History

What is Wing Chun kung fu?

Wing Chun (widely translated as 'beautiful springtime' or 'springtime song') is a Southern Chinese Martial Art, one of the branches of the generic term Kung Fu. Wing Chun is a direct, scientific and clinical style of fighting, in which the attacker is quickly overwhelmed by speed and power. Being a martial art, the fighting aspect is only one part of the whole system, and emphasis is also placed on relaxation and physical health, with Wing Chun practitioners continuing to practice well into old age. This relaxation and health is something which can benefit the practitioner everyday in today's stressful society. The confidence gained from ability is often enough to see the practitioner through conflict, but techniques can be applied in a real self defence situation safe in the knowledge that they work.

The three hand forms

Siu Lim Tao is Wing Chun's first form. Translated as 'Way of The little Idea', the practitioner uses the form to study and perfect certain Wing Chun techniques and principles. These include the centreline - the centre of the body which must be protected; elbow position; leg strengthening; basic techniques; use of energy (in the last few inches) and body limits. The form is learnt in the class and practiced at home, lasting anything from five to forty-five minutes, with about twenty minutes being the generally accepted time limit.

Chum Kiu ('Seeking the Bridge') is Wing Chun's second form and introduces the practitioner to stepping, turning and moving the body in the correct way to face different directions. It also contains some of the Wing Chun kicks, all of which are low for maximum effect and minimum risk.

Wing Chun's last hand form is called Biu Tze, literally translated as 'Shooting Fingers'. Traditionally a secret form only taught to close and loyal students, Biu Tze is the emergency form of Wing Chun, allowing the practitioner to view possible mistakes or wrong positions, and offers solutions to those problems. The third form also allows the practitioner to train his or her elbow strikes, a powerful close range weapon.

Following on from the three hand forms are the more advanced forms of Wing Chun - the Wooden Dummy, the Pole form and the Knife form. All these continue on from the hand forms and progress the training, through correct positioning and use of the weapons, more energy and strength is built up. The Wooden Dummy provides a useful 24hr training tool to use for positioning, footwork and training energy.

Chi Sau - the sticking hands of wing chun

Chi Sau, or 'Sticking Hands', is the backbone of Wing Chun and the training that bridges the forms and free-fighting. Rather than sparring, Chi Sau gives two practitioners the opportunity to test and explore each other's strengths and weaknesses, allowing a unique and unplanned learning process to take place. Chi Sau practice should be viewed as a game rather than a competition. Chi Sau helps to hone footwork, reflexes, positioning, techniques, energy and the automatic response to a situation for which Wing Chun has become famous. Chi Sau has some similarities to Tai Chi's pushing hands.

Health and Wing Chun

Few people would contest that physical training is good for your body and Wing Chun is no exception. As with most Martial Arts, it can place rigorous demands on your body, but nonetheless is suitable for people of all shapes and sizes, because of its principle of not relying on strength. The emphasis is more on technical ability than physical conditioning, and therefore Wing Chun's health benefits come from having a relaxed body and mind during the actual training. All the muscles of the body are exercised, without taking the body to exhaustion. GrandMaster Ip Chun is still training everyday despite being in his 70's, and is a true example to us all of the health benfits of proper Martial Arts training. Chi Sau in particular is beneficial to health because you are able to think of nothing else whilst training. This allows the body to exercise but allows the mind to rest. Although most forms of exercise, such as jogging, help strengthen the body and internal organs, not many can be considered as relaxing or interesting as Wing Chun and Chi Sau.

The origins of Wing Chun

The origins of the Wing Chun Kung Fu system are still uncertain to this day. This is particularly due to the lack of written records about Wing Chun in the past, and much of what we know today has only been passed down by word of mouth. Nevertheless, there is a generally excepted version of events. The myths surrounding who designed the system only serves to heighten the mystery and history of Kung Fu.

Wing Chun's history - the popular version

In the late 1600's and early 1700's Kung Fu became very popular at the Siu Lam (Shaolin) monastery in Honan Province, China. The Kung Fu exercises were designed to help keep the monks and abbots awake during long periods of mental training and meditation. By exercising their bodies as well as their minds they developed even further in their spiritual training. The Manchu (non-Chinese) government in the North at the time were deeply suspicious of such activities, believing the monastery to be training an army. They eventually attacked the monastery, burning it to the ground and killing many of the monks and disciples.

A few escaped the attack though, and they are thought to have been Buddhist nun Ng Moi, Abbot Chi Shin, Abbot Pak Mei, Fung To Tak and Master Miu Hin.

Ng Moi hid on Mt Tai Leung and it was there that she met Yim Yee and his daughter Wing Chun. Wing Chun was a beautiful teenager who had attracted the unwanted attention of a local man. Ng Moi liked Wing Chun and agreed to teach her Kung Fu to defend herself. After training Wing Chun eventually challenged her persistent admirer and beat him in a fight.

Wing Chun carried on training in Kung Fu and taught her husband when she married - Leung Bok Chau. He named the system after his wife and passed it on to Leung Lan Kwai. Leung LAN Kwai in turn passed the Kung Fu techniques to Wong Wah Bo who taught a man named Leung Yee Tai. Leung Yee Tai had already learnt a pole form from escaped Abbot Chi Shin, and thus the pole form was incorporated into the system. Leung Yee Tai passed the system to Leung Jan, a doctor of Fatshan, China. Leung Jan became an absolute Master of Wing Chun and defeated many challengers from other styles of Kung Fu. He taught everything he knew to Chan Wah Shun.

1950's and Yip Man to the present day

Chan Wah Shun taught the system to a man named Yip Man, who attained the highest level of skill within Wing Chun and taught many people, including Bruce Lee in the 1950's in Hong Kong. Yip Man simplified the system, particularly removing the long and complicated names and is mainly responsible for the Wing Chun system as we know it today. He was a superb teacher and taught according to the individual's own skill and knowledge, adapting his approach where necessary. Wing Chun flourished in Hong Kong and Yip Man also passed his knowledge to his two sons, Yip Chun and Yip Ching. They continue the tradition and have themselves many students and instructors throughout the world. Both Yip Chun and Yip Ching continue to teach and pass on their wealth of knowledge.

Original text kindly supplied by Richard Parsons, from his own Wing Chun website.