What is Wing Chun?
Wing Chun is a Southern Chinese Kung Fu system probably developed about 300 years ago. It has an emphasis on unarmed close-range fighting, although it includes weapon techniques and techniques suitable for various ranges.
The principles of structure, practicality, efficiency and economy of movement are utilised along with the characteristics of relaxation, control of the centreline, sensitivity, trapping and a close range. This puts Wing Chun within the grasp of anyone, regardless of size or build, who has the desire and patience to learn it. Because of the structured and methodical nature of the system it has sufficient depth to become a lifetime's study, leading to mastery of the style.
Where it all began- The Shaolin Temple, China.
- The legendary origin of Wing Chun dates to the reign of the Emperor Kangxi (1662 - 1722). After escaping the destruction of the Fujian Shaolin Monastery by Qing forces, the Abbess Ng Mui fled to the mountains.
- One day, she came upon a fight between a snake and a crane. She took the lessons she learned from observing the fight and combined them with her own knowledge of Shaolin kung fu to create a new style. Ng Mui often shopped at the tofu shop of Yim Yee. Yim Yee had a daughter named Yim Wing-Chun whom a local warlord was trying to force into marriage. Ng Mui taught her new fighting style to Wing-Chun, who used it to fend off the warlord once and for all. Wing-Chun eventually married a man she loved, Leung Bok-Chao, to whom she taught the fighting techniques that Ng Mui had passed on to her. Husband and wife in turn passed the new style on to others.
In recent history Yip Man was the first Wing Chun master to teach the art openly in Hong Kong on a school fee basis. His students and their students therefore make up the majority of the practitioners of Wing Chun today, although there are many other branches also. The full history and origins of Wing Chun have been covered in many books and websites (see Links), should you care to read further.