Leung Sheung is a Hong Kong martial artist from Nan Hai, Guangdong Province. He mastered Chinese martial arts such as Dragon Fist, White Brow Fist, and Choi Lei Fat Fist. After meeting Master Ip Man, Leung Sheung became fascinated with Wing Chun, and as Ip Man’s first disciple, he devoted the rest of his life to the development and promotion of Wing Chun.
In 1950, after moving to Hong Kong, Leung Sheung assumed the position of general secretary of the “Hong Kong Restaurant Workers Association,” a labor union federation. At the time, he became the first disciple of Ip Man, who had fled to Hong Kong from Foshan, Guangdong, to escape the civil war.
Leung Sheung was well known as one of the most achieved practitioners of Wing Chun, and people called him the “Biu Ji King .” He had long stature, and his movements were agile. He was the most senior of Ip Man’s four great disciples, Leung Sheung (Biu Ji King), Luk Yiu (Cham Kiu King), Chu Shong Tin (Siu Lim Tau King), and Wong Shong Leung (King of Talking Hand). Bruce Lee was Leung Sheung’s junior kung fu brother.
Leung Sheung was widely recognized for his contribution to the development of Wing Chun and his advanced skills. His innovative approaches (experiments) based on his previous martial knowledge and background in other arts were highly regarded. His firm belief that “theory can only be verified through experiment” was also a reason for his respect. He had such an established reputation that people often said, “If you learn from Leung Sheung, you will become a good Wing Chun practitioner.
Under Leung Sheung’s patient guidance, through his four great disciples, the Four Tigers of Wing Chun: Gwok Keung (Long-legged tiger), Wong Chyu (Short-legged tiger), Jeng Bak (Laughing tiger), and Jeng Fuk (Jade-faced tiger), as well as Kenneth Chung, Chan Chun-bo, Leung Kam-Tong, Lam Shu-Shing, and many others, Wing Chun has spread throughout the world.
