Chow Yam-nam (;; 19 June 193717 August 2013) was a Thai Taoist born in Pattaya to Chinese parents, better known publicly as Bak Lung-wong (), literally the White dragon king. His ancestry was from Chaozhou, Guangdong. He was known for his alleged ability to bless people into becoming highly successful celebrities in Hong Kong.
Career
Early years
Earlier in his life Chow was said to have worked in the electronics industries, fixing bikes and was even a street hawker at one time. At the age of 13 he was said to have seen the spirit of a white dragon king next to the Universal Lord of the Way (). But he only became known as a trustee of the dragon king spirit when he was more than 40 years old. Some time in the 1980s he was supposed to receive the white dragon enlightenment from the Universal lord and earned the Interactions Between Heaven and Mankind (). He took the name Bak Lung-wong, literally the white dragon king. Since then he has been known as a "living saint". He did learn about Xuanxue but have admitted to have learned the art more from practicing and watching others. In the 1990s Bak Lung-wong received a donation which allowed him to build the Bak Lung-wong temple.
Blessings
A number of Hong Kong actors and actresses are thought to have become successful celebrities through his blessings. Some of the people to have come in contact with him include Natalis Chan, Cecilia Wong Hang-sau (), Andy Lau, Leon Lai, Jackie Chan, Carina Lau, Wong Jing, Tony Leung, Richie Ren, Shu Qi, Eric Tsang, Sammi Cheng, Miriam Yeung, Show Lo, Albert Yeung, Peter Lam and many more. Even Edison Chen looked for help from Bak Lung-wong after the 2008 photo scandal.
It is believed the Canto-pop connection was established by Keeree Kanjanapas who introduced Chow to many influential people from Hong Kong.
The film Infernal Affairs was blessed by him. Before its launch the film was actually called (), but was renamed to () to become a successful film.
Illness
In 2010 he was diagnosed with a serious case of influenza-related pneumonia. He was hospitalized at a facility in Bangkok. He has since died from his illness.