Jeung Lai-chuen

Cheung Lai‑chuen (Chinese: 張禮泉; Mandarin: Zhāng Lǐquán; 1882 – 1964) was a Chinese martial artist widely regarded as the modern patriarch of Pak Mei Kung Fu, a southern Chinese martial arts system. He is credited with systematizing the style in the early twentieth century and establishing much of the curriculum used in Pak Mei schools today.

Cheung was born in 1882 at the end of the Qin dynasty in Huizhou, Guangdong province, into a poor Hakka family. Early hardships, including the loss of his father, motivated him to learn martial arts from an early age. At around seven years old, he began his training under a local traditional physician and martial arts teacher named Lam Sek (林石), who taught him the Lau Man Gaau (流民教; “Vagabond” or “Wanderer’s”) style.^[1]

He later studied Lei Ga (李家; “Li/Lee Family style”) under Lei Mung, gaining exposure to close-combat techniques, and trained in Southern Dragon Kung Fu from Lam Yun, father of the later famed master Lam Yiu‑gwai. These early studies in Hakka-rooted martial arts laid the foundation for his later development of the Bak Mei style.^[2]

After moving to Guangzhou around 1908, Cheung reportedly encountered a Buddhist monk named Lin Sang, who defeated him in a martial challenge. According to Cheung's accounts, Lin Sang introduced him to his teacher Juk Faat‑wan (竺法雲), an elderly monk who transmitted him the core methods of what was then known as Ngo Mei Siu Lam (峨嵋少林; “Emei Shaolin”). Cheung trained under Juk Faat‑wan for approximately two to three years, assimilating the art’s fundamentals^[3]. The accuracy of this account remains uncertain, as independent evidence is lacking.^[4]

Cheung retained elements from his earlier teachers, combining techniques from Lau Man Gaau, Lei Ga, and Southern Dragon Kung Fu, producing a distinct style that became the foundation of modern Pak Mei.^[5]

After completing his training, Cheung found employment with the local government’s salt tax enforcement department in Jiangmen. In this role, he confronted smugglers and other threats, using these real-world encounters to refine his martial techniques. His effectiveness helped him gain recognition, which later supported his career as a martial arts teacher.^[6]

By the 1920s and 1930s, Cheung’s martial reputation had brought him to the attention of the institutions of the Nationalist government.^[7] Cheung teaching martial arts in Guangzhou and built a strong reputation for skill in both unarmed combat and weapons^[8]. He opened multiple schools and attracted a diverse student base, including experienced practitioners and members of military and law‑enforcement groups. Some accounts suggest he was invited to serve as a martial instructor at institutions such as the Whampoa Military Academy, reflecting his high standing in martial circles of the period.^[9]

After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Cheung fled to Hong Kong with several of his sons, where he continued teaching Pak Mei. His sons and senior disciples played a major role in preserving and transmitting the art, particularly within Hong Kong and later overseas.^[10]

Cheung Lai‑chuen is widely recognized within the Pak Mei community as the chief figure responsible for defining the modern system^[11]. Schools that trace their lineage to him preserve a structured curriculum of forms and principles credited to his synthesis of multiple traditions with Pak Mei fundamentals^[12]