Moy Yat | |
---|---|
Born | 28 June 1938 |
Died | 23 January 2001 (aged 62–63) |
Residence | Hong Kong |
Style | Wing Chun |
Teacher(s) | Yip Man |
Rank | Grandmaster |
Notable students | Jeffrey Chan, Sunny Tang, Henry Moy, Lee Moy Shan, Micky Chan, Moy 29 |
Website | http://moyyatvingtsunkungfu.com/ |
Moy Yat (梅逸) (June 28, 1938 - January 23, 2001) was a Chinese martial artist, painter, seal maker, teacher and author. He was a student of the legendary Wing Chun Kung-Fu teacher Yip Man (also romanized as Ip Man) from 1957 until Yip Man’s death in 1972. Moy Yat is survived by his wife, Helen and his children Vieven, William and Viva.
Moy Yat was a teacher of the Ving Tsun ( 詠春, also romanized as Wing Chun or Wing Tsun) style of Kung-Fu. He began teaching in Hong Kong, in 1962, at the direction of his Sifu (teacher), Yip Man. After Yip Man's death, Moy Yat moved to New York City and began teaching there until he retired from teaching at age 60. According to Inside Kung-Fu Magazine, he was "...considered among the greatest martial arts teachers of all time." His students included Sunny Tang.
Moy Yat was the author of six books: 108 Muk Yan Jong;Wing Chun Kuen Kuit;A Legend of Kung Fu Masters;Dummy: A Tool for Kung Fu; Wing Chun Trilogy; and Luk Dim Poon Kwan.Wing Chun Kuen Kuit includes prints of Moy Yat’s famous stone carvings of the history, lineage, and major principles of the Wing Chun style of Kung-Fu.
After Moy Yat's death in 2001, William Cheung, Grandmaster of his own “Traditional Wing Chun” organization said: “The death of Moy Yat is a great loss not only to the martial art of Wing Chun, but also to the world. He was a very learned man, a good painter, poet, artist and a gentleman. This is a great loss to Chinese culture.” In recognition of the 2008 Olympic Games, and the Wushu Tournament Beijing 2008, both held in the Peoples Republic of China, the Chinese Government issued a series of commemorative postage stamps and a collectors album, Chinese Wushu Treasure Stamps Album, in a Limited edition of 7200 copies. The album features the greatest Wu Shu (martial art) practitioners of all time, including Moy Yat.