Although the Wing Chun I study comes from Yip Man in his later years in Hong Kong, I have recently visited and trained at another club, who come from a very different lineage. They trace their lineage back to Lun Gai, the first student of Yip Man in Foshan, bafore he fled to Hong Kong.
The main differences I noticed was that they placed more emphasis on the physical side of training, for instance the warm up was much more intense, involving press ups and such. The Hong Kong style is much more yielding to force, whereas looking at the Foshan style you can see how a younger Yip Man would have practiced, putting much more emphasis on power and directness.
Also looking at the forms the first thing I noticed was that whereas in Hong Kong style we place most of the emphasis on correct angles and positions, their emphasis was placed on the development of power. Also their forms were more flowery, ours looks more refined.
Also I noticed that they placed more emphasis on footwork drills than we do, when we practice Chi Gurk it is a freeflowing exercise similar to Chi Sau, whereas they practiced set drills more akin to Dan Chi Sau/Lap Sau. Whereas we practice more Chi Sau and set drills to ensure correct positions, they seemed to practice more sparring and grappling type exercises. The Foshan style also used a lot of armlocks as well, which we do not.
So to conclude I feel that from attending this other class I feel it has given me a greater understanding of Wing Chun, enabling me to see how Yip Man progressed through his life. I would not like to say that either style is better, only that they both reflect different aspects of the art. It is evident how Yip Man liked to simplify things, as looking at the Foshan Wing Chun it is much more traditional, Hong Kong Wing Chun appears more practical and faster to learn. The Foshan Wing Chun however does seem to have a much larger syllabus, incorporating a larger variety of techniques and applications of things.
Saturday, 20 January 2007
Friday, 19 January 2007
What is Wing Chun
What is Wing Chun
Wing Chun is a type of Chinese martial art that dates back about 400 years. It is classified as a type of Kung Fu, which is a Cantonese term used to describe a skill aquired over a long period of time. This may refer to cooking, drawin, playing a musical intrument etc. So in China someone who has worked hard and has aquired a sufficient level of skill in something is said to have good Kung Fu. The term as understood in the west is almost always used to describe Chinese martial arts, which the correct term for this would actually be either Wu Shu (martial art) or Chuan Fa (fist skills).
Wing Chun translates as Everlasting/Beautiful Springtime. This denotes a thinking mans martial art and as we know Spring is a time of growth and development and so the name suggests that with Wing Chun we are always growing and developing, never stagnant and resting on our laurels. It was started by Ng Moi, a female Shaolin Nun who survived the destruction of the temple. When she fled she took refuge in a town in Canton province where she met a man called Yim Yee who had a daughter called Yim Wing Chun. Ng Moi had developed her Shaolin to a new level, no longer confined by the temple she was free to chip away at her system until she came to the roots of it and then built it back up, with none of the previous set routines and dead techniques in it. She worked from the fact that as a woman she was not physically strong and so had to use her structure and the opponents own force to defeat them. So she taught it to Yim Wing Chun, whos husband, Leung Bok Chau, named it after her when she died.
Through the generations it got passed on to a man named Leung Jan, who was a famous herbal doctor in the town of Faatsan (Foshan). He took the art to a new level and broke it down into three levels characterised by three set patterns known as Siu Lim Tao (way of little idea), Chum Kiu (searching for the bridge) and Biu Jee (thrusting fingers); and a set on the wooden dummy (Mook Yan Jong Fat), a training device simulating an opponent. He bacame very famous for his skill in challenge matches and passed his art on to his 2 sons, Leung Chun & Leung Bik and a disciple named Chan Wah Shun.
Chan Wah Shun was a very big man who was physically strong and his art reflected that. Not being educated he explained things in the common mans simplistic language. His most famous student was a young rich kid by the name of Yip Man.
Yip Man moved to Hong Kong to attend college there and 1 day saw a policeman beating up an old lady, he helped the lady and one of his friends knew an old man who was interested in seeing what Yip Man could do. So Yip Man went ot see the old man who looked at his Kung Fu and said it was crap. Yip Man was so angry he tried to defeat the old man and couldnt. He later found out the old man was none other than Leung Bik, son of his Sigung (teachers teacher), Leung Jan. So Leung Bik was much smaller and more educated than Chan Wah Shun and taught him a more advanced and refined version of the art.
Yip Man later moved back to Faatsan for many years until the Communists took over China and persectued the people.Yip Man fled like many others to Hong Kong as it was owned by the British at least their lives were safe. At first he didnt want to teach, but then necessity caused him to do it to make a living. Many of his students were parts of gangs and went out and tested their skills on the streets against all kinds of opponents. One of his students was Li Jun Fan who moved to America and became the movie star Bruce Lee.
When Yip Man died many people tried and still try to cash in on his legacy, using the fact they were trained by him to make money. Also Yip Man taught every student differently due to build, education, character etc so Wing Chun is now so diverse that everyone argues over who has the true Wing Chun.
I personally believe that what is more important is the experiences that each master through the generations has added to the core philosophies compiled by Ng Moi. So what we practice now will look different to how it was done before, and everyone will practice differently as they have different experiences governing their art.
Wing Chun is a type of Chinese martial art that dates back about 400 years. It is classified as a type of Kung Fu, which is a Cantonese term used to describe a skill aquired over a long period of time. This may refer to cooking, drawin, playing a musical intrument etc. So in China someone who has worked hard and has aquired a sufficient level of skill in something is said to have good Kung Fu. The term as understood in the west is almost always used to describe Chinese martial arts, which the correct term for this would actually be either Wu Shu (martial art) or Chuan Fa (fist skills).
Wing Chun translates as Everlasting/Beautiful Springtime. This denotes a thinking mans martial art and as we know Spring is a time of growth and development and so the name suggests that with Wing Chun we are always growing and developing, never stagnant and resting on our laurels. It was started by Ng Moi, a female Shaolin Nun who survived the destruction of the temple. When she fled she took refuge in a town in Canton province where she met a man called Yim Yee who had a daughter called Yim Wing Chun. Ng Moi had developed her Shaolin to a new level, no longer confined by the temple she was free to chip away at her system until she came to the roots of it and then built it back up, with none of the previous set routines and dead techniques in it. She worked from the fact that as a woman she was not physically strong and so had to use her structure and the opponents own force to defeat them. So she taught it to Yim Wing Chun, whos husband, Leung Bok Chau, named it after her when she died.
Through the generations it got passed on to a man named Leung Jan, who was a famous herbal doctor in the town of Faatsan (Foshan). He took the art to a new level and broke it down into three levels characterised by three set patterns known as Siu Lim Tao (way of little idea), Chum Kiu (searching for the bridge) and Biu Jee (thrusting fingers); and a set on the wooden dummy (Mook Yan Jong Fat), a training device simulating an opponent. He bacame very famous for his skill in challenge matches and passed his art on to his 2 sons, Leung Chun & Leung Bik and a disciple named Chan Wah Shun.
Chan Wah Shun was a very big man who was physically strong and his art reflected that. Not being educated he explained things in the common mans simplistic language. His most famous student was a young rich kid by the name of Yip Man.
Yip Man moved to Hong Kong to attend college there and 1 day saw a policeman beating up an old lady, he helped the lady and one of his friends knew an old man who was interested in seeing what Yip Man could do. So Yip Man went ot see the old man who looked at his Kung Fu and said it was crap. Yip Man was so angry he tried to defeat the old man and couldnt. He later found out the old man was none other than Leung Bik, son of his Sigung (teachers teacher), Leung Jan. So Leung Bik was much smaller and more educated than Chan Wah Shun and taught him a more advanced and refined version of the art.
Yip Man later moved back to Faatsan for many years until the Communists took over China and persectued the people.Yip Man fled like many others to Hong Kong as it was owned by the British at least their lives were safe. At first he didnt want to teach, but then necessity caused him to do it to make a living. Many of his students were parts of gangs and went out and tested their skills on the streets against all kinds of opponents. One of his students was Li Jun Fan who moved to America and became the movie star Bruce Lee.
When Yip Man died many people tried and still try to cash in on his legacy, using the fact they were trained by him to make money. Also Yip Man taught every student differently due to build, education, character etc so Wing Chun is now so diverse that everyone argues over who has the true Wing Chun.
I personally believe that what is more important is the experiences that each master through the generations has added to the core philosophies compiled by Ng Moi. So what we practice now will look different to how it was done before, and everyone will practice differently as they have different experiences governing their art.
Friday, 5 January 2007
The 4 Elements of Chi Sau:PERT
To help with our Chi Sau training and development we tend to break it down into 4 areas of training. These are not levels which you progress through, rather they are all inter-dependant of each other and are parts of a whole. So in order of being hardest to grasp they are:
Position refers not to hand positions, but your position in relation to your opponent, eg at 45*, square on, at the side etc. This is the hardest to grasp, but once understood you can see the different options from different angles. This is very important, because without an understanding of the various angles you can utilize, you will be merely crashing in down centre and probably onto the opponents flurry of attacks. In Wing Chun we make an effort to be on the "outside", which refers to the outside of the opponents body. This is important because from the outside we have covered both the opponents arms with our one. If we stop a punch on the inside then we still have to think about the other hand which could attack us. However sometimes we must go on the inside, in which case we should stay there as it is faster to counter immediately than to move to the outside, then counter.
Position refers not to hand positions, but your position in relation to your opponent, eg at 45*, square on, at the side etc. This is the hardest to grasp, but once understood you can see the different options from different angles. This is very important, because without an understanding of the various angles you can utilize, you will be merely crashing in down centre and probably onto the opponents flurry of attacks. In Wing Chun we make an effort to be on the "outside", which refers to the outside of the opponents body. This is important because from the outside we have covered both the opponents arms with our one. If we stop a punch on the inside then we still have to think about the other hand which could attack us. However sometimes we must go on the inside, in which case we should stay there as it is faster to counter immediately than to move to the outside, then counter.
Energy refers to your Chi and how well you can focus it. Now this may sound a bit esoteric for some, but it is not. Chi in Chinese can be translated as several things: air, breath, energy, force, the cosmos etc. So what we are refering to here is the cultivation of correct usage of force or energy. This is developed through several means: practicing Siu Lim Tao slowly, repeatedly practicing basics, weapons and of course Chi Sau. In Chi Sau you should use energy only when needed, or you will become tense and lose the point of training. You should never meet force with resistance, but rather by yielding to it and redirecting it away. This is why a good Wing Chun person should feel soft and hard to grasp hold of, yet immensely powerful when required in Chi Sau.
Reaction is trained through Chi Sau and through various drills. In Chi Sau we train our sensitivity to touch, so that once we have got the first contact, then we can react much faster than if we rely on sight, in which case our brain must analyise the data and then react ot it. Eventually it will appear that your reations are so fast it will seem almost telepathic. This is not true, it is only because as Bruce Lee said "from your thought to your fist how much time is lost!!" What he means here is that when you decide to attack you have to think and then do it, by which time your Chi Sau partner will have already reacted because he did it out of instinct by training it over and over again. So that is why in Chi Sau we should think defensively so that we dont just charge in blindly, instead we just feel the partners movement and when a gap appears we intinctively strike through it. There is a saying in Wing Chun that goes "receive what comes, follow what goes, when the hand is free, thrust forward" or as Bruce Lee said in Enter the Dragon "When my opponent expands, I contract, when he contracts, I expand, and when there is an opportunity I do not hit, 'it' hits all by itself".
Technique is the only one that can be shown, the rest come from practice and cannot be learnt by books or DVDs. Technique refers to the correct way hold your body. Body and arm structure are vitally important to receive and to give force. If our structures are weak, then we will literally collapse under pressure, also we cannot exert as much power oursleves. We always begin by learning the correct techniques and then correct energy will develop and the nwe can learn application, when position and reaction will come into play so that the four are united as a whole.
Wednesday, 6 December 2006
Yin & Yang and its relevance to Wing Chun
In Chinese philosophy Yin & Yang are two comlementary yet opposite forces which are manifest in all things. Yin may be understood as anything negative, passive, feminine, soft etc and Yang may be understood as anything positive, active, masculine, hard etc. The symbol for Yin & Yang is known as T'ai Chi (supreme ultimate) and represents the constant flow from one to the other.
The main difference between Western and Eastern philosophy is that in the West people view things as seperate and opposite. For instance light and dark are opposite. However in the East things are viewed differently. Everything is ultimately viewed as being a part of one whole which is referred to as Tao, which can be translated roughly as meaning Way, Essence, Path, Force etc. So the Chinese understand Yin and Yang being two complementary aspects of one whole. You cant have one without the other. For instance now it may be dark, but to understand darkness I must know what light is. So they are two different ways of describing the sky, which is one thing.
The main difference between Western and Eastern philosophy is that in the West people view things as seperate and opposite. For instance light and dark are opposite. However in the East things are viewed differently. Everything is ultimately viewed as being a part of one whole which is referred to as Tao, which can be translated roughly as meaning Way, Essence, Path, Force etc. So the Chinese understand Yin and Yang being two complementary aspects of one whole. You cant have one without the other. For instance now it may be dark, but to understand darkness I must know what light is. So they are two different ways of describing the sky, which is one thing.
So basically something cannot be pure Yin or Yang, it always contains elements of both. Also it must be understood that Yin & Yang are not static, like everything in existence they are impermanant and cannot be understood intellectually, only felt. For instance if I ride my bike I cannot pedal on both pedals at once, I must push one and release one, so I am using both Yin & Yang together to move.
So, how is this relevant to Wing Chun. Well, we all know that you cannot overcome strength with strength. So in Wing Chun we must be soft and compliment the opponents movement, so he leads to his own destruction. A perfect example of this would be a Lap Sau & punch. As the opponent punches towards me I grab his arm and pull it towards me, while turning and punching, so I am not opposing his force, only gently guiding it past me, then returnin it to him with my fist. This way I am using his own force against him. Also Yin & Yang are evident in every movement we make. We have 2 types of energy in Wing Chun, Gung Lik (hard, forward energy) & Sun Lik (soft, withdrawing energy). These are opposites, but complementary. We should never purely use one or the other, only combine them together. For instance, Bong Sau is a soft technique, but it moves forward before collapsing, so it contains elements of both. As you progress through your training you will discover how Yin & Yang interplay in every movement made, at first through Chi Sau, then through forms.
Saturday, 25 November 2006
The Secret Techniques of Biu Jee
Biu Jee is the final empty hand form taught in Wing Chun. Traditionally it was only taught to the most trusted students because the techniques taught at this level were so deadly that the master could not afford to have rival schools knowing about them. When the highest levels of Biu Jee are mastered the practitioner will have removed all his pressure points from his body and be able to kill an opponent with one touch.
BOLLOCKS. I hear all kinds of crap about what Biu Jee "actually" teaches, when in fact I believe all these people are doing is trying to make their school stand out to others. To the naive, inexperienced potential student, things like this are obviously going to attract them. Before I started I was nearly victim to these gimmicks. Fortunately I came across a good club, with an amazing Sifu who is so genuine that he doesnt need to use gimmicks to attract students.
So in a nutshell what does Biu Jee actually teach. Basically it is the last form, so at this level we should already be proficient. By now we should be able to apply the concepts and techniques to real situations and be able to react swiftly to an attack. However although we are competent we are by no means perfect, so we need an insurance policy. What do we do if we make a mistake? What happens if we are caught off guard? These are questions Biu Jee can answer for us. You may have noticed that in both Siu Lim Tao and Chun Kiu although we do begin to look at unfavourably situations, we are still using correct techniques, it is just that the mistake has arisen from not reacting fast enough to an attacker. But now Biu Jee teaches us what to do if our mistake is the result of a misake due to the opponent, for instance he may feint with his left and then hit with his right, but you have already begun to Bong the feint so by the time the actual punch gets close you are bonging with the wrong arm. Biu Jee also teaches us to regain our centreline when we have over committed.
Another thing Biu Jee does is help further develop energy. At Siu Lim Tao we learn how to build up energy, then release it. At Chum Kiu we learn how to coordinate the stance and arms to further release energy. Now at Biu Jee we learn how to focus the energy into our fingertips so that we can not only block, but strike with them. We also look at elbow strikes which are a technique only used in very close range (or the third gate, which i will discuss in another article). So we are now looking at focussing our energy into very specific parts of our body. This is because we have refined it so much through plenty of practise of basics and Siu Lim Tao.
So what does Biu jee mean anyway? Well it literally translates as "thrusting/darting fingers". This refers to the movement made many times during the form. Although I believe it has a deeper more philosophical meaning. Traditionally it was called the "Moon Pointing Finger" form. This refers to a Zen saying "it's like a finger pointing away to the moon, dont concentrate on the finger, or you will miss all that heavenly glory". I think that this means that Biu Jee shows us that no technique is perfect or unstoppable. No matter how good we are, we still can make mistakes. So we should not concentrate on the finger, which is Wing Chuns techniques, but we should focus on the moon, which is the goal of martial art whatever it may be for you. At the end of the day the important point is not whether Bong Sau should be solid or floppy, but that we should find peace of mind through the practising of martial art.
So the reason why Biu Jee is a secret form is because not all students attained the level to learn it, or maybe that the master did not want rival styles thinking that Wing Chun had weaknesses because they misinterpretted the fact that the weakness is the practitioner, not the style.
BOLLOCKS. I hear all kinds of crap about what Biu Jee "actually" teaches, when in fact I believe all these people are doing is trying to make their school stand out to others. To the naive, inexperienced potential student, things like this are obviously going to attract them. Before I started I was nearly victim to these gimmicks. Fortunately I came across a good club, with an amazing Sifu who is so genuine that he doesnt need to use gimmicks to attract students.
So in a nutshell what does Biu Jee actually teach. Basically it is the last form, so at this level we should already be proficient. By now we should be able to apply the concepts and techniques to real situations and be able to react swiftly to an attack. However although we are competent we are by no means perfect, so we need an insurance policy. What do we do if we make a mistake? What happens if we are caught off guard? These are questions Biu Jee can answer for us. You may have noticed that in both Siu Lim Tao and Chun Kiu although we do begin to look at unfavourably situations, we are still using correct techniques, it is just that the mistake has arisen from not reacting fast enough to an attacker. But now Biu Jee teaches us what to do if our mistake is the result of a misake due to the opponent, for instance he may feint with his left and then hit with his right, but you have already begun to Bong the feint so by the time the actual punch gets close you are bonging with the wrong arm. Biu Jee also teaches us to regain our centreline when we have over committed.
Another thing Biu Jee does is help further develop energy. At Siu Lim Tao we learn how to build up energy, then release it. At Chum Kiu we learn how to coordinate the stance and arms to further release energy. Now at Biu Jee we learn how to focus the energy into our fingertips so that we can not only block, but strike with them. We also look at elbow strikes which are a technique only used in very close range (or the third gate, which i will discuss in another article). So we are now looking at focussing our energy into very specific parts of our body. This is because we have refined it so much through plenty of practise of basics and Siu Lim Tao.
So what does Biu jee mean anyway? Well it literally translates as "thrusting/darting fingers". This refers to the movement made many times during the form. Although I believe it has a deeper more philosophical meaning. Traditionally it was called the "Moon Pointing Finger" form. This refers to a Zen saying "it's like a finger pointing away to the moon, dont concentrate on the finger, or you will miss all that heavenly glory". I think that this means that Biu Jee shows us that no technique is perfect or unstoppable. No matter how good we are, we still can make mistakes. So we should not concentrate on the finger, which is Wing Chuns techniques, but we should focus on the moon, which is the goal of martial art whatever it may be for you. At the end of the day the important point is not whether Bong Sau should be solid or floppy, but that we should find peace of mind through the practising of martial art.
So the reason why Biu Jee is a secret form is because not all students attained the level to learn it, or maybe that the master did not want rival styles thinking that Wing Chun had weaknesses because they misinterpretted the fact that the weakness is the practitioner, not the style.
Sunday, 19 November 2006
Siu Lim Tao
Siu Lim Tao is the first of the three empty hand forms in Wing Chun. It translates as "Little idea form". There are several interpretations as to what this means. One which I like is that everything in Wing Chun can be found in Siu Lim Tao, all the basic hand positions and theories, so if you are ever stuck on something Siu Lim Tao can give you a little idea. Another obvious meaning is that because Siu Lim Tao is the basic form, at that level of training you will only have a "little idea" of the system. Another is that it translates as "little idea head" or "to have little thought in the head". This states that Siu Lim Tao should be used as a form of meditation which leads me on to explaining the first section.
The first section was traditionally called "Three Prayers to Buddha". This is because you perform 3 Fook Saus on each side. This section should be done as slowly as possible (Yip Man used to spend up to an hour performing it), I recommend somewhere between 10-30 minutes. This section trains correct elbow positioning and builds up the correct energy. By performing it slowly not only are we builing up our Chi, which has many health benefits, we are also training the correct pathway very precisely so that it is fully ingrained into the neurological pathways of our brain so we can perform very fast movements later on. After a few months of practising Siu Lim Tao you should begin to feel a tingling feeling in the hands while performing it. Later on this will spread and you will feel a warm feeling in the pit of your stomach (this is the Dan Tien, where the bodies Chi is stored).
The second section trains you how to correctly release energy by only tensing at the end of a technique. You may have noticed that the end of the first section and the beginning of the second section all teach us emergency techniques, this is because at this level you wont have fast enough reactions to stop an attacker at the first gate. We start with an inside Pak Sau and palm with same hand. Then we take it one step further imagining the opponent has got even closer and attempts to apply an arm lock on us, so we use the side Gum Sau. Again we take it even further imagining the opponent has got hold of us from behind so we must use a groin strike. After this we go on to learn the basic blocks performed with both hands to save time. These can be used in any order against any number of punches, but it is advisable to counter as soon as possible.
Section 3 teaches us how to put together basic blocks and counters. We start with Pak Sau and a palm. The application of this would be to turn with the Pak and then lap and palm. Then we do Tan Sau, low Garn Sau, scooping Tan Sau, Huen Sau, low palm. This shows us that with one turn we can block multiple attacks and that we can strike low. We then do Bong Sau, Tan Sau, palm. This shows us that it is more advisable to turn with each block and then to counter. We finish by learning how to get out of an arm pin and then oerform 3 punches.
This is only a basic analysis of Siu Lim Tao and these are only some basic applications, we could spend years pulling the form apart coming up with different explanations for each movement.
The first section was traditionally called "Three Prayers to Buddha". This is because you perform 3 Fook Saus on each side. This section should be done as slowly as possible (Yip Man used to spend up to an hour performing it), I recommend somewhere between 10-30 minutes. This section trains correct elbow positioning and builds up the correct energy. By performing it slowly not only are we builing up our Chi, which has many health benefits, we are also training the correct pathway very precisely so that it is fully ingrained into the neurological pathways of our brain so we can perform very fast movements later on. After a few months of practising Siu Lim Tao you should begin to feel a tingling feeling in the hands while performing it. Later on this will spread and you will feel a warm feeling in the pit of your stomach (this is the Dan Tien, where the bodies Chi is stored).
The second section trains you how to correctly release energy by only tensing at the end of a technique. You may have noticed that the end of the first section and the beginning of the second section all teach us emergency techniques, this is because at this level you wont have fast enough reactions to stop an attacker at the first gate. We start with an inside Pak Sau and palm with same hand. Then we take it one step further imagining the opponent has got even closer and attempts to apply an arm lock on us, so we use the side Gum Sau. Again we take it even further imagining the opponent has got hold of us from behind so we must use a groin strike. After this we go on to learn the basic blocks performed with both hands to save time. These can be used in any order against any number of punches, but it is advisable to counter as soon as possible.
Section 3 teaches us how to put together basic blocks and counters. We start with Pak Sau and a palm. The application of this would be to turn with the Pak and then lap and palm. Then we do Tan Sau, low Garn Sau, scooping Tan Sau, Huen Sau, low palm. This shows us that with one turn we can block multiple attacks and that we can strike low. We then do Bong Sau, Tan Sau, palm. This shows us that it is more advisable to turn with each block and then to counter. We finish by learning how to get out of an arm pin and then oerform 3 punches.
This is only a basic analysis of Siu Lim Tao and these are only some basic applications, we could spend years pulling the form apart coming up with different explanations for each movement.
The History of Wing Chun, written by Grandmaster Yip Man
This text was written by Yip Man prior to starting the Wing Chun Fellowship, which he renamed the Wing Chun Athletic Association, which still runs in Hong Kong today.
The founder of the Wing Chun Kung Fu system, Miss Yim Wing Chun was a native of Canton China. As a young girl she was intelligent and athletic, upstanding and manly. She was netrothed to Leung Bok Chao, a salt merchant from Fujien. Soon after that her mother died. Her father, Yim Yee, was wrongfully accused of a crime, and nearly went to jail. So the family moved far away, and finally settled down at the foot of Tai Leung mountain at the Yunnan-Szechuan border. All this happened during the reign of Emperor K'ang-Hsi (1662-1722).
At the time Kung Fu was becoming very strong at the Siu Lam (Shaolin) monastery or Mount Sung, Henan. This aroused the fear of the Manchu government, which sent troops to attack the monastery. They were unsuccessful. A man called Chan Wan Wai was the first placed graduate of the Civil Service examination that year. He was seeking favour with the government, and suggested a plan. He plotted with Siu Lam monk Ma Ning Yee and others.They set fire to the monastery while soldiers attacke from the outside. Siu Lam was burnt down, and the monks scattered. Buddhist Abbess Ng Mui, Abbot Chi Sim, Abbot Pak Mei, Master Fung To Tak and Master Mui Hin escaped and fled their seperate ways.
Ng Mui took refuge in White Crane Temple on Mount Tai Leung. There she came to know Yim Yee and his daughter Yim Wing Chun. She bought bean curds at their store. They became friends.
Wing Chun was a young woman then, and her beauty attracted the attention of a local bully. He tried to force Wing Chun to marry him. She and her father were very worried. Ng Mui learned of this and took pity on Wing Chun. She agreed to teach Wing Chun fighting techniques so that she could protect herself. Then she would be able to solve the problem with the bully, and marry Leung Bok Chau, her betrothed husband. So Wing Chun followed Ng Mui into the mountains, and started to learn Kung Fu. She trained night and day and mastered the techniques. Then she challenged the local bully to a fight and beat him. Ng Mui set off to travel around the country, but before she left, she told Wing Chun to strictly honour the Kung Fu traditions, to develop her Kung Fu after her marriage, and to help the people working to overthrow the Manchu govenrment and restore the Ming Dynasty. This is how Wing Chun was handed down by Abbess Ng Mui.
After the marriage, Wing Chun taught her Kung Fu to her husband Leung Bok Chau, and he passed his Kung Fu techniques on to Leung Lan Kwai. Leung Lan Kwai passed it on to Wong Wah Bo. Wong Wah Bo was a member of an opera troupe on board a junk, known to the Chinese as the Red Junk. Wong worked on the Red Junk with Leung Yee Tai. It so happened that Abbot Chi Sim, who fled from Siu Lam, had disguised himself as a cook and was now working on the Red Junk. Chi Sim taught the 6 & 1/2 point long pole techniques to Leung Yee Tai. Wong Wah Bo was close to Leung Yee Tai and they shared what they knew about Kung Fu. Together they correlated and improved their techniques, and thus the 6 & 1/2 point long pole techniques were incorporated into Wing Chun Kung Fu.
Leung Yee Tai passed the Kung Fu onto Leung Jan, a well known herbal doctor from Foshan. Leung Jan grasped the innermost secrets of Wing Chun, and attained the highest level of proficiency. Many Kung Fu masters cam to challenge him, but all were defeated. Leung Jan became very famous. Later, he passed his Kung Fu onto Chan Wah Shun, who took me as his student many decades ago. I studied Kung Fu alongside my Kung Fu Brothers such as Ng Siu Lo, Ng Chung So, Chan Yu Min and Lui Yu Jai. Wing Chun was thus passed down to us, and we are eternally grateful to our Kung Fu ancestors and teachers. We will always remember and appreciate our roots , and this shared feeling will always keep our Kung Fu brothers close together. This is why I am organising the Wing Chun Fellowship, and I hope my Kung Fu brothers will support me in this. This will be very important in the promotion of Kung Fu.
The founder of the Wing Chun Kung Fu system, Miss Yim Wing Chun was a native of Canton China. As a young girl she was intelligent and athletic, upstanding and manly. She was netrothed to Leung Bok Chao, a salt merchant from Fujien. Soon after that her mother died. Her father, Yim Yee, was wrongfully accused of a crime, and nearly went to jail. So the family moved far away, and finally settled down at the foot of Tai Leung mountain at the Yunnan-Szechuan border. All this happened during the reign of Emperor K'ang-Hsi (1662-1722).
At the time Kung Fu was becoming very strong at the Siu Lam (Shaolin) monastery or Mount Sung, Henan. This aroused the fear of the Manchu government, which sent troops to attack the monastery. They were unsuccessful. A man called Chan Wan Wai was the first placed graduate of the Civil Service examination that year. He was seeking favour with the government, and suggested a plan. He plotted with Siu Lam monk Ma Ning Yee and others.They set fire to the monastery while soldiers attacke from the outside. Siu Lam was burnt down, and the monks scattered. Buddhist Abbess Ng Mui, Abbot Chi Sim, Abbot Pak Mei, Master Fung To Tak and Master Mui Hin escaped and fled their seperate ways.
Ng Mui took refuge in White Crane Temple on Mount Tai Leung. There she came to know Yim Yee and his daughter Yim Wing Chun. She bought bean curds at their store. They became friends.
Wing Chun was a young woman then, and her beauty attracted the attention of a local bully. He tried to force Wing Chun to marry him. She and her father were very worried. Ng Mui learned of this and took pity on Wing Chun. She agreed to teach Wing Chun fighting techniques so that she could protect herself. Then she would be able to solve the problem with the bully, and marry Leung Bok Chau, her betrothed husband. So Wing Chun followed Ng Mui into the mountains, and started to learn Kung Fu. She trained night and day and mastered the techniques. Then she challenged the local bully to a fight and beat him. Ng Mui set off to travel around the country, but before she left, she told Wing Chun to strictly honour the Kung Fu traditions, to develop her Kung Fu after her marriage, and to help the people working to overthrow the Manchu govenrment and restore the Ming Dynasty. This is how Wing Chun was handed down by Abbess Ng Mui.
After the marriage, Wing Chun taught her Kung Fu to her husband Leung Bok Chau, and he passed his Kung Fu techniques on to Leung Lan Kwai. Leung Lan Kwai passed it on to Wong Wah Bo. Wong Wah Bo was a member of an opera troupe on board a junk, known to the Chinese as the Red Junk. Wong worked on the Red Junk with Leung Yee Tai. It so happened that Abbot Chi Sim, who fled from Siu Lam, had disguised himself as a cook and was now working on the Red Junk. Chi Sim taught the 6 & 1/2 point long pole techniques to Leung Yee Tai. Wong Wah Bo was close to Leung Yee Tai and they shared what they knew about Kung Fu. Together they correlated and improved their techniques, and thus the 6 & 1/2 point long pole techniques were incorporated into Wing Chun Kung Fu.
Leung Yee Tai passed the Kung Fu onto Leung Jan, a well known herbal doctor from Foshan. Leung Jan grasped the innermost secrets of Wing Chun, and attained the highest level of proficiency. Many Kung Fu masters cam to challenge him, but all were defeated. Leung Jan became very famous. Later, he passed his Kung Fu onto Chan Wah Shun, who took me as his student many decades ago. I studied Kung Fu alongside my Kung Fu Brothers such as Ng Siu Lo, Ng Chung So, Chan Yu Min and Lui Yu Jai. Wing Chun was thus passed down to us, and we are eternally grateful to our Kung Fu ancestors and teachers. We will always remember and appreciate our roots , and this shared feeling will always keep our Kung Fu brothers close together. This is why I am organising the Wing Chun Fellowship, and I hope my Kung Fu brothers will support me in this. This will be very important in the promotion of Kung Fu.
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