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According to traditional lore,
this style was taught only to monks within the confines of the Southern
Shaolin Temple. During the time of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 CE) the
temple was again destroyed and many of the monks were hunted and killed. One
of the surviving monks was Doe Sung – a skilled Yau Kung Moon disciple. Doe
Sung then taught a Buddhist monk named Tit Yun. Tit Yun was the first to
pass the tradition on to a layperson when he accepted Ha Hon Hung
(1892-1962) as a disciple in 1915. Ha Hon Hung had also studied Choy Lee Fut
with his brother, Ha Sang and Bak Mei with Cheung Lai Chun.
In 1924, Ha Hon Hung opened up the first Yau Kung Moon Academy at the Pearl
River Martial Arts Club in Guangzhou (Canton) and formed the Ha Hon Hung
Sports Association. Yau Kung Moon primarily gained popularity in the
Cantonese-speaking region of China, but remains somewhat uncommon outside of
the region. It is taught in several countries but is most active in
Guangzhou, Hong Kong, the US and Australia. |
