known Lee's letter to Wong is dated 11 January, 1970. It has been posted together with Wong Shun Leung and His Friendship with Bruce Lee, an article written by Wong, many times in several websites and has circulated on the Internet.

Fights

On the Rooftops

Known as the "King of Talking with the Hands" (講手王), Wong defeated countless opponents in Beimo (比武) competitions, also known as "illegal rooftop fighting competitions" (sometimes known as "Kung Fu Elimination Contests" ), in Hong Kong during the ages of 17 and 32. His reputation began to grow as he continued winning these Beimo matches. Some people said that the reason why Wing Chun became so famous in Hong Kong was because of him.

In the early 1950s, compared to other styles of the time; Hung Gar, White Crane, Dragon Style and Choy Lai Fut, Wing Chun was unheard of for many people. It was a style of kung fu practiced by "a minority" - mostly members of the Hong Kong Restaurant Workers Association. At that time different Kung Fu styles often met secretly with each other for challenge matches. The most active Beimo competitors from Yip Man at the time were Wong, Wong Kiu (黃橋), and William Cheung (張卓興). Because of these Beimo competitions, Yip Man's reputation grew in Hong Kong, and "students flocked to his school".

These prearranged Beimo matches were not competition fights "with rules, protective equipment or time limits." They were illegal and held in secret places, as Wong said in an interview, " When I competed, it was in secret. We went into a room, and the door was shut and there were no rules. The government did not allow them. They were illegal, but we didn't care. We fought until the other guy was knocked out." Beimo competitions were held anywhere "that was found to be convenient." Wong stated in his article about Beimo, "During these celebrated 'contests', which took place on rooftops, in back alleys, behind closed doors, in the countryside and anywhere else that was found to be convenient." Some Beimo competitions were held "on-the-streets" in Hong Kong.

Wing Chun's "King of Beimo"

Wong was said to have faced pre-arranged opponents of many disciplines ("virtually every style of martial art in the colony") from "kung-fu, karate, Western boxing and many other fighting styles", (including "fencing" ) and claimed he was undefeated in his 60 or more Beimo matches. Some believed Wong had over 100 of these matches and never lost. As an undefeated Beimo fighter, Wong said he defeated his Boxing coach with Wing Chun techniques, conflicting with other versions in which he said he beat his Boxing coach and quit Boxing before he learned Wing Chun from Yip Man. "I was sparring with my instructor and I hit him very hard, He got real mad and came at me very hard. I fought back with Wing Chun and he ended up bleeding. Boxing was over for me", said Wong in an interview.

At that time students from different schools sometimes visited each other's schools and issued challenge to their top students and instructors. If a student was able to beat the "main teacher" or the Master of a particular school, the school would need to be closed down. According to some Yip Man's first generation students, Wong "reputedly 'closed down' quite a number of schools in that way." They even said that Wong had beaten ten Praying Mantis instructors in "one-on-one fighting" within one week.

Those who knew Wong at the time said that he "won the majority of these contests within a few punches" and that it usually took him three punches to beat an opponent. David Peterson once told Combat Magazine, "Wong Shun Leung, they say that in his fight days, he rarely went beyond three techniques and generally speaking it was three punches." He also wrote an article on his sifu after his death and stated that "...it was said that he never took more than three punches to finish a fight. Wong sifu, it has been stated by all who knew him, never lost a fight in all his years of beimo..."

Because of his prowess as a Beimo fighter , Wong convinced his secondary school classmate, Wu Chan Nam (胡鎮南), to become his first student after Wu Chan Nam (胡鎮南) witnessing his win in a Beimo competition. In addition, he encouraged his junior fellow students and his own students to compete in these competitions and arranged matches for them. Siu Yuk Men (蕭煜民), Chan Chi Man (陳志文), Chu Shong Tin (徐尚田), and others have mentioned that "He would say to his more experienced students, 'After you have practised for a time, you should go out and test yourself to gauge your level of skill." However, Wong finally had to put an end to Beimo competition because "his students were defeating not only other Kung Fu styles but also other students of Ving Tsun (Wing Chun) outside of the Wong Shun Leung family."

Wong is recognized in the Wing Chun world as an undefeated Beimo fighter who was able to have "let his hands do the talking" by winning the majority of his 100 or more Beimo matches within just "three punches". He had also established a reputation as "The King of Competition" , "King of the Challengers" or "King of the Challenge Fight". Also, many of his students now refer to him as "one of the greatest fighters of this ( 20th ) century" based on his victories in secret illegal rooftop fighting competitions (also known as Beimo).

Most Famous Beimo Match

"Wong vs. Giko" is perhaps the most often mentioned Beimo match by Wong students and historians, according to David Peterson, Wong's student, this match was said to have been arranged by an anonymous reporter ("now a resident in Australia" ) who worked for an anonymous "prominent Hong Kong newspaper of the day". Wong (stood barely 5 ft 6 in tall and weighed around 120 lbs) was said to have easily defeated Giko, depicted as "a visiting Russian boxer" who weighed over 250 lbs and stood 6 ft 6 in.

A UK source says, "Wong was set to fight a Giant Russian boxer named Giko who weighed approx 18-19 stone and towered over Wong by over 12 inches (Wong weighed in at around 9&1/2 stone and 5foot 6inches). The outcome was Wong defeating the Giant with just three punches!" After the match the anonymous reporter asked Wong if he was the "best fighter in the world", and he simply replied, "No ... I am the second best." Then, the anonymous reporter asked, "Then who is?" Wong replied, "I have not met him yet."

Mysteries Solved

It was all such mysteries until 14 May, 2005 when John Smith, David Peterson's student, finally disclosed Giko's identity in www.takeforum.com. "Giko was a Russian boxing champion". He also says, "The Giko and the guy who set up the fight entred into Sifu's school at the time and they could find no gloves that would fit the big Russians hands. Then it was suggested that they both fight bare knuckle. The rest is history, Sifu tore apart the Russian." According to John Smith, Wong had explained to him how he was able to defeat "such as a monster". John Smith said, "Sifu told me footwork and using the ground (i.e. rooting).

On 19 May, 2005 John Smith also disclosed the identity of the anonymous Hong Kong reporter who arranged the fight. "This was told to me by WSL [Wong Shun Leung] himself....If you can track down John Moore who was a West Australian journalist that was based in Hong Kong at the time and set up and reported on numerous fights that Sifu had during the sixties....It was John Moore that brought the Giko into the school."

Matches on TV

Less known publicly, Wong was also a weapons expert. According to Gary Lam (林文學) , Wong's top student, his sifu once sparred with a fencing champion on TV with his Wing Chun Butterfly Knives, also known as Eight Cut Knives (八斬刀). Despite the fencing champion's weapon was much longer and more flexible than the Butterfly Knives, Wong managed to win two consecutive matches easily. "...several years ago my Sifu, the late Wong Shun Leung, sparred with a champion western fencer on television. Wong easy beat the fencer, and when the fencer complained Wong had an unfair advantage with two swords, Wong offered him a second blade and beat him again." After the two matches, the fencing champion became a student of Wong.

Retirement from Beimo

Since Beimo matches were "no rules", "no protective equipment", and "full contact" fights, Wong blinded his opponent's eye in his last match. Then, he decided to quit Beimo fighting. "It was also the real brutality of Beimo that convinced Sigung Wong to eventually stop fighting, having accidentally blinded his final opponents left eye", as stated by Gregory E. LeBlanc, grand student of Wong, in Qi Sao, The Soul of Wing Chun.

Lee Hang Cheong (李恆昌) has also mentioned this incident in one of his articles about his sifu (Wong). According to his article, Wong was 24 years old when he used provocative languages to make a man, depicted as "一位武林名宿" (a 'well-known sifu in the martial arts circle'), angry and accept his challenge, and the fight became his last Beimo match.

The 'well-Known sifu' said, "All martial artists of my generation and I are righteous. We are dedicated to helping people and providing people with benevolent healing and treatment. Despite the fact that I can fight, I can also heal people with my 'Tit Dar' (bone-setting) skills, . I am not like your sifu. He lets a student like you with poor conduct out in order to destroy the normal pattern of regularity in the martial arts world. You are an immoral loser of the martial art world!" ( "....該名宿說：『我輩練武之人，行俠仗義，濟世為懷。我既懂打人，亦懂跌打醫人。不像你師傅般的亂放你這個劣徒出來搗亂武林秩序，正一武林敗纇！" )

Wong replied, "I have to fight you first before I know whether or not you can fight. But I am sure you are good at healing people because there is a common saying that 'a sickman with chronic illness becomes a notable doctor'. You must have got beaten up many times before, and you must have lost every match you had fought. Every time when you got hurt, you healed yourself. Time after time, you became a notable doctor, and that's happened to the people of your generation." ( ".... 黃淳樑說：『懂不懂打人要打過才知，醫術高明卻可以肯定。所謂久病成明醫，你必定是被人打得多，每戰必敗，每次是自巳醫自巳，久而久之成名醫，正是你輩中 人。』" )

The 'well-Known sifu' became very angry and accepted Wong's challenge. During the fight Wong's right fist striked his left eye very hard. Whack! The 'well-known sifu' covered his face with his hands and fell to the ground. Then, he rolled back and forth and cried out loud, "Oh My eye!....Oh My eye!" as blood began to come out between his fingers. ( "....『拍』的一聲，然後該名宿雙手蓋著面倒在地上典來典去，口中狂叫：『我的眼啊！我的眼啊！』雙手的指間滲著血水流出。" )

Afterwards, Wong confirmed that the left eye of the 'well-known sifu' had been blinded by his fist. ( " 該名宿最後証實一隻左眼己廢。" ) Since the 'well-known sifu' had no intention to fight him in the first place, Wong regretted that he had forced the 'well-known sifu' into a brutal fight with him. He also felt greatly regretful that he had blinded him. Therefore, he decided to quit "Beimo" fighting.

Lee Hang Cheong's Article

Firstly, there is a discrepancy between Lee Hang Cheong's article and other sources regarding Wong's age when he retired from Beimo competition. Sources say he competed in the 50's and 60's until age 32. Lee Hang Cheong (李恆昌) said he blinded his last opponent and quit Beimo competition when he was about age 24.

Many people believe that it was a street fight provoked by exchange of insulting language between Wong and the 'well-known sifu' and their impulsive behaviour. Based on an interview with Yuen Yim Keung (袁 炎 強), Wong's student, conducted by John Smith , they argue that if it had been a "Beimo" competition, it would have been a "pre-arranged" match and that Wong was not supposed to have attacked his opponent's eye. There was a set of "Beimo" competition rules in which it did NOT allow eye attacks as Yuen Yim Keung (袁 炎 強) said, "There were also no attacks to the eyes, throat or groin, but everything else could be applied..." Yuen Yim Keung (袁 炎 強) also said that there were three two-minute rounds in a "Beimo" match. According to Ray Van Raamsdonk, most "Beimo" matches were "won with simple combination punches to the body. Dangerous strikes to the neck, head, and groin were never used." On the contrary, others say that these were "no rules" and "no time limits" matches.

Moreover, many people question whether or not a referee was present at the Beimo match as Cheong (李恆昌) did not mention it in his article. Based on the Dr. C.K. Khoe (Wong Kiu's student) seminar notes, a Beimo fight always had a referee. "The fights in Hong Kong always had a referee. You flip a coin for who attacks first. Usually one person ends up bloody and the fight is stopped." When Wu Chan Nam (胡鎮南) fought his "pre-arranged" opponent in a Beimo competition, there was a referee present at the rooftop of the building, and the referee was Wong Kiu (黃橋) as shown in the "Picture Gallery" of his website. Also, according to Life and Legend of Bruce Lee 李小龍的生與死, there was supposed to be a referee present at a Beimo match as Wong re-enacted the scene of a 1950's Beimo competition on the rooftop of a building and played the role of the referee.

Open Kung Fu Competition

On 22 November, 1957, the Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Open Chinese Kung Fu Competition (台港澳國術比賽) was first held in Taiwan. Thirty-two competitors from Hong Kong and Macau formed a team and participated in this competition, and only two Hong Kong competitors managed to gain victory. Wong (黃淳樑) represented Hong Kong Wing Chun and entered this competition. Because of his alias the "King of Talking with the Hands" (講手王), Wong became a featured competitor and attracted a lot of attention.

Weight Classes

Shortly before the opening of the Competition, the Organizing Committee decided to make different weight classes and crown one competitor champion in each. Wong was disappointed over this decision as he could not become the only Crowned Champion. In fact, he had expressed his disappointment in the poem titled 「豈料三分齊」 (In English: How Could I Have Thought of the Qi State Divided into Three Kingdoms?) which was later published in a Hong Kong newspaper.

English Translation of 「豈料三分齊」is as follows:

How Could I Have Thought of the Qi State Divided into Three Kingdoms?

My plan is to conquer the world,

how can I agree to the division of the Qi State into three Kingdoms?

One day when I pursue my ambitions,

I will not let the Sun take away my glory!

Only Open Match

Wong reluctantly competed in his weight class and had a preliminary match with Wu Ming Jeet (吳明哲), a Taiwanese fighter known for his powerful kicks. Wong was knocked out and eliminated in his first fight. He was also "taken from the ring on a stretcher".

After the competition, Wong returned to Hong Kong and discussed his knockout defeat with his sifu, Yip Man. Wong was shown a technique which he could have used to deal with his opponent's attack. "....after one memorable fight that took place in Taiwan where Wong sifu was unable to completely deflect one particular low attack thrown by a crouching opponent. After much discussion with his teacher, Wong was shown a technique which could be added to his basic siu nim tau form so as to take into account the particular shortcoming in his repertoire."

Later Wong was hit when he used Chum Sau (沉手), the "Sinking Hand", to block a low attack. "The punch came in too low and he got hit." Yip Man told him that he should have used Gaun Sao (耕手) to block the low attack, and therefore, "Wong Shun Leung added a movement in the first set that emphasizes this (Gaun Sao 耕手 movement)." Since then, members of the Yip Man Wing Chun family began to hear rumours that the technique Yip Man showed Wong after his defeat by knockout in Taiwan was Gaun Sao (耕手). Gaun Sao (耕手), also known as the "Cultivating Hand", which is simply a "low block return to center" and is similar to the Outer Forearm Low Block in Karate and Taekwondo (except the Wing Chun Gaun Sao is with the four fingers extended). Outer Forearm Low Block (or Lower Forearm Block or Forearm low block) is a basic defensive technique that white belts in Karate and Taekwondo need to know for their first grading.

Wong never competed in open competitions again because after he was knocked out in Taiwan and became depressed. "Huang [Wong Shun Leung] had to go to Taiwan by himself and was defeated. He became very depressed after that and never fought again." Although Wong never competed in open competitions again, he continued to compete in "illegal rooftop fighting competitions" ("Beimo") in Hong Kong and continued to win every "Beimo" match (including his most famous match with the 6-ft-6-inch & 250-lb Russian boxing champion , Giko). Many of his students now refer to him as "one of the greatest fighters of this ( 20th ) century" based on his victories in "secret" "illegal rooftop fighting competitions"

Comments

Dave Lacey and David Peterson made comments about the incident.

First-Day Showing in Hong Kong

The documentary film on the competition was played in a Hong Kong cinema shortly after the competition finished in Taiwan. The first-day showing of this documentary film was on 12 February, 1958. Those around at the time who watched the fight between Wu Ming Jeet (吳明哲) and Wong Shun Leung know how Wu Ming Jeet knocked out Wong Shun Leung with a kick.

The competition was reported in Hong Kong newspapers, covering details of the Wu Ming Jeet vs. Wong match, what Wong said after the fight, and Wong's poem 「豈料三分齊」 (In English: How Could I Have Thought of the Qi State Divided into Three Kingdoms?)

In 1974, Unicorn Chan (小麒麟), Lee's close friend since childhood, said in a magazine interview that it was 1958 when Lee took him to watch a documentary film on Kung Fu competitions and that Lee had watched it seven times before within the last four days. People began to wonder why Lee had watched the 1957 Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Open Chinese Kung Fu Competition documentary film so many times.

On 11 January, 1970, the 29-year-old Lee wrote a letter to Wong and said, "Actually, I have to thank you for leading me to walk on a practical road. Especially in the States, there are western boxers; I often practice with them too. There are many so-called masters in Wing Chun here, I really hope that they will not be so blind to fight with those western boxers...." . The original letter written in Chinese can be found in the official website of Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do HK Chapter Limited (香港振藩截拳道會有限公司).

Hawkins Cheung

After his defeat by knockout in the 1957 Kung Fu tournament, Wong attended Karate classes in Hong Kong to improve his kicking techniques. He also attended kick-boxing classes, as he said in an interview, "I studied kick boxing and Taijiquan....."

Hawkins Cheung (張學健), known as one of the youngest students at Yip Man's school in the 1950s, was taught by his sihing, Wong, for a period of time ("Wong taught for Yip Man from the mid 'fifties through to 1969 before finally teaching in his own right....")

Today, Cheung holds a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Goju-Ryu Karate. Like his sihing, Cheung is known in the martial arts world for proving his combat Wing Chun skills 'on the streets' in Hong Kong (alongside with his sihing, Wong, in the 1950s). Also, like his sihing, Cheung is known to have been undefeated in "Beimo" fighting competitions.

Following his sihing's footsteps, Cheung is a world-renowned Wing Chun expert and has been featured in many of the world's leading martial arts magazines, including Black Belt Magazine, Inside Kung Fu, and Martial Arts illustrated . He has instructed many students from the F.B.I. and various U.S. military special units such as the Marine Corps Force Recon. He has also trained actors within the entertainment industry for leading action roles in motion pictures, both in the U.S. and Hong Kong.

Cheung is now based in Los Angles, California, and is publicized as the most senior Yip Man Wing Chun instructor in America and a Bruce Lee sidai. Like his sihing, Cheung openly talked about his friendship with Bruce Lee and let the public learn more about the role he had played in the life of the teenage Lee. His sihing, Wong, had written two well-known articles about his experiences with Lee - Wong Shun Leung on Bruce Lee (disclosure of his secret sparring with Lee) and Wong Shun Leung and His Friendship with Bruce Lee. Cheung works with Inside Kung Fu Magazine, and the magazine has published the following four-part interview with him.

1. Growing up in Hong Kong with Bruce Lee in the 1950s
2. Hawkins and Bruce meet again in the mid 1960's
3. Wing Chun: Bruce Lee's Mother Art
4. Bruce's Classical Mess

Wong had starred in a Wing Chun training video (Wing Chun: the Science of In-fighting). Unlike his sihing, Cheung did not star in just one Wing Chun training video, instead he starred in a training video series featuring Lee's martial art -- Hawkins Cheung Presents: How Bruce Lee's Wing Chun style developed into Jeet Kune Do (Volume One, Volume Two and Volume Three).

However, the most significant difference between Wong and Cheung is that Cheung never claimed that he had been invited by Lee to participate in the making of his movies.

Bruce Lee's Movies Controversy

Game of Death?

Although the Game of Death (死亡遊戲) cast scripts show the five selected martial artists to play the guardian of each floor of the pagoda (Hwang In-Shik, Taky Kimura, Dan Inosanto, Ji Han Jae and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) , some people suggest that there was supposed to be another floor above the 5th floor (the Floor of the Unknown) guarded by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Since Wong said that Lee invited him in or about May 1973 to play a role in Game of Death (死亡遊戲) , some Wong disciples believe that he was invited to play the role of Lee's highest-level opponent on the 6th floor.

Some people argue that the 6th floor would be the attic as the setting of the pagoda (Beopjusa Temple in Korea) was a five-level building and that Wong was invited to play the Guardian of the Attic. However, many movie fans and film critics have found these speculations entirely unconvincing because what kind of greater challenge that the Guardian of the Attic (or Wong) would give Lee, especially after encountering his greatest challenge in the "supersized" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the Floor of the Unknown and defeating him only by weakening him with exposure to daylight (knowing his weakness - an unusual sensitivity to light).

There are speculations about a promised role for Wong in Game of Death (死亡遊戲) was because of what Wong said in one of his articles about Lee. "About two months before he died he gave me a phone call....After this he left Hong Kong to settle his film business. When he came back, he called me up and wanted me to participate in the making of "The Game of Death". He had also invited me to the studio to attend a screen test. I did not promise to act in the film, yet I still went to attend the screen test to please him."

This speculation has not ended despite the recovery of the incomplete original footage of the Game of Death, which was shown on AMC. This footage clearly shows Lee's character descending the pagoda immediately after his victory over Jabbar's character.

Screen Test

Due to the filming of Enter the Dragon (龍爭虎鬥) commenced in February 1973, Game of Death (死亡遊戲) had been put on hold after Lee finished his fight scenes inside the pagoda with Dan Inosanto, Ji Ha Jae, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Wong was arranged to attend a screen test on the set of Enter the Dragon while Lee had finished shooting the film and was working on dubbing.

According to Wong, Lee called him "About two months before he died" and "left Hong Kong to settle his film busineess." "When he came back", he invited Wong "to participate in the making of Game of Death" and also invited him "to the studio to attend a screen test."

It is a fact that Lee returned to Hong Kong from his last trip to America in late May 1973. Therefore, Wong was believed to attend the screen test sometimes in June 1973, one month before Lee's death. There is footage of Wong sparring with a hand-pick extra from the Golden Harvest studio on the set of Enter the Dragon contained within the documentary Bruce Lee: the Legend (1977) to verify this. .

Turned Down

It was said that Lee always wanted to involve Wong in his movies. He offered Wong the role of his final opponent on the final floor of the pagoda in Game of Death (死亡遊戲), but Wong declined his offer. "I told him that I didn't want to go and die in my first movie!....I wasn't in dire financial straits at the time, so I didn't have to do the film [just] to make money," said Wong in a 1986 interview by Bey Logan for Britain's Combat Magazine. The role of Lee's final opponent on the final floor of the pagoda was therefore "later to be played by basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar".

The first scene inside the pagoda believed to be filmed in September 1972 was the fight scene between Lee (5 foot 7 inches in height) and his former student, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who stood 7 foot 2 inches. It was during the time when Way of the Dragon (猛龍過江) was still undergoing editing and dubbing and the 1972-73 NBA season was fast approaching. It seemed that Lee really wanted Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to come to Hong Kong and finish the fight scene before he had to attend the pre-season training camp for 1972-73 NBA season, as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said in 1993, " It was Summer 1972....Bruce called me and asked me if I'd want to be in his movie. He called looking for me, and he got my number. We had three weeks between when school ended and I had to go to the training camp for the NBA....We didn't even have any working agreement. We did the film....He (Bruce) said we will get the particulars worked out later."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, being Lee's greatest challenge at the top level of the pagoda in Game of Death (死亡遊戲), represented the highest level in Lee's vision of combat fighting -- Top Physique, Top Conditioning, No Style, No Form, No Correct Response to Any Situation, and Ready for Whatever May Come. It was very important to Lee that whoever played this role would be able to show his superb physique and superb conditioning in order to respond efficiently and effectively to any unpredictable situation in the movie by executing and defending against various techniques of kicking, punching, trapping, and grappling.

In a less publicized interview (date unknown), Wong said that he delcined Lee's offer because he did not think his Wing Chun moves would look good in films (a second version of why he declined Lee's offer), as he said "It was for Game of Death, but I declined because I thought that the moves of Wing Chun style wouldn’t look good on film. I think the Wing Chun method is ugly for movies but very good and very logical for real fighting."

Enter the Dragon

Many Wong disciples believe that he had choreographed some of the scenes in Enter the Dragon (龍爭虎鬥), as they say "....when shooting 'Enter the Dragon' in Hong Kong, he [Lee] invited Wong to come on location to discuss the fight scenes." "Wong in fact had been invited to choreograph some of the fight scenes in 'Enter the Dragon' .....", "When Lee was shooting 'Enter the Dragon' in Hong Kong, he even invited Wong sifu on to the set to discuss the fight scenes...." However, the official crew list does NOT show Wong as a fight scene choreographer or assistant fight scene choreographer or even guest-appeared fight scene choreographer.

According to the documentary film of Bruce Lee: 龍一九七三以後 (Dragon Since 1973), Lam Ching Ying (林正英) and Bee Chan (陳會毅) were best known as Lee's most trusted assistants, and they had discussed many of the fight scenes in Enter the Dragon with Lee. This documentary film entirely consists of interviews with people from Hong Kong, mostly those who worked with Lee back in his Golden Harvest days. In fact, NONE of the interviewees, including Bee Chan (陳會毅), Shek Kin " Mr. Han in Enter the Dragon " (石堅), and Chaplin Chang "Assistant Director-Enter the Dragon" (張欽鵬), has mentioned that Wong was invited to work as a fight scene choreographer on the set of Enter the Dragon.

Wong disciples also say that there is a photo of Wong and Lee and Raymond Chow (鄒文懐) on the set of Enter the Dragon (the weapon room) to verify that Wong was invited to choreograph fight scenes in Enter the Dragon. However, many people have pointed out that Wong is in the same outfit in the photo as he wears in the footage of himself sparring with a hand-pick extra from the Golden Harvest studio on the set of Enter the Dragon (also the weapon room) . Therefore, they conclude that the photo was taken during the time when Wong was attending the screen test for Game of Death (死亡遊戲).

Filmography

It is unknown why Wong was not on the official cast list for Game of Death. Perhaps, as he said in his article, Wong Shun Leung on Bruce Lee, he went to attend the screen test to please Lee. Then, later on, as he told Britain's Combat Magazine in 1986, he told Lee that "....I didn't want to go and die in my first movie!....", and he "wasn't in dire financial straits at the time", so he "didn't have to do the film [just] to make money"

In 1973, shortly after Lee's death, Wong accepted a movie role offer and acted in Life and Legend of Bruce Lee (李小龍的生與死). In this low-budget Chinese film, Wong played the role of "himself", an instructor at Yip Man's Wing Chun school who first met a teenager named Lee in the 1950s. After this low-budget Chinese film, Wong did not appear in another film again until twenty years later. In the 1993 documentary film of Lee: Death by Misadventure, Wong talked about his experience with Lee. He also starred in a training video, entitled "Wing Chun: the Science of In-fighting," which was produced in the early 1980s.

• Death by Misadventure (1993): "The truth behind the mysterious death of Bruce Lee is exposed in this documentary that includes accounts by people who were present at the time of Lee's premature death." In this documentary, Wong talks about his experience with Lee.

• Life and Legend of Bruce Lee 李小龍的生與死 (1973) - Wong plays the role of himself / an instructor at Yip Man's Wing Chun school, aka Bruce Lee: The Man and the Legend (USA)

Demonstrations

Since the footage of Wong sparring with a hand-pick extra from the Golden Harvest studio on the set of Enter the Dragon is the only known existing footage of Wong in sparring, it is considered highly valuable by many of his students who now refer to him as "one of the greatest fighters of this ( 20th ) century". It shows Wong's way of fighting to all his disciples and historians.

Quality of Beimo Opponents

Since almost all of his Beimo opponents remained anonymous, many people have questioned the quality and calibre of the competitors that Wong beat in his alleged 100 or more matches. They argue that Hong Kong's highly regarded Kung Fu masters of the 1950's had never fought or would never have fought in secret Beimo competition - just like Master Wu Kung-i (吳公儀) and Master Chan Hak Fu (陳克夫) and that most young high-calibre martial artists at the time would have preferred to represent their schools in Southeast Asian regional competitions - just like Lai Hung (黎雄) and Chan Woo Leung.

In the 1950s there was much debate about which Kung Fu style was the best, and somehow Master Wu Kung-i's Wu Style Tai-Chi Chuan and Master Chan Hak Fu's White Crane Kung Fu were among the most debated styles. Therefore, a famous fight took place in Macau on 17th January, 1954 between Master Wu Kung-i (吳公儀) and Master Chan Hak Fu (陳克夫), and the fight was conducted as a charity event to raise money for the Chinhu Hospital. This charity fight captured the attention of the press and public, and thousands of spectators witnessed the fight in Macau.

The young Lai Hung (黎雄) and Chan Woo Leung represented Hong Kong Buk Sing Choy Lay Fut (北勝蔡李佛) in 1957 Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Open Chinese Kung Fu Competition (1957台港澳國術比賽), and they both won first place in their divisions Wong was knocked out in his first fight in the same competition and "was taken from the ring on a stretcher" . In 1961 Lai Hung (黎雄) was chosen to represent Hong Kong Kung Fu Association to compete in Thailand. He was also nominated to represent Taiwan in the 3rd Asian Tournament, and he competed in the 1966 Kung Fu competition in Taiwan. However, both Lai Hung (黎雄) and Chan Woo Leung are not known to have competed in Beimocompetition.

Besides, many Kung Fu schools at the time did not allow their students to compare skills with other stylists or compete in Beimo competition. Tai Sing Pap Kar Moon (大聖劈掛門), also known as Monkey Kung Fu, was one the schools that strictly prohibited its students from participating in any form of fighting. Ken Tak Hoi (耿德海) was best known for prohibiting his students from fighting with others outside the school. He repeatedly told his students that he would expel them if they broke the rule.

A Fighting Legend?

Apart from "Beimo" competition, "Wu Ming Jeet (吳明哲) vs. Wong" in 1957 Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Open Chinese Kung Fu Competition (1957台港澳國術比賽) is the ONLY documented proof of Wong's involvement in fighting competition, or at least it is the only widely-known and recognized fight of Wong, the "King of Talking with the Hands". Unfortunately, Wong was knocked out by Wu Ming Jeet (吳明哲) and "was taken from the ring on a stretcher". More unfortunately, Wong "became very depressed " after his defeat by knockout in Taiwan and "never fought again ", in open competitions.

Wong's 100 or more "Beimo" victories ( including his easy defeat of the 6-ft-6-inch & 250-lb Russian boxing champion, Giko, with just three punches ) were passed by word of mouth within the Wing Chun community. Although many Wing Chun people considered his 100 or more "Beimo" victories to be true, others outside the Wing Chun community considered the "King of Talking with the Hands" story of Wong to be more fiction than fact.

Since "Beimo" competition was illegal and held secretly, the loser often denied involvement in the fight afterward, or both sides often claimed victory in dispute after the fight. For example, in the Eagle Claw Kung Fu Master vs. Wong fight, caused by Wong's challenge to the school, the winner grabbed the loser by the throat with his strong hand and made the loser surrender. However, the loser never openly talked about the incident and claimed that he was never defeated. Another example of the problem in "Beimo" competition was the Ni Yuk Tong (倪沃棠) vs. Wong fight. Ni Yuk Tong (倪沃棠) was a young White Crane Kung Fu instructor and a top volleyball player at the time. His "Beimo" match with Wong had once captured the attention of the martial arts community in Hong Kong. It was unfortunate that various versions surrounding the fight and that no one was sure what actually happened - where the fight took place, how they performed, and who won the fight.

Nevertheless, Wong's 100 or more "Beimo" victories are meant to make Wing Chun more credible after all - just like the "legendary ( could be fictitious ) characters like Ng Mui and monk Gee Sin could help to publicize Wing Chun". The name "Wong Shun Leung", now referred to by many of his disciples as "one of the greatest fighters of this ( 20th ) century" due to his "Beimo" victories, would surely help in publicizing Wing Chun in a more effective manner than the older legendary characters like Ng Mui (五梅師太) and monk Gee Sin Sim See (至善禪師). Today, the stories of the "King of Talking with the Hands" (講手王) are legends, and the 100 or more "Beimo" victories definitely make Wong (黃淳樑) sound too good to be true.

A Taboo Subject

Wong seemed to avoid telling people that he had competed in 1957 Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Open Chinese Kung Fu Competition (1957台港澳國術比賽). Perhaps, his performance in the competition was a taboo subject for him as he got knocked out in his first fight and "was taken from the ring on a stretcher. " Since his reputation was world-wide as a Wing Chun master and a sought after seminar speaker, Wong had been interviewed many times. Here are two examples of how he dealt with the question relating to his participation in martial arts tournaments:

• Wong's Answer on the Question of "Did you compete in any organized tournaments with rules?"
  • "Not in boxing. When I competed, it was in secret. We went into a room, and the door was shut and there were no rules. The government did not allow them. They were illegal, but we didn't care. We fought until the other guy was knocked out."

• Wong's Answer on the Question of "Did you ever consider competing in combat sports?"
  • "I have always liked Boxing. I like anything about fighting, but my kind of fighting is not the sport version. It is real fighting where there are no rules."

Many people now think that Wong should have told the interviewers about his participation in 1957 Taiwan-Hong Kong-Macau Open Chinese Kung Fu Competition (1957台港澳國術比賽). It is because nowadays many Wong disciples agree to what has been commented on his defeat by knockout in Taiwan, such as "Yes, he was carried from the ring on a stretcher, but was not, as has been claimed, knocked out and defeated - he had already knocked his opponent down!" or "Yes, Sifu was taken from the ring on a stretcher, but recovered soon after and was not, as has been suggested, beaten to a pulp in the ring. He had already WON by knocking the guy down!!!" Actually, they strongly believe that Wong "had already WON by knocking the guy down" before he "was taken from the ring on a stretcher". Therefore, in spite of the fact that Wong Shun Leung was knocked out by Wu Ming Jeet (吳明哲) and "was taken from the ring on a stretcher ", they can proudly say, "....as far as those of his generation are concerned, Wong was never beaten and this particular event, in their eyes, does not constitute a loss at all."

Lineage

Lineage in Wing Chun
Sifu	Yip Man (葉問)
Wong Shun Leung (黃淳樑)
Known students	Lewis Tei Luk (陸地) Cliff Auyeung (歐陽劍文) Lee Hang Cheong (李恆昌) Nino Bernardo Gary Lam (林文學) David Peterson Philip Ng (伍允龍) Enzo Verratti Phillip Bayer Barry Lee Clive Potter Anthony Kan Attilio Reale Wu Chan Nam (胡鎮南) Yuen Yim Keung (袁 炎 強) NG Chun-hong (吳振康) Chiu Hok Yin (趙學賢) Wan Kam-Leung (溫鑑良)

References

Leung, Wong Leung, Wong Shun Leung, Wong Shun