According to the legend, the form Tit Sin Kuen (literally “The Method of the Iron Wire”) was codified at the end of the 19th century by Leung Kwan, better known as Tit Kiuh San, a formidable martial arts expert and one of the “Ten Tigers of Canton,” an association of the most valiant warriors of Guandong. A member of the Ten Tigers was also the father of another kung fu hero, Wong Fei Hung, the founder of modern Hung Ga kung fu made famous by countless films. Wong Fei Hung learned the form from his father, then expanded it according to his martial experience and included it in the program of his Hung Ga method as the last set to be learned.
Following Wong Fei Hung’s heritage, in the traditional Hung Ga schools Tit Sin Kuen marks the completion of the Hung Ga study path. The student can access it only after completing the entire program, a condition necessary yet not sufficient, because the final approval of the master is also needed.
At a first sight, Tit Sin Kuen looks different from all other Hung Ga forms. This uniqueness contributed to boost its mythological aura in a mystical narrative that does not do justice to the quality and martial value of the form.
I learned Tit Sin Kuen from master Chan Hon Chung in the early Eighties, in his famous gymnasium at 729 Nathan Road.
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