Yeung Tim

Part of the audio recording of GM Tang Yik from the 1960s, translation from Cantonese: Janet Yuen and Peter Scholz

The Wing Chun practitioner Yeung Tim was a student of the Zi Sin lineage. He lived with his wife in Foshan. They had no children. Yeung Tim was well known in Guangzhou for his kung fu. At that time, the members of the early Manchuria’s Eight Banners, “Kei Haa Jan”, were an influential power in Guangzhou. Some “Kei Haa Jan” wanted to denigrate the Guan Yu Temple on Kei Haa Street by throwing excrement at the door. The temple attendants had to wash the door every morning. Then Yeung Tim began to work in the temple. He sold daffodils at the temple door and used clay pots from Guilin to water the flowers. These jars from Guilin were very tall and thick and had a narrow opening. Yeung Tim held two of them in each hand and turned them over while watering the flowers. When the “Kei Haa Jan” saw this, they were shocked by Yeung Tim’s strength and so they left the temple alone ever since he started working there.

Tang Pok admired Yeung Tim’s kung fu and persuaded Yeung to teach him, and then Tang Syun also learned from Yeung. They learned the Soeng Gung and the “Ji Wun Maa”, which Yeung Tim was good at. Yeung Tim was always modest. He did not officially teach kung fu and did not accept any students.

Despite his modesty, Yeung Tim was occasionally challenged and took part in small competitions. He once knocked out a high-ranking Imperial bodyguard who claimed to be able to smash seven firebricks at once. Another time, Yeung Tim had a small “kung fu exchange” with Loeng Zaan, who was a well-known master in Foshan. They practiced Ci Sau. Yeung was more experienced, but who won or lost was not important.¹