hoy hong temple's black tiger kung fu 寺幢海南河東廣門虎黑林少
Late Grand Master Wong Bill Hong
Wong Bil Hong was born in Guangdong, China, in 1841 and trained in Hung Gar under Wong Kay Yin and Wong Fei Hung, both associated with the famed Ten Tigers of Guangdong. He became a highly skilled Hung Gar master before an encounter with another martial artist changed the course of his training.
A planned duel outside Hoy Hong Temple was peacefully prevented by a monk, who then became Wong Bil Hong’s teacher. Under the monk’s guidance, he learned and eventually mastered Hark Fu Moon, or Black Tiger style. He became its first official successor and renamed the system “Fu Jow Pai of the Hoy Hong Temple.”
Wong Bil Hong kept the art highly exclusive, teaching it only to his nephew, Wong Moon Toy, and a trusted servant. Before his death in 1934, he passed the Fu Jow Pai legacy to both disciples. After the servant’s death, Wong Moon Toy became the second-generation successor, continuing the Fu Jow Pai lineage within the Golden Tiger Kung Fu tradition.
Late Grand Master Wong Moon Toy
Wong Moon Toy was born in Guangdong Province on April 21, 1907, and began training in Chinese martial arts at a young age. By age 20, he had mastered Hung Gar and Mi Chung I before becoming a disciple of his uncle, Wong Bil Hong, in Hark Fu Moon, a Black Tiger Kung Fu system.
Despite his prior accomplishments, Hark Fu Moon training was exceptionally demanding. Under his uncle’s guidance, Wong Moon Toy developed the physical endurance, mental discipline, humility, and commitment required by the tradition. He then spent seven years training in the Lor Fow Mountains, returning as a highly accomplished and well-rounded martial artist.
After relocating to New York City in the early 1900s, Wong Moon Toy taught Fu Jow Pai to only seven devoted disciples. Together, they opened Fu Jow Pai to the public on October 1, 1957. A few years later, he entrusted the system to Wai Hong Ng.
Wong Moon Toy died of liver disease on March 14, 1960. His teachings and lineage continued through Wai Hong Ng, leaving a lasting influence on Fu Jow Pai and the Golden Tiger Kung Fu tradition.
GrandMaster Wai Hong 伍偉康
Grandmaster Wai Hong (伍偉康), born in 1938, is regarded as the central figure responsible for bringing Fu Jow Pai—Tiger Claw Kung Fu—into the modern public sphere. He studied Choy Lee Fut, Northern Shaolin, and Tai Chi Chuan before immigrating to the United States, where he trained under Grandmaster Wong Moon Toy. After Wong’s death in 1960, Wai Hong became his disciple-successor.
Determined to preserve and expand Fu Jow Pai beyond its traditionally secretive roots, Wai Hong opened the art to people of all ages and backgrounds. In 1968, he reorganized the Chinese Youth Athletic Club into the Fu Jow Pai Federation and founded Wai Hong’s Fu Jow Pai Kung Fu school in New York City, making the system publicly accessible.
His goals included building unity among practitioners, encouraging mutual respect, and creating standardized methods for training and instructor certification. During the 1970s, he introduced traditional Kung Fu to numerous New York City colleges and universities, while also helping popularize Kung Fu competitions and full-contact tournaments throughout the United States.
Wai Hong was widely respected in both martial-arts and Chinese-American communities, receiving the honorary title “Great Hero.” He played an important role in establishing the Eastern US Kung Fu Federation and the United Kung Fu Federation of North America.
He wrote The Heritage of Fu Jow Pai and The Secrets of Iron Palm, earned more than nine Hall of Fame awards and medals, and received honors including “Warrior,” “Pioneer,” “Man of the Year,” and “Lifetime Achievement.” He was also recognized by Inside Kung Fu magazine as the most influential martial artist of the preceding 30 years.
His legacy includes training high-level competitors—among them professional fighting champions, Olympic gold medalists, and international full-contact champions—and helping secure Fu Jow Pai’s continuing place within the Golden Tiger Kung Fu tradition.
Grandmaster Wai Hong Eng
