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History - Lam, Yu Lan

During the Qing Dynasty nine Shaolin monks traveled to Hainan Island, off the southern most tip of China, when their southern Shaolin temple was burned down. Their arrival was seen as a threat to the Hainan people who, unsure if the monks were friendly or not, forced them off the island.

With nowhere else to go, the monks returned to the island, only to be forced off again. This happened several times. A number of small battles occurred, until finally the people of Hainan Island realized that the monks meant them no harm and only wanted to escape persecution from the Qing Dynasty. Subsequently, they allowed the monks to stay.

Once accepted, the monks began teaching the art of Shaolin kung fu to the local people, with the goal of one day sending their students back to the mainland to overturn the Qing Dynasty. In time, these monks produced many great martial artists. Some took their orders to go back to the mainland and help the Fu Ming associations continue the fight against the Manchurian government. Others stayed on Hainan Island, passing on Shaolin kung fu to their children and followers.

In 1860, the Hainan people decided to appoint four national leaders to be in charge of training. Each leader was responsible for one of four territories which were the northern, southern, eastern, and western sections of the island. To select these leaders, a martial arts skills competition was held. Our Great Grand Master Lam Yu Lan was one of the chosen, and became responsible for the eastern side of the island.

Training on the island continued until the early 1900s, when China was invaded by Japan. Worried that Japan would invade Hainan Island, Great Grand Master Lam Yu Lan took his children to the middle of Vietnam (present-day Hue). In Vietnam, he introduced classes and continued passing the art to his three sons and to new, local followers.

In 1935, Master Lam traveled further south in Vietnam to Cho-Lon. There, he met many friends from Hainan Island, so he decided to stay. Once settled, he continued teaching Shaolin kung fu to his children and Hainan Island people living in southern Vietnam.

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