William Cheung

William Cheung or Cheung Cheuk Hing (張卓慶, pinyin: Zhāng Zhuóqìng), born October, 1940, is a Chinese Wing Chun kung fu practitioner and currently the Grandmaster of his lineage of Wing Chun, entitled Traditional Wing Chun (TWC). He also heads the sanctioning body of TWC, the Global Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu Association (GTWCKFA).

Cheung attained a Bachelor of Economics from the Australian National University, after graduating from secondary school in Hong Kong.^[1] Cheung is a certified Doctor of Chinese Medicine under the Chinese Medicine Registration Board of Victoria, and a member of the Australian Chinese Traditional Orthopaedics Association Inc. He has also been invited as a Guest Professor to Foshan Sports University (China), and as a Senior Research Professor of the Bone Research Department to Beijing Chinese Medical University (China).

In 1951, at the age of ten, Cheung started his training in Wing Chun Gung Fu under the late Yip Man. According to Cheung, it was from 1954 to 1958 that he was a live-in student of Yip Man and inherited the complete system of Traditional Wing Chun.^[2]

William Cheung was also a close friend and senior and training partner to Bruce Lee in the Wing Chun system. He was responsible for personally introducing Bruce Lee to Wing Chun in 1953.^[3]

Accomplishments

Martial arts

Duncan Leung, a Yip Man student, says it was William Cheung who first made Wing Chun famous in Australia. "In 1957 another early student of Yip Man, William Cheung, immigrated to Australia. On the way there an incident occurred when he locked himself in the sailor cabin and fought more than 10 sailors. This got into all the newspapers and so Wing Chun was even known in Australia then."^[4]

Cheung is known for using "Egg Standing" to demonstrate his skill in weight distribution and overall control of his body.^[5]

Teaching accomplishments

After moving to Melbourne, Australia to teach Traditional Wing Chun professionally in 1973, Cheung began operating a Traditional Wing Chun Gung Fu school. In 1976 he was elected the President of the Australian Kung Fu Federation.

Writings

• Cheung, William (1983). Wing Chun Bil Jee, the Deadly Art of Thrusting Fingers. Unique Publications. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-86568-045-6. 
• Cheung, William (1986). Kung Fu: Butterfly Swords. Ohara Publications Inc. pp. 223. ISBN 0-89750-125-X
• Cheung, William; Mike Lee (1986). How to Develop Chi Power. Black Belt Communications. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-89750-110-1. 
• Cheung, William; Mike Lee (1989). Kung Fu Dragon Pole. Black Belt Communications. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-89750-107-1. 
• Cheung, William; Mike Lee (1988). Advanced Wing Chun. Black Belt Communications. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-89750-118-7. 
• Cheung, William; Ted Wong (1990). Wing Chun Kung Fu/Jeet Kune Do: a Comparison Volume 1. Black Belt Communications. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-89750-124-8. 
• Cheung, William (1989). My Life with Wing Chun (second edition). pp. 192.
• Cheung, William (2007). Wing Chun: Advanced Training and Applications. Black Belt Communications LLC. pp. 175. ISBN 0-89750-157-8. ISBN 978-0-89750-157-6.
• Cheung, William (2005). City of Dragons: Ah Hing - The Dragon Warrior. Healthworld Enterprises Pty. Ltd. pp. 118.
• Cheung, William (1994). CMT: Cheung's Meridian Therapy. Cheung's Better Life. pp. 388.

Cheung has produced a number of videos, including The Wing Chun Way, Tao of Wing Chun, My Life with Wing Chun, Wing Chun – Advanced Training and Applications, City of Dragons, CMT – Cheung's Meridian Therapy and PRO-TEKT: A Personal Protection Program.

Controversial altercation

In 1986 at a seminar in Germany, William Cheung engaged in an altercation with Emin Boztepe, then a student of Keith R. Kernspecht. Whilst Cheung gave a seminar, Boztepe allegedly entered the premises and tackled Cheung with no warning. During the scuffle to which no visible punches or kicks were thrown Boztepe ended on top of Cheung.^[6][7]

Notes and references