Choy Li Fut

Choy Li Fut
蔡李佛

Two people practicing.
Also known as	Choy Lei Fut, Choi Lei Fut
Focus	Striking, Joint lock
Country of origin	China
Creator	Chan Heung
Famous practitioners	Chan On Pak Philip Ng
Parenthood	Choy Gar, Li Gar & Fut Gar
Olympic sport	No

Choy Li Fut (Cantonese), also spelled Choy Lay Fut and Choy Lee Fut or Cai Li Fo (Mandarin) (Chinese: 蔡李佛; pinyin: Cài Lǐ Fó; Cantonese Yale: Choi3 Lei5 Fat6; aka Choy Lee Fut Kung Fu) is a Chinese martial art founded in 1836 by Chan Heung (陳享). Choy Li Fut was named to honor the Buddhist monk Choy Fook (蔡褔, Cai Fu) who taught him Choy Gar, and Li Yau-San (李友山) who taught him Li Gar, plus his uncle Chan Yuen-Wu (陳遠護), who taught him Fut Gar, and developed to honor the Buddha and the Shaolin roots of the system.

The system combines the martial arts techniques from various Northern and Southern Chinese kung-fu systems; the powerful arm and hand techniques from the Shaolin animal forms from the South, combined with the extended, circular movements, twisting body, and agile footwork that characterizes Northern China's martial arts. It is considered an external style, combining soft and hard techniques, as well as incorporating a wide range of weapons as part of its curriculum. Choy Li Fut is an effective self-defense system, particularly noted for defense against multiple attackers. It contains a wide variety of techniques, including long and short range punches, kicks, sweeps and take downs, pressure point attacks, joint locks, and grappling. According to Bruce Lee:

Chan Heung (陳享), also known as Din Ying (典英), Daht Ting (逹庭), Chen Xiang Gong, and Chen Xiang (both in Mandarin), was born on August 23, 1806, or July 10, 1806 of the lunar calendar, in King Mui 京梅 (Ging Mui), a village in the San Woi 新會 (Xin Hui) district of Jiangmen, Guangdong province of China.

Chan Heung's uncle Chan Yuen-Wu (陳遠護), a boxer from the Shaolin temple who had trained under Du Zhang Monk (独杖禅师), who began teaching him the Fut Gar (佛家) style of Chinese martial arts when he was seven years old. When Chan Heung was fifteen, Chan Yuen-Wu took him to Li Yau-San (李友山), Chan Yuen-Wu's senior classmate from the Shaolin temple. Li Yau San had trained under Zhi Shan Monk (至善禅师).