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Practitioners of this direct, aggressive self-defense
style waste no time in getting to the point- short, straight strikes right to
the centerline of their body.
Wing Chun kung fu, the only system believed to have been
founded by a woman, is an aggressive style that is used strictly for
self-defense.
The legend relates that a girl named Yim Wing Chun desired
to learn martial arts at the Shaolin temple. She caught the attention of a
Shaolin nun named Ng Mui, who was an accomplished martial artist. So impressed
was Ng Mui with Yim Wing Chun's ability and desire, that she offered to teach
Shaolin martial arts to her. The Kung fu that Yim Wing Chun learned consisted
of only three forms, instead of the ten or more taught in other Shaolin
systems. Her Kung fu was also used only for self-defense and lacked the fancy
sets that other styles used to entice potential martial artists into the kung
fu systems. Yim Wing Chun's style consisted of short direct movements designed
to eliminate any wasted energy and to encourage speed in the counterattacks. It
also included training with wooden dummies and chi sao (sticky hand)
techniques.
There are several different types of wing chun within the
system. The most popular and common style seen today is the 'slant body' form
practiced by Bruce Lee and his famous sifu Yip Man, who was considered the
grandmaster of modern wing chun. There also exists a type called 'side body'
wing chun originated by sifu Fong Sun, and pao fa lein wing chun founded by Liu
Ta0Sheng.
While Yip Man's wing chun contains only three hand forms
and one wooden dummy set, the pao fa lein style consists of ten hand forms and
four wooden dummy forms.
A highly aggressive art, wing chun concentrates on
centerline attacks, using no wasted effort. Blocks are used to redirect the
opponent's strike so that the wing chun practitioner can counterattack with
wither his blocking hand or the other hand, in a very close-in position. Since
the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, there are no
circular movements to be seen in most wing chun styles. (An exception is based
upon short fluid circular movements).
Attacking-hand movements in the wing chun system are of
the short one-inch punch type made famous by the late Bruce Lee and are all
delivered along the centerline of the opponent's body. There are also many
knee, elbow and finger attacks. Sixty per cent of attacking techniques are hand
techniques and the other 40 per cent is comprised of short low kicks. Hand and
foot techniques are delivered simultaneously in the wing chun system. All wing
chun techniques are perfected on the wing chun dummy (mook jong). This dummy
consists of two arms and a midsection projection from practicing hand
techniques and a leg against which the eight types of quick low kicks are
practiced.
The wooden dummy allows the wing chun student the
opportunity to use his full force and power, while at the same time toughening
the bones and muscles in his arms and legs. Wing chun uses the dummy more than
other kung fu systems.
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Chi sao (sticky hands) is a unique training feature of
the wing chun system. In chi sao practice two wing chun practitioner's face
each other and move their wrists and forearms against each other's wrists and
forearms in small circles. The sensitivity developed in the wrists and forearms
by this practice allows the wing chun stylist to predict the opponent's next
move. He is also so close in to his opponent that he can use his chi sao
technique to counter and attack instantly. The practitioner uses the short
quick movements of chi sao to his best advantage striking before his opponent
realizes where the attack is coming from.
Wing chun kung fu contains few weapons. The most famous
weapons of its arsenal are the staff and the butterfly knives. The pao fa lein
wing chun style, however, contains many more weapons. The broadsword, butterfly
knives, trident, and staff are just a few of the weapons available in pao fa
lein wing chun.
AN
ALTERNATIVE HISTORY OF WING CHUN
Ever since Wing Chun was introduced to the general public
by Yip Man and then later popularised by the international fame of Bruce Lee,
Wing Chun has been spread around the world. Much of the history of Wing Chun is
shrouded in myths of legendary characters that emerged some time after the
burning of the Southern Shaolin temple in
This History is about another courageous Wing Chun family
that has stepped forth to share its history and legends with the
For many generations of Wing Chun practitioners, fabled
stories of a young woman named Ving Tsun have grown to take the mantle of being
called the "origins" of Wing Chun without knowing that there were
other histories that were passed down through other Wing Chun lineages. One
lineage that was concealed throughout the decades due to the political climate
of
According to Hung Fa Yi Kuen traditions, the history of
Wing Chun begins in the Shaolin temple with the culmination of hundreds of
years of martial arts experience. The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) saw a blossoming
of Shaolin martial arts as never before.
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Almost all the residents of Shaolin took up wushu and a
powerful detachment of several hundred warrior-monks was organised. The Ming
government treasured the warrior-monks, sending them on expeditions to border
areas. After the Manchurians conquered
The conquest of
The Hung Fa Yi Kuen ancestors claim there were two
significant people who set the stage for Wing Chun and many other Chinese
martial art styles to flourish. The first significant person was a Buddhist
monk from
Also during this time, Cheng Sing Kung, one of the last
surviving Ming generals, fled to the
Early in the 1700's during the reign of Emperor K'ang His
(1662-1723), the Manchurians became concerned about the
Under the decision to eliminate the threat of these
rebels and their rebel leaders, the Manchurians sought to exterminate the
Shaolin monks to prevent them from spreading their martial art skills and
rebellious activities. Eventually the Southern Shaolin Temple was burnt and destroyed.
The
This martial art system later became known as Wing Chun
Tong- (Everlasting Spring Hall) in the
After the destruction of the
During that time it was strictly forbidden to teach or
reveal the art to anyone who did not belong to the secret societies or were
non-Han. Because of this reason, Wing Chun took on a mysterious persona. Many
years later, a famous novel writer wrote a martial art fiction titled 10,000
Year Ching. In the novel, it talks about Ng Mui, Chee Sim, Hung Hei Goon, and
Fung Sai Yuk. Many fairy tales and stories about Hung Kuen and Wing Chun were
based on this novel. With each telling of the story from the novel,
embellishments and exaggerations were added until the story reached the level
of a fairy tale. Due to the nature of secret societies, these fictional stories
and legends came to be the accepted truth as to the creation of Wing Chun.
After the destruction of Shaolin Temple, the connection
between Hung Fa Wui (Red Flower Society) and the Tien Dai Wui (Heaven and Earth
Society) was opened up to the ordinary people in the involvement of
overthrowing the Qing Dynasty. Their famous battle cry was, "Overthrow the
Qing and Restore the Ming." New secret societies emerged after the Hung Fu
Ting was destroyed. The three major secret societies that surfaced and gained
public attention were the Triads � Three Harmonies, the Gua Lo Wui-
Brotherhood, and the Dai Doe Wui- Big Sword Society
Of those who survived the Manchurian massacres, two
Shaolin disciples escaped and were able to keep the Wing Chun system alive. The
senior, a monk, was the twenty -second generation Shaolin Grandmaster, Yat Chum
Dai Si. The other, his disciple, Cheung Ng.
Not much is known about the history of Yat Chum Dai Si
besides the knowledge that he was originally a high level monk from Northern
Shaolin who later migrated to
After the destruction of the Southern Shaolin Temple,
Cheung Ng fled to
Government, Cheung Ng founded the Red Boat Opera Troupe
in Futsan. Know for its discipline and rules of conduct, the Red Boat Opera
Troupe was an organisation of talented stage performers who travelled in up and
down the rivers of
During his travels with the Red Boat Opera Troupe, Cheung
Ng soon became known as "Tan Sao Ng" because of his skillful usage of
the dispersing hand maneuver while he demonstrated his martial arts mastery to
subdue opponents during challenges. (Tan Tao means dispersing hand.) Although
the Hung Fa Wui (Red Flower Society) was destroyed, Tan Sao Ng continued his
mission to unite the people against the Manchurians to overthrow the Qing
Dynasty. He established the Hung Fa Wui Goon troop- Red Flower Union in memory
of the Hung Fa Wui (Red Flower Society) and the Hung Fa Ting, which was
destroyed as
The Hung Fa Wui Goon troop members had the perfect
disguise. As an Opera troop performer, Hung Fa Wui Goon members were able to
travel from place to place unquestioned by the authorities. By day, they would
perform operas and by night, they would gather with local underground
organisations to coordinate antigovernment activities. These were very
dangerous and turbulent times for anyone connected to Shaolin or any
underground society. If discovered as a member of any underground movement, the
Manchurians would immediately execute so keeping anonymity was very important.
Only select members of the Hung Fa Wui Goon troop were
taught by Tan Sao Ng which were the first generation disciples of Wing Chun of
the opera. Of those select students, few disciples were significant in the
contribution to Wing Chun's history: Hung Gun Biu (Red Bandana Biu), Wong Wah
Bo, Leung Yee Tei and Dai Fa Min Kam (painted Face Kam). It is at this time
that the art of Wing Chun continued to evolve, change, and adapt for several
reasons. First of all, not all the disciples of Cheung Ng were members of the
secret society. They did not receive the complete system due to the length of
time spent with Cheung Ng and his need to keep the style hidden. Second, the
Opera was a melting pot of both Northern and
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Eventually the Manchurians suspected the Red Boat Opera
Junks supporting Anti-Manchurian activities. They began hunting for
Anti-Manchurian collaborators. For Tan Tao Ng, it became very clear that it was
time to change his identity once more and retreat into the security of the
Secret Society underground. Wong Wah Bo and Leung Yee Tai continued performing
and were openly known for their Wing Chun skills. Dai Fa Min Kam left the opera
troupe some time later to teach Wing Chun privately. Hung Gun Biu, having been
a distant relative of Tan Sao Ng, retreated with Tan Sao Ng into the
underground. Hung Gun Biu continued being active in the Anti-Manchurian affairs
as well as receiving the full knowledge of Wing Chun by Tan Sao Ng taught to
him to its entirety and in full confidence. Hung Gun Biu's lineage followed a
tradition to pass down the complete system only to family members who took a
traditional ceremonial Shaolin vow of secrecy.
This lineage became known as Hung Suen (Red Boat) Wing
Chun to the public, but it was referred to as Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun to the
secret society. The name "Hung Fa Yi " was used in reverence, as was
the name the "Hung Fa Wui Goon" chosen by Tan Sao Ng, to remind the
Wing Chun descendants of the direct connection from the Hung Fa Ting and the
Hung Fa Wui than was established in Southern Shaolin.
A generation later, many of the Hung Gun Biu's Secret
Society descendants banded together in secret to fight for their country
against the eight foreign countries that had slowly exploited China during the
1800's and early 1900's They were the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, British,
Japanese, Russian, Germans and the Americans. Many of Hung Gun Biu's
descendants fought and died with dignity for their country during the Boxer
Rebellion.
Hung Gun Biu's lineage continued during the early 1800's
trough his relative Cheung Chung, who passed on his knowledge and experience to
his great nephew, Wang Ting. Wang taught his son, Dr Wang Ming of
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