Born in Nanhai district, Guangdong Lam Sai Wing followed the customs of his ancestors and learned the traditional martial arts and Chinese medicine of his family. Lam trained under his father Lam Che-chung, grandfather Lam Bak-sin and granduncle Lam Geui-chung, and progressed to learn from Wu Kam-sing (胡金星), a northern Chinese boxer known only by the surname of Kang (康), and Chung Hung-san (鍾雄山). He later learned from the legendary folk hero Wong Fei-hung, also assistejng with him to work as a sort of body guard.
Considered an expert in Hung Ga – “Hung family fist”, a style known for its efficiency and at the time, widespread among various secret societies. It is also believed he also studied Fut Kuen (“Buddhist Fist”, a style practiced by various Buddhist sects in Guangdong province).
Between 1917 and 1923, Lam served as Chief Instructor in hand-to-hand combat for the National Revolutionary Army of Fujian province. In 1921, his performance of the Tiger Crane Form (虎鶴雙形拳) won praise from Sun Yat-sen who awarded him a silver presidential medal addressing him as Mr. Fuk-Hok (虎鶴先生).
He eventually moved to Hong Kong with his adopted nephew Lam Cho (林祖) (1910–2012), where he opened his Kwoon. With the help of one of his disciples Chu Yu-zai, he wrote and published three books on the three primary forms of Hung Ga: Taming the Tiger Fist, Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist and Iron Wire Fist.
“Since my young years till now, for 50 years, I have been learning from Masters. I am happy that I have earned the love of my tutors who passed on me the Shaolin Mastery…”
Lam Sai-Wing (林世荣 1861? – 1943)
