Wing Chun Kung Fu
history | how to | glossary
 
History of Wing Chun ---//

Wing Chun is a relatively young style that can be traced back to the Ching Dynasty over 250 years ago during the time when the Manchus ruled the Hans. The Manchus made up about 10% of the population and the other 90% were the Hans. The repressive Manchu government banned weapons.

To rebel the Hans began organizing in secret within the Shaolin Temple. Normally the classical animal styles of Kung Fu took 15-20 years to master so it was necessary to develop a new style that would enable students to become proficient fighters in a much shorter span of time. Also it was important for the new style to be designed to be effective in neutralizing the existing styles because the Manchus were often trained in classical kung fu styles.

Five Shaolin Masters pooled the knowledge of their respective styles in order to come up with a new more economical style utilizing only the most effective methods of combat. Before the Hans could be trained in the new system a Shaolin traitor opened the gates from within the temple for the Manchu soldiers who entered and burned the temple to the ground.

Only one Shaolin Master escaped the fire, a nun by the name of Ng Mui. She settled in Futshan and passed her knowledge to a young orphan girl who she named Yim Wing Chun. Yim Wing Chun shared this kung fu with husband Leung Bok Cho. Bok Cho named the style after her.

 
How does Wing Chun Work ---//
You do not have to be a super athlete to learn Wing Chun. People of all ages are increasingly being drawn to this system for it health benefits, self-defense, practicality, development of confidence and increasing powers of concentration. It teaches economy of energy and movement and believes in the importance of not confronting your attacker directly but instead, to gain the ability to work around the attacker's energy, working against his weakest point thereby turning the advantage to the Wing Chun practitioner. Emphasis is put on quality instead of quantity and the idea that Kung Fu is not just to develop fighting skills but to act as a catalyst to help people grow and better understand themselves and others. Moreover, as practiced by the Shaolin Monks, Kung Fu has always been used as a means of self-defense and to protect the weak and enforce justice.
below is Grandmaster Yip Man demonstarting a simple wrap-hand
demo
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