"Move the stick in the air just like the dragon shake his tail" "Deliver the destroyng fist just like the tiger move his head towars the intruder".

This is the motto of the Kung-Fu form known as "Choy-Ley-Fut"

It was written by the founder of the style CHAN-HEONG, to be located besides the gymnasium's
altar; when all the 18 disciples of Chan-Heong were in their learning places, the first two fonts
of each side combined togheter "Ying-Hong" formed the word "HERO", in reference to the
fight against the Manciù dynasty in IX century.

Chan-Heong was born on 10 of July 1806, in the village of King-Mui, district of Sam-Wui in the Canton province. The second son of the Chan family, when he was 7 years old he was entrusted to his uncle Yuen-Wu, famous master of the Sium-Lam school, and stayed diligently until he was 16. At that time he was already well trained in Kung-Fu art, so much that nobody, in the close villages, dared to challenge him.

Recognizing his inborn talent and his passion for the martial arts, uncle Yuen introduced him
to a friend, master Ley-Yau-San, to teach him all the techniques of his family (Ley-Gar)

After 4 years of hard training, Chan reached the perfect mastery of this techniques and the
necessary precision of every movement; it was an extraordinary fact, given that Master Ley and
uncle Yuen took 20 years of continue study at the monastery of Sium-Lam, to reach the
knowledge that Chan-Heong obtained in only 8 years.

After this important time of learning, Ley-Yau-San, seeing the love of Chan-Heong for martial
arts, recomended him to one of the most important masters of that time, the monk Choy-Fok,
also known by the name "scarface", because of the big scar he had on his head through his face.

By now over 90, he lived isolated in his monk life inside a little temple over the Lao-Fu
mountain, keeping his identity of Shaoilin monk secret to the Manciu regime avoiding the
teaching of martial arts (wich were banded, furthermore the Shaolin monks were persecuted to
avoid the transmission of their secrets to the people wich could start a rebellion against them)

When the young Chan arrived to the little temple, the monk was disguised as the keeper of the
Temple.

Chan-Heong said he came from a far place to study with Choy-Fok,
and that he had a reference letter.

The monk asked to Chan to give him a little demonstration, while they were waiting for Choy. The boy started to move, doing his best, but the monk laughed. Chan asked why he was laughing, but that old man revealed himself, telling him that he was losing his time, as he didn't practice Kung -Fu anymore, and that the only thing he could teach him was Buddhist Sutra. The boy accepted.

So for more than two years Chan-Heong didn't learn any technique, but his passion for martial
arts was too big, as he parcticed secretly in a little reed near the temple.

Choy-Fok realized that the disciple was leaving the temple to practice Kung-Fu and one night
he followed him.

His hard work was praiseworthy, so the monk reveal himself sayng: "Is this all that you can do?
Try to kick that stone over there!"

The legend says that the stone was actually an 80Kg. rock, but Chan didn't drop the challenge, and, gathering all his strenght, kicked off as hard as he could moving the stone two meters away. Scarface approached him, raised the stone above their head with his left leg and, while he was lifted, with both his feet threw the rock as far as the eye could see.

The young was astonished by the the strenght and ability of the monk, and there he began his
first Kung-Fu lesson with Choy-Gar (wich was the family's style) Hung-Gar and Fut-Gar.

Back in King-Mui in 1835, he spent one year gathering all his knowledge inside a new style
wich he called Choy-Ley-Fut, in honor of his masters: Choy-Fok, Ley-Yau-San, Fut-Gar and
that could have also the Buddhist principles.

He opened his first school in the temple of Fuen-Fok, beginning the teaching of what would have become one of the most famous styles in the history of chinese martial arts. At the same time he opened a medical clinic wich he named "Wing-Sing-Tang". During the time between 1840 to 1850 China lived more than 100 important conflicts, in wich were involved the government troops and the foreign armies. This time was called "Opium war" and "Rebellion of the Triads" In 1864, Chan Heong created a code of gestures and sounds to recognize friend fighters during the battles.

"Yith", for the palm hits, "Sith"for the long range technique and the Leopard's hand ones,
"Dik" for all the kicks mad "Wah" for the Tiger's claw.

This sounds remained untouched until today, as a symbol of Choy-Ley-Fut.

Chan was one of the most important beginners of the cities riots against the injustice of the
government, so he fought effectively many hand to hand combats against the imperial troops as
much as, for his help to the rebellion, he was forced to leave China and start a willing exile
throughout many places of the Asian south-east until Honk-Kong, crossing the ocean to teach in
San Francisco's chinatown.

The situation was calm, after five years he came back in King-Mui, where he continued his teaching until the day of his death on 20 August 1875. His memory remained living in all the practicers of Choy-Ley-Fut, so much that ther's no school of this method without a photograph of the founder in the center of the gymnasium, as a reminder of honesty and courage for each beginner.

In 1838, Chan-Heong married a girl named Wang, also born in King-Mui,
and in 1840 their first son On-Pak was born.

In 1847 came the second son, Koon-Pak.

The first son was a great practicer of martial arts.

The second son, after studyng under the guide of his father, moved to Kung-Moon to become a
merchant, but his fame as son of Chan-Heong was so great that, by all the people's claim, he
dedicated himself only to the teaching in Canton.

Another pupil of Chan-Heong was Jeon-Ym.

After him there was Tam-Sam, who created the Pak-Sing current of Choy-Ley-Fut.

Still today, this fighting system is considered as one of the direct descendant from Shaolin.
Because of the infinite power spreaded by the practicer, this style was chosen to be used in war
during the famous "Riot of the Boxer" (1899-1900), from the rebels of the "Sect of the Lotus
flower"