Grandmaster Lee Chau of Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛
Grandmaster Lee Chau, senior representative of the Buk Sing Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛 lineage, is sixty-two years old. He was born in Diejiao, Nanhai, Guangdong, and studied under the great master Tam Sam (譚三) of Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛. For many years, he has dedicated his life tirelessly to promoting and advancing the martial skills of Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛, and has nurtured countless students.
From the age of nine, Grandmaster Lee Chau developed a strong interest in martial arts. At that time, a Hung Kuen (洪拳) master taught in his village, and Lee Chau followed him closely day and night to practice. What he learned first were the fundamental sei ping maa 四平馬 horse stance exercises and power training sets.
At the age of fourteen, due to circumstances, he left his hometown and went to Guangzhou to earn a living, working in a teahouse. This gave him the opportunity to meet many people and broaden his horizons. Despite his busy work, he always wished to continue training.
When he was seventeen, through meeting a teahouse customer, he realized this man was no ordinary person. It turned out to be the famous Yong Chun (永春) master Daai Lik Ching Waa (大力程華). Admiring him greatly, Lee Chau, along with several like-minded young men, entered his school to practice Yong Chun kung fu. Yong Chun focused on the mei faa maa 梅花馬 stance and the tang fu sau 籐箍手 for power training. At that time, Master Ching Waa guided Lee Chau to train his finger strength by holding two iron balls, each weighing about fifteen catties. After nearly a year of such training, Lee Chau developed a solid foundation.
To seek wider martial knowledge, with friends’ introduction he later became a disciple of Tam Sam 譚三 of Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛. At that time, Lee was eighteen years old, strong and with good foundation, so learning Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛 techniques came easily. Within two years, he had already attained a high level of skill.
One day, by chance on Tai Hong Road, Lee Chau encountered an arrogant martial arts instructor who looked down on others. Accepting a challenge match, Lee Chau positioned into jam caap ceoi 陰插搥 after setting his horse stance. The opponent advanced with biu ceoi 標搥 towards Lee’s bridge hand to press down. Lee borrowed the energy and immediately countered with jam caap ceoi 陰插搥 aimed at the opponent’s head. The opponent, being skilled, dodged, but he underestimated the depth of Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛 techniques.
Attempting a counter, he pressed down with double arms and struck toward Lee Chau’s head. Lee seized the moment, sank into stance, and launched zo maa lau caap ceoi 坐馬漏插搥 directly at the opponent’s chest. The opponent staggered back over ten feet, injured and fell. From that day, Lee Chau’s reputation spread throughout Guangzhou’s city of Five Rams.
At twenty-one, with strong support from the community of Xie En neighborhood, Lee Chau opened his first martial arts school with approval from Grandmaster Tam Sam 譚三. Within four years, he expanded to a second school at Fook Hong Lane, Taiping Street; by twenty-seven, he opened another branch in On Leong Lane, Sai Kwan; at twenty-eight, he ran a Kung Ka ancestral hall on Xin Qiao Market, Haizhu Road. Many of his students were market vendors, and attendance reached new records.
During his years in Guangzhou, his teaching expanded successfully. At twenty-two, because of the Japanese invasion, he moved to Hong Kong. After the war, he returned to Guangzhou for a long period, teaching within community associations.
Later, he permanently settled in Hong Kong, leaving behind his Guangzhou schools. In Hong Kong, he was invited to serve as the martial instructor for many associations including the Teahouse Workers’ Union Martial Arts Section, the Mason Workers’ Union, the Flour and Noodle Workers’ Union, the Chinese Fitness Association, the Oriental Sports Association Winter Swimming Team, and the HK-Kowloon Workers United Council Martial Arts Section. His relentless effort in spreading Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛 was astonishing, leaving people in awe of his dedication.
In 1961, with support from all sides, he opened the Lee Chau Martial Arts and Fitness Institute on Lai Chi Kok Road, Kowloon. Besides personally managing the school, he also provided medical treatment for injuries.
Even before that, in 1957, Grandmaster Lee led elite Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛 disciples to participate in martial arts tournaments in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau. Results were outstanding: student Chan Wu Leung 陳護良 won lightweight runner-up, while Lai Hung 黎雄 earned third place.
By 1963, Lee Chau’s development had extended into Yuen Long with another branch of his institute. Today, many of his disciples continue to serve across society, with countless schools and instructors spreading Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛. Especially overseas, his influence shines, with disciples spreading kung fu in San Francisco, Boston, Arizona, Canada, and more—true evidence of his success.