Remembering Sigung Lam Sang
September marked the 65th Anniversary of the opening of Sigung Lam Sang’s martial arts school in New York City Chinatown. Born in 1911 at the end of the Qing Dynasty, Lam Sang was a Monk in the Bamboo Forrest Temple. After having helped establish temples in both Hong Kong and Macau, he was forced to flee due to the Japanese invasion of Southern China and the looming specter of War in the Pacific. Lam Sang eventually made his way to NYC Chinatown. Having spent his entire life as a Monk, he made his living teaching martial arts and working as a traditional healer in the closed community that was Chinatown. The Kwangsai Jook Lum Gee Tang Lang Pai (Jiangxi Province Bamboo Forrest Temple Southern Praying Mantis) became one of the largest schools of martial arts in Chinatown.
William Lewitt and his teacher Sifu Donald Wong, one of Lam Sangs last five Disciples, were invited to NYC Chinatown to perform in front of over 500 people at the anniversary banquet. Hosted by Grandmaster Norman Chin, the banquet honored the memory of Sigung Lam Sang. Many of his oldest students were also in attendance, some of whom are now in their 80’s and 90’s.
In 2016, William Lewitt was named as a formal disciple by his teacher, Sifu Donald Wong, making him a 5th generation lineage holder of the Bamboo Forrest Temple arts. He continues to study and teach in Boston Chinatown, carrying Sigung Lam Sang’s tradition of martial arts and healing forward to another generation.
