Lai Tung Pai was said to have been developed by a monk named Chi Sen. Chi Sen in turn trained four monks: Yuen Cheuk, Yuen Kok, Yuen Sing, and Yuen Mau. Orphans were admitted into the temple every three years and given the same surname. The four monks fled the temple after it was attacked and burned down. Each thought it safer to split up and reunite at a later time. Yuen Mau is the only monk we have any history of; the rest were lost sometime following the time the temple was burned down. Yuen Mau traveled south to where the
Guangdong providence is now. Yuen Mau sought shelter in the monastery of a small town named Lai Tung (literally translated “dig a hole”). Yuen Mau continued his studies and being from the main temple, was made abbot of the small monastery. Yuen Mau chose Lai Tung because of its small size, thinking there would be no military significance of attacking the village, as the people were poor and uneducated. Yuen Mau was wrong. When a small regiment of troops came to Lai Tung and started to cause trouble, Yuen Mau had had enough. Having trained the monks in the art of Poon Kuen, the monks defeated the soldiers and brought peace back to the village (It is likely that the troops were either deserters or a group of bandits, as the army would have surely not taken an attack like this lightly; the other scenario is that the monks killed the troops and, being a small force, the army never went looking for them. As with all legends, there is always an element of truth to them). Yuen Mau then called the art Lai Tung Pai or “family of Lai Tung Village” after the town he helped defend. Many famous martial artists have come from the city of Foshan and had connections to the temple including
Wong Kei Ying,
Wong Fei Hong, and
Ip Man. Fa Hoi had come to the Hoi Tong Monastery in the late 19th century. After some time, Kong Ki had gotten married and had a son, Kong Hoi (named after his teacher, Jiang Hai 江海). On Kong Hoi’s 10th birthday, Kong Ki started teaching him the art of Lai Tung Pai. When Kong Hoi was 13, the Japanese had invaded China. Kong Hoi joined a guerrilla resistance troop and attacked a Japanese camp. Kong Hoi was injured in the fight but made it back home. Kong Ki, not wanting his son to see war again, sent Kong Hoi to the Hoi Tong Monastery and to his old teacher, Fa Hoi. Fa Hoi took the young man in. Kong Hoi became a Chinese Physician certified by the Hong Kong Government. He has also served as a judge in several Hong Kong tournaments. At one time Kong Hoi had three schools in Hong Kong. During the mid 1960s, Kong Hoi began training a student named Li Chi Keung. Li later moved in with his Sifu and lived there for three years. Kong Hoi had shut his schools down by this time and retired from teaching. Li worked at the docks by day and studied Lai Tung Pai at night. Li had a chance to move to America and left Hong Kong in 1978. Sifu Li died on March 10, 2017. A private ceremony was held including his students, friends and some family. A traditional funerary Lion Dance was done by his most senior students. Li Chi Keung will be remembered for all he did to bring Lai Tung Pai to the US and pass down the art to keep it alive for future generations. == Style specifics ==