History of Wing Chun / Ving Tsun
The history of Wing Chun is very much still uncertain even to this day, mostly because of lack of record. Though there are many versions of the actual story I have decided to tell the most popular one. In the late 1600 and early 1700 Kung fu was very popular in the shoalin (Sui lum) Temple. The monks of the monastery which lied in Honan province, China, practiced the kung fu movements to train their bodies to withstand long periods of deep meditation. At that time the China was ruled in the north by the Manchurian government. The Government became very insecure with how skillful the monks of Shaolin were becoming, it believed the monks were training some type of military army. The government eventually gave in to its suspicion and insecurity and sent in its own army to attack the temple, unsuccessfully at first. However the government was able to corrupt one of the temple’s monks Ma Ning Yee who set fire to the temple while Manchurian troops attacked from the outside. Many of the monks and disciples were killed; however some managed to escape.
Among the survivors was the only nun to escape, a high skilled martial artist named Ng Mui. She made her way down to South West China and to the White Crane Temple and settled on Mt. Tai Leung. It is said that one evening Ng Mui observed a cat and a crane in battle; every time the fierce cat pounced to attack the crane it was unsuccessful in connecting an attack. Eventually the cat grew tired and ran away, the crane remained. Ng Mui observed that the crane was very relaxed and calm, during the fight the crane used little energy to defeat the wild cat. Ng Mui pondered her observations and slowly began to develop and alter her martial art skill into something new.
While Ng Mui was up on the mountains were she spent most of her time gathering herbs and plants for herbal medicine, she had met a Cantonese Man named Yim Yee. Yim Yee also had a beautiful teenage daughter named Yim Wing Chun; Wing Chun’s mother had died shortly after her birth. Yim Yee had been accused of a crime he had not committed; he and her daughter had escaped to the mountain and lived by selling bean curd in a small store. At the time of their initial greetings, Yim Wing Chun was being harassed by a local gang’s leader, who wanted to marry her. Wing Chun was already set and engaged to another man who she loved very much named, Leung Bok Chau. Ng Mui had taken a liking to Wing Chun and decided to teach her Kung Fu to protect herself. Ng Mui advised Wing Chun to tell the gang leader that she would need one year to prepare for the wedding. During that year, Ng Mui taught Wing Chun all the refined techniques that she had learned since watching the crane. After a year of hard work and study Ng Mui observed that Wing Chun had gained enough skill to beat the gang leader, and sent her back to her father. Before she left Ng Mui advised Wing Chun that even after her marriage she should continue to practice and refine her Kung Fu and to train others, in hopes that they would one day grow strong enough to overthrow the Manchurian Government. It is said that when Wing Chun asked Ng Mui what style she had just learned Ng Mui replied; name it after yourself, hence why today the style is called Wing Chun Kuen.
When Wing Chun had returned to home to her father, she found that the gang had came to discuss the wedding, Wing Chun’s father proposed a deal, if the gang leader could defeat Wing Chun in a fight, then she would be allowed to marry her. The gang leader laughed at this proposal but accepted anyways thinking he would obtain fame as well as a bride, but on the day of the fight the gang leader and the gang were defeated by Wing Chun and ran away. Wing Chun was free to marry the one she loved Leung Bok Chau.
Wing Chun continued her Kung Fu after her marriage and passed her skill onto her husband Leung Bok Chau, he in turn passed his skills of Wing Chun to a merchant named Leung Lan Kwai. Leung Lan Kwai had passed his skill to a man named Wong Wah Bo, Wong Wah Bo was part of an opera troupe traveling China called the Red Boat. Wong Wah Bo worked with a college on the boat named Leung Yee Tei that was very skilled in a pole technique called six-and-a-half-point long pole from which he had learned from the Red Boats cook. Ironically enough the cook had been Abbot Chin Shin one of the Monks that had escaped the attack with Ng Mui, he had disguised himself as a cook and went to work with Red Boat. Wong Wah Bo and Leung Yee Tei exchanged knowledge, and the six-and-a-half-point long pole technique eventually became part of the Wing Chun system. At one point the Red Boat had traveled to Fat Shan. There Leung Yee Tei met a very well educated Herbal Doctor named Leung Jan. Leung Yee Tei passed his skills onto Leung Jan. Being a very well educated man Leung Jan was able to grasps the soul of Wing Chun, he himself was most proficient with the system. Leung Jan passed his skills onto his son Leung Bak and a neighbor of his that always watched them train named Chan Wah Shun. He in turn passed his skills onto many students, the most known being Grandmaster Yip Man
Among the survivors was the only nun to escape, a high skilled martial artist named Ng Mui. She made her way down to South West China and to the White Crane Temple and settled on Mt. Tai Leung. It is said that one evening Ng Mui observed a cat and a crane in battle; every time the fierce cat pounced to attack the crane it was unsuccessful in connecting an attack. Eventually the cat grew tired and ran away, the crane remained. Ng Mui observed that the crane was very relaxed and calm, during the fight the crane used little energy to defeat the wild cat. Ng Mui pondered her observations and slowly began to develop and alter her martial art skill into something new.
While Ng Mui was up on the mountains were she spent most of her time gathering herbs and plants for herbal medicine, she had met a Cantonese Man named Yim Yee. Yim Yee also had a beautiful teenage daughter named Yim Wing Chun; Wing Chun’s mother had died shortly after her birth. Yim Yee had been accused of a crime he had not committed; he and her daughter had escaped to the mountain and lived by selling bean curd in a small store. At the time of their initial greetings, Yim Wing Chun was being harassed by a local gang’s leader, who wanted to marry her. Wing Chun was already set and engaged to another man who she loved very much named, Leung Bok Chau. Ng Mui had taken a liking to Wing Chun and decided to teach her Kung Fu to protect herself. Ng Mui advised Wing Chun to tell the gang leader that she would need one year to prepare for the wedding. During that year, Ng Mui taught Wing Chun all the refined techniques that she had learned since watching the crane. After a year of hard work and study Ng Mui observed that Wing Chun had gained enough skill to beat the gang leader, and sent her back to her father. Before she left Ng Mui advised Wing Chun that even after her marriage she should continue to practice and refine her Kung Fu and to train others, in hopes that they would one day grow strong enough to overthrow the Manchurian Government. It is said that when Wing Chun asked Ng Mui what style she had just learned Ng Mui replied; name it after yourself, hence why today the style is called Wing Chun Kuen.
When Wing Chun had returned to home to her father, she found that the gang had came to discuss the wedding, Wing Chun’s father proposed a deal, if the gang leader could defeat Wing Chun in a fight, then she would be allowed to marry her. The gang leader laughed at this proposal but accepted anyways thinking he would obtain fame as well as a bride, but on the day of the fight the gang leader and the gang were defeated by Wing Chun and ran away. Wing Chun was free to marry the one she loved Leung Bok Chau.
Wing Chun continued her Kung Fu after her marriage and passed her skill onto her husband Leung Bok Chau, he in turn passed his skills of Wing Chun to a merchant named Leung Lan Kwai. Leung Lan Kwai had passed his skill to a man named Wong Wah Bo, Wong Wah Bo was part of an opera troupe traveling China called the Red Boat. Wong Wah Bo worked with a college on the boat named Leung Yee Tei that was very skilled in a pole technique called six-and-a-half-point long pole from which he had learned from the Red Boats cook. Ironically enough the cook had been Abbot Chin Shin one of the Monks that had escaped the attack with Ng Mui, he had disguised himself as a cook and went to work with Red Boat. Wong Wah Bo and Leung Yee Tei exchanged knowledge, and the six-and-a-half-point long pole technique eventually became part of the Wing Chun system. At one point the Red Boat had traveled to Fat Shan. There Leung Yee Tei met a very well educated Herbal Doctor named Leung Jan. Leung Yee Tei passed his skills onto Leung Jan. Being a very well educated man Leung Jan was able to grasps the soul of Wing Chun, he himself was most proficient with the system. Leung Jan passed his skills onto his son Leung Bak and a neighbor of his that always watched them train named Chan Wah Shun. He in turn passed his skills onto many students, the most known being Grandmaster Yip Man