Grandmaster 林光榮 Kwong Wing Lam (“Sifu”) was born in 1947 in 開平 Hoiping, 廣東 Kwangtung, 中国 China.  When he was 8, he moved with his mother to Hong Kong, where he first witnessed and became captivated by Kung Fu.  He began learning Wu Taiji, but the energetic boy wanted something more active.  A year later he began studying 北少林拳 Bei Shaolin Quan (Northern Shaolin Kung Fu) and 楊氏太極拳 Yang Taiji under 嚴尚武 Master Yang Shang Wu as well as 岭南洪家拳 Ling Nan Hong Ga (Ling Nan Hung Gar) under Master 趙教 Chiu Kau, Master 趙威Chiu Wei, and 林祖 Master Lam Cho.   He spent his childhood mornings training with the Chius, and his evenings training with Yang Shang Wu. This training was conducted in the traditional manner: learning 2-3 movements of a form and refraining from learning new techniques until the old ones were mastered.

 

Upon completing the Shaolin and Hung Gar systems, Sifu Lam trained in other styles to obtain a varied and well-balanced kung fu background. Under 梁華超 Master Leung Wah Chew he learned the 下四府洪家功夫 Ha Say Fu Hung Ga (Ha Say Fu Hung Gar) system. In addition, he studied 詠春 Wing Tsun from his brother-in-law, who was a student of 葉問 Ip Man. Sifu Lam also studied and gained thorough knowledge of iron palm and Small Golden Bell iron body training.

 

In 1965, the US government loosened immigration regulations, allowing direct relatives to come over legally. On May 1, three months before Sifu turned 18, he took a Pan Am flight to the US and began working in his sister and brother-in-law’s supermarket in San Francisco.  During this time, he continued his kung fu practice, often training in the alleyway behind the store.  It was in this way that his first prospective student found him and asked if Sifu would begin to teach.

Sifu opened his first school at a friend’s house in 1967, teaching Hung Gar and Northern Shaolin.  He returned several times to Hong Kong in 1968 for further training and review from his masters.  In 1973 he moved his school to a more permanent location 50 miles south into what would become the Heart of Silicon Valley in Sunnyvale.  There, he also founded a martial arts supply catalog and martial arts production company. 

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In 1994, Sifu traveled to Beijing to study 孫氏太極拳 Sun Style Taiji Quan, 形意拳 Xing Yi, and 八卦掌 Bagua Zhang under 孫劍雲 Master Sun Jian Yun, the daughter of 孫祿堂 Grandmaster Sun Lu Tang. In 1997 he completed the traditional discipleship ritual to Sun Jian Yun. 

 

Sifu Lam dedicated his life to the study, teaching, and promotion of the traditional Chinese martial arts. He stressed understanding the concepts that underlay each style and technique instead of rote memorization. He taught thousands of students worldwide, inspiring many to open their own schools – in Argentina, Italy, Canada, Bermuda, as well as in the United States – to pass on his teachings.  Sifu produced one of the first educational martial arts video series, wrote many articles for magazines and blogs, held hundreds of seminars, and wrote a series of in-depth books on the martial arts.  Throughout, he continued to practice diligently, always working to deepen his understanding and skill. 

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In addition to his abilities as a scholar of the martial arts, Sifu enjoyed making custom weapons and working with his hands.  At age 14 he made his first weapon, a spear, and when he was 17 he worked at an aluminum window frame factory where he became proficient with many tools. His beautiful workmanship is treasured by martial artists who are lucky enough to have one or more of his handcrafted weapons, iron palm tables, and more.

 

An exemplary person of integrity and character, Sifu was kind, humble, fair, generous, intelligent, a loving father, and had a wonderful sense of humor.  Sifu was a good listener, rarely spoke ill of another, and always thought of and cared for others.  His passion for kung fu never diminished, and he was always ready to share his knowledge and help students achieve their goals and reach their fullest potential in the martial arts. 

 

Over his life, Sifu Lam taught several thousand students and certified many new masters. Many of these masters now have their own schools. To all those who knew him, Sifu made a positive and lasting impression.  He is greatly missed.  While we grieve his passing, we carry forward, honoring his lessons and his memory by continuing to practice with passion and with a fierce desire to share all he gave us.