Grandmaster William Cheung is the global head of the World Wing Chun Kung Fu Association, overseeing more than 80 schools in 17 countries. As the hand-picked, live-in disciple of the legendary Yip Man for over four years, he is the eighth-generation successor in a lineage tracing back to the art’s founder, Ng Mui.
In the 1950s, Cheung was responsible for introducing Bruce Lee to Yip Man. Because of their close friendship, Cheung was personally appointed to train Lee, passing on the high-speed techniques that would later revolutionize martial arts cinema. His mastery of the system is legendary; in 1984, he set a world record at Harvard University by clocking 8.3 punches per second.
Cheung’s expertise extends far beyond the training hall. He inherited over 500 ancient medical scrolls from Yip Man, which he synthesized into Dr. Cheung’s Meridian Therapy. This system—focused on pain control, stress reduction, and internal energy (Chi)—is now utilized by medical professionals worldwide. Whether training the U.S. Seventh Fleet in hand-to-hand combat or consulting on the fight choreography for The Matrix, Cheung’s focus remains on the marriage of physical efficiency and mental tranquility.
Now a "Black Belt Hall of Fame" inductee and a world-renowned author, Grandmaster Cheung continues to teach that martial arts is a philosophy for life. He has mentored many of today’s top masters—including Eric Oram, who trained Robert Downey Jr. for his role in Sherlock Holmes. Despite his international status, he remains a humble philosopher who believes in honesty, logic, and a simple guiding principle:
“You are not what you are, but what you do!”