Charles and Lee-Lee Chan

His father, Fang Zhengwen (Mandarin Pinyin), taught him martial arts at a very young age, and when he was 16, he learned the Xiahong boxing style from Master Zhang in Shanghai finishing when he was 19. Master Zhang's wife was primarily responsible for training Charles in this style of martial arts and according to Charles, she was exceptionally agile and could kick very high even though her feet were bound.

According to the film documentary, the reason he was sent to Shanghai was because Charles did not finish primary school. His father claimed he was too unruly in class and that he should learn a trade through an apprenticeship. He was sent to his father's friend in Shanghai and became an apprentice at a drapery factory and finished his apprenticeship at the age of 20.

According to Charles' father, he still needed discipline when Charles returned to Nanjing at the age of 20. His grandfather was a good friend of Chinese National Revolutionary Army General Ku Chu-tung (Gu Zhutong, Chinese: 顧祝同) and after displaying his martial arts skills, Charles became General Gu's orderly which was similar to being a personal guard according to Charles. General Gu later became Chief of Staff to General Chiang Kai-Shek. Read Less