The Forgotten Wing Chun Master - Yip Man's Best Student
Reading time: 6 minutes
This video was uploaded on Sifu Adam Williss' official YouTube Channel. He has some great content, so if you liked this one, don't forget to check him and his school out.
The following article is the transcript of the video above.
As Yip Man's senior-most student in Hong Kong, there's no question that Leung Sheung was one of the most respected of his day. After all, Leung Sheung was not senior to most of Yip Man's students in Hong Kong, he was senior to them all. You name him. He was their "Si Hing" or senior Kung Fu brother. They all looked up to him due to his superior skill, guidance, advice, mentorship, insight, and knowledge.
But would you even be practicing Wing Chun today if it weren't for Leung Sheung? Would you even know the name of the art without the help and dedication of Leung Sheung? Would Yip Man have ever been able to get off the ground as a teacher? Although these questions and arguments can't be answered with any real certainty, once we know the facts we can agree that Leung Sheung played one of the most crucial roles in the early development of Wing Chun in Hong Kong. He is too important to be overlooked.
As Si Hing, he pave the way for every other student who came along after him. Therefore, he must have gotten a lot of one-on-one time with a Sifu Yip Man.
When Yip Man moved to Hong Kong he was down and out. He had no job, knew very few people, and had no place to stay. It was Leung Sheung who secured Yip Man a job and a place to live. As the General Secretary of the newly formed Hong Kong Restaurant Workers Union, Leung Sheung had a good deal of influence and pool within the organization. When a martial arts teaching position came available, Leung Sheung who was known for his professionalism and ability to communicate, nominated Yip Man for the job.
This is important to note because Yip Man could now earn a living teaching Wing Chun and had found a place to stay. He no longer had to look elsewhere for a job. This meant Yip Man could now fully dedicate his time to teaching Wing Chun. It was Leung Sheung who changed Yip Man's entire life. As a testament to his nature, Leung Sheung also passed on the opportunity to take the same job Yip Man accepted. It was actually him who was the front-runner for that position. His fellow union members nominated him knowing that he had trained in several traditional Chinese martial arts, beginning when he was young. But, rather than taking the job, instead, Leung nominated Yip Man.
With this, Leung Sheung fully emptied his cup - no easy task for an experienced martial artist. Although he had extensive knowledge of these other Kung Fu systems, and students asked to learn from him, he instead chose to let go of all of his previous martial arts training in order to submit to his new Kung Fu path and study seriously under Yip Man.
As a Wing Chun practitioner, Leung Sheung's Kung Fu Brothers knew him for his unquestionable talent. In fact, based on ability alone he may have very well been one of the most respected Yip Man students due to his grasp of the system and ability. It was commonly said that those who learned Chi Sao from him were certain to develop good skills. Yet Leung Sheung never became famous. All too often his name gets left out of the discussions of the most notable students of Yip Man. So, why is one of the most respected Yip Man students so overlooked today?
Yip Man's Best Student (Not Bruce Lee)
Well, Leung Sheung started Wing Chun later in life and was gone way too early. Much of who Leung Sheung was and his legacy must be learned through articles, videos such as this, or by Word of Mouth. In the Leung Sheung lineage, Leung Sheung didn't find Yip Man and begin training in Wing Chun until his 30s. Most of Yip man's students began much earlier in comparison to other students of Yip Man. Leung Cheung was 15 years older than Chu Shong-tin and almost 20 years older than Wong Shun Leung.
In contrast to Yip Man's most famous student, Leung Cheung was 22 years older than Bruce Lee. Additionally, Leung Sheung was an immensely humble man. He was overly modest about his own Wing Chun abilities as a student and as a teacher, he consistently chose to promote Yip man's ability instead of his own. He never once advertised his school. One of Leung Sheung's most famous sayings was: "If you find me, you are lucky". He was also very selective in who he chose to teach. Leung Sheung's teaching philosophy was to visualize students as Driftwood.
Why Did Ip Man Stop Teaching Bruce Lee?
Picturing himself living along a river, he imagined Driftwood washing up in front of his home. At times, he would look at the Driftwood and a piece that he found interesting, he would continue to collect Driftwood and eventually pick one piece that he found interesting enough to begin to shape. As he would learn, some Driftwood could be shaped and some could not do defaults or imperfections. Once Leung Sheung determined that a student was worthy of his teaching it was then that he became highly demanding of them.
Unfortunately, due to declining health for nearly a decade after having a kidney stone removed, Leung Sheung died at the relatively young age of 60. Despite being recognized as one of the best Wing Chun practitioners that Yip Man ever produced, Leung Cheung is one of the most overlooked Sifu in Wing Chun history. Despite leaving us way too soon, he must be acknowledged not only for his great Wing Chun ability but also for the invaluable role he played in the advancement of Wing Chun as a whole.
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