William Cheung
| William Cheung | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1940 (age 76–77) Hong Kong |
| Other names | 張卓慶, Cheung Cheuk Hing |
| Residence | Victoria, Australia |
| Style | Traditional Wing Chun (TWC) Gung Fu |
| Teacher(s) | Yip Man |
| Rank | Grandmaster |
| Notable students | Eric Oram |
| Website | www |
William Cheung or Cheung Cheuk Hing (張卓慶, pinyin: Zhāng Zhuóqìng), born October, 1940, is a Chinese Wing Chun kung fu practitioner and currently the Grandmaster of his lineage of Wing Chun, entitled Traditional Wing Chun (TWC). He also heads the sanctioning body of TWC, the Global Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu Association (GTWCKFA). Cheung is responsible for introducing Bruce Lee to his master Ip Man when they were teenagers in Hong Kong.
In the 1950s Cheung grew up in Kowloon, where fighting skills were considered a measure of self-worth and pride, At age 11 Cheung's challenge matches were on the school playground his fighting style was Tai Chi Chuan which were not sufficient enough to elevate him among the youth of Hong Kong. This fighting was a concern and frowned upon by his father being a Police inspector hence Cheung avoided becoming involved in gangs. By his teenage years however the challenge fights continue and as they are inextricably linked to extortion rackets of secret societies Cheung's high achieving family saw him a source of embarrassment.
A turning point in Cheung's life was when a gang leader who was undefeated in combat challenged an old man who was rumored to fight in a little known Kung Fu style of a woman, Cheung witnessed the challenge and watched as the thin old man who was Ip Man quickly defeat the gang leader. Soon after Cheung impressed by the old ma's skill visited Ip Man and became his student, over the next few months Cheung became a favourite of Ip Man and became a live in student for 3 years, before leaving Hong Kong.
During his time living with Ip Man Cheung introduced a then 15 year old famous child actor Bruce Lee whom he first met at Bruce Lee's 9th birthday to Ip Man. Cheung and Lee became friend and training partners. After several months of training every day they both became more involved in street challenge fights until one day Cheung fought a triad leader and seriously wounded him, this prompted Cheung's father to send him away from Hong Kong to put him out of harm's way however the problems followed him, he and his family decided that it was better for his safety to migrate to Australia to begin a new life.
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Wikipedia