Printer friendly

Alex So <alex@wingchun.net.au> 15 December 2001

What is Wing Chun kungfu? A martial art developed in Southern China during the 18th-20th centuries, and which is continuing to develop world wide. Wing Chun is not based on animal movements as many other styles of Chinese kungfu, nor does it demand extraordinary physical abilities such as some Northern China Kung Fu styles. Instead, Wing Chun is based on the mechanics of the human body and bases its core principles on 6 short forms¹, from which each individual practitioner may derive their own repertoire. Under direction from one or more instructors, the practitioner may learn many "special" techniques and applications of the forms, adapting them to suit their physique and mind, not just becoming a "replica" of the teacher. This gives Wing Chun a special power to evolve fast as well as adapt to the varying abilities of its practitioners.

Due to this unique characteristic of Wing Chun, there are many variations and styles of this art today and each could claim their own roots and history. Various stories about the origins of Wing Chun are usually based on legends, which could have been obscured by the original tellers for political reasons of that time and further distorted by translations between different dialects of Southern China. Attempts are being made to link such legends and factual information to find the roots of Wing Chun². This essay is one such attempt to trace a particular branch of Wing Chun, which is taught today in Australia by Sifu Allan Graham. Many equally influential Wing Chun experts could have been included in this story, however to keep to the point, only direct kungfu ancestors of Sifu Allan Graham are mentioned.

It is likely that Wing Chun began as a combination of the most effective techniques of several Kung Fu styles some 250-300 years ago. For the first few generations it was passed on as a "secret" system, possibly by revolutionaries such as the members of Hung Moon Secret Society³, who opposed the government of that time. Such people took various measures to avoid prosecution by masquerading as Buddhist monks, opera actors, etc.

According to most legends, Ng Mui, who was a Buddhist nun and a member of Hung Moon, is the founder of Wing Chun. An expert in White Crane kungfu style, she developed new fighting techniques influenced by local kungfu styles she saw as she traveled through Southern China. She passed her new style to Yim Wing Chun, who, in turn taught her husband Leung Bok Chau. According to Prof. Leung Ting⁴, when Leung Lan Kwai, who was one of the students of Leung Bok Chau, asked his teacher the name of this style of kungfu, Leung Bok Chau could have said that it was "Wing Chun's kungfu", (his wife's kungfu). Leung Lan Kwai taught Wing Chun to Wong Wah Bo, an actor from Red Junks Opera troupe⁵.

Another poplular legend suggests that Wing Chun was founded by the famous Red Junks actor Cheung Ng, nicknamed Tan-Sau Ng⁶. According to this version, Wong Wah Bo learned Wing Chun from Tan-Sau Ng and not Leung Lan Kwai.

Coincidentally, another Hung Moon member and an expert in Southern Shaolin kungfu style, Gee Sin had found refuge as a "pole-man" in the Red Junks. He taught his "six and a half point pole" fighting techniques to another "pole-man" of the Red Junks, Leung Yee Tai. Wong Wah Bo exchanged his fighting techniques with the pole techniques of Leung Yee Tai. Together they modified pole techniques to bring them in line with the Wing Chun principles.

In the 1830s, Leung Yee Tai accepted a herbal doctor, Leung Jan (a.k.a. Leung Tak Wing) as his student. Leung Jan (approximately 1816-1891) was a talented kungfu student and Leung Yee Tai recommended him to Wong Wah Bo, who also taught Leung Jan for a number of years. Doctor Leung Jan was legendary for his kungfu skills, defeating many fighters from different kungfu styles in contests. Dr. Leung Jan taught a handful of students, amongst them, Chan Wah Shun and his eldest son, Leung Bik.

Starting from this period, the history of Wing Chun can be traced with reasonable accuracy, as there is more information available about these more recent times.

Chan Wah Shun was regarded as a prominent fighter in Fatshan. For the last few years of his life he has taught Wing Chun in the ancestral temple of the Yip family of Fatshan. At more than 70 years of age, he accepted his last student, Yip Man, aged 11. Because of the advanced age of Chan Wah Shun, it is likely that the majority of the time Yip Man was instructed by Ng Chung So, one of the most senior students of Chan Wah Shun. After Chan Wah Shun's death in 1906, Yip Man continued to learn Wing Chun from Ng Chung So for another 3 years. At the age of 16 Yip Man traveled to Hong Kong to further his education. A few months after his arrival in Hong Kong he met Leung Bik (Dr. Leung Jan's eldest son). Leung Bik taught Yip Man for a few years. He corrected his footwork, wooden dummy techniques and possibly, taught him the Biu Tsi form.

Yip Man returned to China in 1917. At this time he was able to demonstrate his superiority by winning many friendly kungfu contests in Fatshan. The techniques taught by Leung Bik, combined with his previous study with Chan Wah Shun and Ng Chung So yielded a very effective style. Yip Man stayed in Fatshan until 1949 when the communists took power. Yip Man moved to Hong Kong where he started teaching Wing Chun, building one of Hong Kong's biggest kungfu schools. In the early 1950s, amongst his first Hong Kong students, Yip Man accepted Chu Shong Tin as his disciple and in 1953 Wong Shun Leung joined Yip Man's school. Over the years, both Chu Shong Tin and Wong Shun Leung obtained the highest level of skill and often conducted classes on behalf of Yip Man. Yip Man's eldest son, Yip Chun⁷ studied Wing Chun under his father from the time he has joined Yip Man in Hong Kong from Fatshan in 1962.

In 1967 Yip Chun began teaching Wing Chun in Hong Kong. His school gained popularity and there were many instructors world wide, who claimed to be senior students of Yip Chun. To ensure that only those who attained high level of skill under master's personal tuition, he has established "Ip Chun Wing Chun Kuen Martial Arts Association" and certified those instructors who satisfied requirements set by Yip Chun. One such representative in Australia is Leong Cheok Son (Felix)⁸ who leads his school in Adelaide. Similarly, Chu Shong Tin's disciple since 1960, Jim Fung⁹ runs the International Wing Chun Academy with branches in Sydney, Adelaide and the Gold Coast. To emphasise the level of skill Jim Fung has obtained during over 40 years of practicing Wing Chun, Chu Shong Tin officially pronounced Jim Fung as Grandmaster of Wing Chun.

Wan Kam Leung¹⁰ is one of the first students of Wong Shun Leung and was occasionally instructed by Yip Man as well. While leaving the core concepts of Wing Chun unchanged, Wan Kam Leung has carefully modified the style he learned from Wong Shun Leung and Yip Man. His 6 forms are distinctly different from those taught by other followers of Yip Man's style. Why did Wan Kam Leung has modified the successful and proven style of Yip Man? The answer is in the opening thought of this essay: Wing Chun adapts to its practitioner. Wan Kam Leung has larger, more powerful physique which enables him to explore other techniques that would be difficult to use for smaller men like Yip Man and Yip Chun¹¹. Wan Kam Leung teaches his unique style in his school of Practical Wing Chun Kung Fu in Hong Kong.

Sifu Allan Graham¹² learned Wing Chun from Jim Fung in the 1970s and Felix Leong in the 1980s. Every year since 1994, he travels to Hong Kong, accompanied by his students, for a month of private lessons from Yip Chun (until 1998) and Wan Kam Leung (until today). As a result, both Yip Chun and Wan Kam Leung styles are practiced in Allan's Canberra Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy, respectfully refered to as "old style" (Yip's) and "new style" (Wan's). Students learn both versions of the forms and apply strengths of both styles to suit their individual abilities, size and the way of thinking. Such approach to training allows development of a very personalised style, that may vastly differ even between the fellow students training side by side. As history showed, the major advances in Wing Chun happened when great ideas merged together. Wong Wah Bo and and Leung Yee Tai have enriched Wing Chun by bringing six and a half point pole into the system. Differences of Chan Wah Shun and Leung Bik allowed Yip Man to develop his effective style, which spread out of China and Hong Kong, becoming one of the most popular kungfu styles around the world. Blending techniques of top masters, Allan Graham continues this tradition at the Canberra Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy today.