Leung Ting
Leung Ting is a Hong Kong martial artist, publisher, choreographer, screenwriter, director, and former actor. He is the last direct 'closed-door' disciple of grandmaster Yip Man. He is also the founder of International WingTsun Association.
Leung Ting garnered fame from spreading his WingTsun Kungfu system globally since the 1970s. He has been invited to over 50 countries and regions including mainland China, UK, America, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Greece, Czech and India for military training and private teaching.
In April 2025, Leung Ting received an award from Dr. István Simicskó, a member of the Hungarian National Assembly and former Minister of Defence for the Hungarian Government recognizing GGM Leung Ting’s contributions to the spread of WingTsun Kungfu in Hungary.
Background
Born in Hong Kong in 1947, Leung began studying Wing Tsun aged 13 from Leung Sheung, the most senior disciple of Yip Man, then later directly under Yip Man as his last direct 'closed-door' disciple.Appointed by Grandmaster Ip Man, Leung served as head instructor on the board of directors for the Ving Tsun Athletic association between Dec 1969 to May 1970. When the Ving Tsun Athletic association moved from its former premises of 438 Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei, Leung Ting remained at the location to found his own Wing Tsun Gymnasium and later Association.
Leung Ting is the founder and president of the International WingTsun Association. Leung chose the spelling of Wing Tsun to differentiate his teachings from those of other Wing Chun schools, and to keep them from passing off their style as his own.
Among the achievements in his career outside of teaching and writing about Wing Tsun, Leung has been a fight director in some Hong Kong films. Leung was the director and screenwriter for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad Kung Fu World!, a humoristic documentary on the history and culture of kung fu. Leung appeared on episode 1 of the first season of the BBC show Mind, Body & Kick Ass Moves; a 10 part series on martial arts masters of the east hosted by Chris Crudelli.
Filmography
- Fight choreographer: Five Deadly Venoms
- Fight choreographer: The Brave Archer Part II
- Fight choreographer: Ten Tigers of Kwangtung
- Fight choreographer: Heaven and Hell
- Fight choreographer: Stranger from Shaolin
- Fight choreographer: Invincible Shaolin
- Fight choreographer: Life Gamble
- Director and screenwriter: 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad Kung Fu World!'' ''
Career
In 1968, he was admitted to the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature of Hong Kong Baptist College, majoring in Chinese Language and Literature. In the same year, Yip Man accepted Leung as his closed-door disciple. Leung opened a WingTsun martial art class at Baptist College, becoming the first person to introduce Chinese martial arts to a Hong Kong tertiary institution.Leung Ting is the founder and president of the International WingTsun Association. By the 1990s, the IWTA had an estimated 3000 instructor branches spread over 65+ countries.
Leung chose the spelling of Wing Tsun to differentiate his teachings from those of other Wing Chun schools, and to keep them from passing off their style as his own.
Leung Ting has authored over 100 books, videos, and magazines on the topic of Wing Tsun and martial arts. For example, his seminal book, Wing Tsun Kuen has been translated into most major international languages, and as of 2012 was on its 23rd edition.
English books
- Wing Tsun Kuen
- Roots and Branches of Wing Tsun
- Dynamic Wing Tsun Kungfu
- 116 Wooden Dummy Techniques by Dr. Leung Ting
- 116 Wing Tsun Dummy Techniques by Master Yip Chun & Dr. Leung Ting
- Siu-Nim-Tau
- Chum Kiu
- Biu-Tze
- Chi-Sau
- Chi-Sau II & Lat-Sau
- Chi-Sau III & IV
- Chi-Sau V-VII
- Seven-Star Praying Mantis Kungfu
- Five-Pattern Hung Kuen Part 1
- Five-Pattern Hung Kuen part 2
- Dragon-Tiger Double broadsword Style
- Skills of the Vagabonds
- Behind The Incredibles - Skills of the Vagabonds II
- The Drunkard Kungfu & its application
- 108 Movements of the Shaolin Wooden-Men Hall Part #1
- 108 Movements of the Shaolin Wooden-Men Hall Part #2
- Kwan Dao
- Drunken Monkey Kungfu
- Ferocious Enchanted-Staff of the Ancient Monks
- Shaolin Ten-Animal Form of Kwan Tak Hing
- Wing Tsun Kuen Part #1
- Wing Tsun Kuen Part #2
- Five-Pattern Hung Kuen part 1
- Five-Pattern Hung Kuen part 2
- Self-teaching - Dynamic Wing Tsun Kungfu
- Siu-Nim-Tau
- Chum-Kiu
- Biu-Tze
- Leung Ting Stories
- WingTsun Stories
- Roots and Branches of WingTsun
- Skills of the Vagabonds
Lineage controversy
Some of Yip Man's students have disputed whether Leung Ting could be considered a closed door disciple of Yip Man, some going as far as to question whether Leung ever studied directly under Ip Man, including William Cheung and most notably including Ip Chun, Ip Man's eldest son and co-author of the book written with Leung Ting, 116 Wing Tsun Dummy Techniques. Ip claimed "我老豆最憎最嬲係梁挺呢個人！" and also "唔係葉問徒弟". In response to Ip Chun's accusations, Leung Ting organised a public press conference in Hong Kong in May 2010 to showcase photographic evidence of his own close direct relationship with Yip Man. Existing photo evidence shows that Leung Ting did appear with Yip Man in numerous high-profile events, including the only 2 interviews Yip Man ever conducted, private lessons, Leung Ting's wedding, and public martial art demonstrations. Leung Ting publicly threatened to initiate a defamation claim against Ip Chun if an apology and withdrawal of accusations was not received. Ip Chun has since been quiet on this matter.In other evidence, in one of the only 2 interviews Yip Man ever conducted before his death, Leung Ting was mentioned by Yip Man as one of his closed door disciples in New Martial Hero magazine 1972, copy 56, page 31, paragraph 2, line 5 - 教師梁挺係其一位封門弟子. Photos from the interview show Leung was with Yip man during the time.
The controversy had been in part fuelled by past allegations that a photo Leung presented showing him with Yip Man was altered from a photograph that shows Yip Man with the chief editor of the New Martial Hero magazine. Leung has denied the head change, claiming that the editor of New Martial Hero had pasted his own head over Leung's for the article. Evidence shows Leung's photo to be uncropped and at a higher resolution to the magazine's published photo. Other photo evidence shows Leung at Yip Man's funeral with an armband that apparently denotes a rank other than first generation.