Choy Fook
Choy Fook was a monk from the Northern Shaolin Temple who withdrew from the
Buddhist clergymen to become a layman. When he took his vows to become a monk, it was customary
to have incense burn marks onto his head. However, due to severe burns, it
left serious ugly scars on his head. This gave him the nickname "Rotten Head
Fook."
After Choy Fook withdrew from the Buddhist clergyman, he decided to settle
down in the Luo Fu Mountain of northern Guangdong province for his late age
of retirement. The founder of Choy Li Fut Kung Fu, Chan Heung, took a long
journey to Mt. Luo Fu to beg him to be his teacher. In the beginning, Choy
Fook taught Chan Heung the Buddhist meditation and the disciplines of
Buddhism. After a period of time observing Chan Heung working hard at his
Buddhist training and practicing his previous styles of Kung fu, Choy Fook
felt that he was ready and worthy of his martial art training. When Choy
Fook was finally convinced that Chan Heung was a good student, he began to
teach him the secrets of Northern Shaolin Kung Fu. Besides teaching Chan
Heung the 18 Lohan Chi Kung, he also taught him the powerful northern
footwork. After Chan Heung completely learned the Northern Shaolin Kung Fu,
Choy Fook asked him to leave the Luo Fu Mountain, to return home to promote
his Shaolin Kung Fu, and to train fighters to join the revolution to fight
against the corrupt Manchurian government.