Third Generation
Chan Yiu-chi
Chan Yiu-chi: Third-Generation Head of the King Mui Lineage
- Period:
- Late Qing to mid-20th century, Guangdong
- Tradition:
- Choy Li Fut — King Mui (Chan Family) branch
- Region:
- Guangzhou
Who was Chan Yiu-chi?
Chan Yiu-chi, son of Chan Koon-pak and grandson of founder Chan Heung, was the third-generation head of the King Mui branch of Choy Li Fut. Based in Guangzhou, he taught a generation of students — among them Hu Yuen-chou and Wong Gong — through whom the King Mui lineage spread to Hong Kong, overseas Chinese communities, and North America.
Chan Yiu-chi (陳耀墀) was the third-generation head of the King Mui (Chan Family) branch of Choy Li Fut — son of Chan Koon-pak, grandson of the founder Chan Heung.
The family system, three generations deep
Choy Li Fut is unusual among southern Chinese systems for the documentary continuity of its founding family. Chan Heung founded the system in 1836 and wrote about it; his sons led it; his grandson led it again. Chan Yiu-chi inherited not a legend but an institution — a curriculum, a village school of record, and city branches in Jiangmen and Guangzhou.
Teaching in Guangzhou
Yiu-chi taught from the Guangzhou center through the Republican era, when Guangzhou remained one of the densest martial environments in China. The King Mui curriculum under the family’s care preserved the full structure attributed to the founder — hand forms, weapon forms, and the paired training methods — while city teaching increased the system’s exposure to students from outside the Chan village network.
The students who carried it outward
The published lineage names two of Yiu-chi’s students as the hinge of the fourth generation:
- Hu Yuen-chou, who taught Doc-Fai Wong — the master who founded the Plum Blossom International Federation and carried Hung Sing and King Mui material to San Francisco and, through certified instructors, across North America.
- Wong Gong, whose students continued the King Mui line in Guangdong and Hong Kong.
It is through this chain — Chan Heung to Chan Koon-pak to Chan Yiu-chi to Hu Yuen-chou — that the transmission documented in the archive’s history reached the teachers of the Golden Eagle schools in Alabama.
Succession
After Yiu-chi, the King Mui succession remained in the family. His descendants continued the line, with Chan Sun-chiu described by the lineage as Keeper of the style until his death in 2013.
Historical Timeline
Born into the system
Son of Chan Koon-pak, grandson of Chan Heung; trained inside the family school from childhood.
Heads the lineage in the city
Led the King Mui branch from the Guangzhou center his father established, teaching through the Republican era.
Hu Yuen-chou, Wong Gong, and the wider circle
His student Hu Yuen-chou later taught Doc-Fai Wong, a leading transmitted of the lineage in San Francisco; Wong Gong's line likewise carries the King Mui curriculum today.
The line continues
The King Mui succession continued in the family after him, reaching Chan Sun-chiu, described by the lineage as Keeper of the style until his death in 2013.
Sources & References
- Choy Li Fut — King Mui branch section — Wikipedia, Names Chan Yi-chi (Yiu-chi) as the third-generation King Mui head and links his students to the later lineage. (Secondary Source)
- Chan Family Association records — King Mui lineage tradition, Detailed dates vary between accounts; the archive states the period without fixing unsupported years. (Historical Source)
Related Knowledge
People
- Chan Koon-pakChan Koon-pak, younger son of Choy Li Fut founder Chan Heung, carried the system from King Mui to Jiangmen and founded a major center in Guangzhou.
- Chan HeungChan Heung (1806–1875) founded Choy Li Fut in 1836, combining the teachings of Choy Ah Fook, Li Yau San, and Chan Yuan Wu. His life, teachers, and lineage.
Traditions
- Choy Li FutChoy Li Fut is a southern Chinese martial art founded by Chan Heung in 1836. It blends northern and southern methods; its history, lineage, forms, and weapons.