Moy Yat (Moy Yit-Kai) was born in 1938 in Toi Shan, the province of Canton. In 1953, his family moved to Hong Kong where he had the good fortune to study Ving Tsun Kung Fu under Yip Man. He was a very close follower of the venerable teacher, being a frequent companion as well as a dedicated student.

For fifteen years, Moy Yat kept a close relationship with Yip Man, living the ‘Kung Fu Life’. It was at this time that he learned from Yip Man the principles and deeper aspects of Ving Tsun. Never far from Yip Man’s side, Grandmaster Moy Yat eventually developed into one of his top disciples.

Left: Sigung Moy Yat;
Above: Sigung Moy Yat (far left),
Si Tai Gung Ip Man (center)

Moy Yat and his family immigrated to the United States in 1973 where he joined his brother Yit-Dean Moy in New York. At twenty-four, Moy Yat became the youngest Ving Tsun Sifu. It was in Brooklyn where the seed of the Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu family was planted. Moy Yat quickly developed a loyal following of students, many of whom had sought him out to learn authentic kung fu. His students number in the thousands and a good many of the well known Ving Tsun Masters were once his students. Master Moy resided in the New York City area and taught regularly in his Chinatown school. He also visited his branch schools scattered throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Just as Yip Man had done in Hong Kong, Grandmaster Moy Yat followed his Sifu’s example and utilized the same method to teach his own students. He instilled upon his students the importance of ‘Kung Fu Life’—the use of Ving Tsun principles in everyday life. He always said that Ving Tsun Kung Fu can best be learned outside the classroom. This is how Ving Tsun, as taught by Yip Man, is learned. Grandmaster Moy Yat lived his life very much in this way, spending his time living and teaching Ving Tsun through "Kung Fu Life."

Kung Fu is not the only art Si-Gung Moy had mastered. He was a dynamic and versatile artist. His works have been exhibited in England, Hong Kong, Australia, and Canada as well as in America. He was also one of the foremost seal-makers in the world, and was a consultant to both The Academy of Chinese Arts and The Museum of Natural History. His latest works were the Blush Strokes. Their ingenious, simplistic abstractions are extremely fluid and subtle. A master with the brush, he made a profound impact on contemporary America.

Grandmaster Moy Yat retired from teaching physical Kung Fu on his sixtieth birthday, but continued to teach the principles of Kung Fu as well as art and massage. His son, William, now teaches at both the Chinatown School and at the Bayside, Queens School with Sifu Mickey Chan. The Moy Yat Kung Fu family is quite extensive, with students throughout the world spreading the art of Ving Tsun. Moy Yat’s disciples are teaching Ving Tsun in their own schools throughout the United States and around the world with schools as far reaching as Canada, Brazil and Mexico.

Grand Master Moy Yat died peacefully at his home in Queens, NY on Tuesday morning, January 23rd, 2001, of natural causes. Over 1,500 people from all over the world came to pay their last respects on Saturday, February 3rd at the Chinese Cheung Sang Funeral Home in Manhattan's Chinatown, NY. He was laid to rest the next morning at the Kensico Cemetery in the town of Valhalla, NY. Hundreds of brave mourners endured the sub-freezing temperatures for the graveside service.