Wing Chun ("glorifying springtime") Kung Fu is a Chinese "internally oriented" (nei lu) martial art system. It is a recent system that was developed in reaction to "external" styles which rely upon power and strength. Wing Chun was named after a woman known as Yim Wing Chun by her husband Leung Pok To in tribute to her superior skills as a martial artist.
Yim Wing Chun was taught her art by Ng Mui. Ng Mui was Abbess (female superior) and one of the "five elders" (Abbess Ng Mui, Abbot Chi/Jee Shin, Abbot Pak Mei, Master Fung To Tak and Master Miu Hin ) of the Southern Shaolin Temple, a Buddhist monastery at Mt. Sung, Honan, China. Along with the other five elders, Ng Mui survived the destruction of the temple due to the trechary of the monk Ma Ning Yee and others, during the Ch'ing Dynasty, in the late 18th century.
Fleeing to the White Crane Temple on Mt. Tai, Leung Ng Mui meet Yim Wing Chun's family. A local bully was trying to force Yim Wing Chun to marry him. In a gesture of sympathy and help, Ng Mui taught Yim Wing Chun a system of self-defense to enable her to "defeat" the bully.
In part, Wing Chun is famous for certain of its distinctive features, including: the mook jong ("wooden dummy"), centerline theory, the immovable elbow, and chi sao ("sticky hands" exercise).
The majority of martial arts have many forms or basic exercises. In contrast, Wing Chun has only three forms:
- siu nium tao ("little idea"/"minimal attention" form), which teaches the basic movements, and how to generate lim lick (mind power)
- chum kiu ("to find the bridge" form), which teaches the integration of the upper and lower body movements and how to join one's partner
- biu jee ("shooting fingers" form), which teaches attacking techniques, and how to generate energy in one's limbs as needed or desired.
There are also two traditional Wing Chun weapon forms: bot tsam doe (the "eight chopping knives") and luk dim boon gwan (the "staff").
Whereas most martial artists seek to defend against or avoid their opponent, the Wing Chun practitioners "welcome" their opponents. A saying in Wing Chun goes "da sao djek see sil sao" ("to attack is to defend"). Instead of brute strength or force, Wing Chun emphasizes sensitivity, flowing and direct, effecient movements. Another Wing Chun expression is "yop" ("to penetrate"/"to enter"). The image is of a seed penetrating the earth, striving directly toward the sun. Nothing will stop it! "Yop!" is somewhat like the call to action to "keep your eyes on the prize!" of America's civil rights movement. This is the Wing Chun practitioner's direct response to "fa kuen, tzao toi" ("fancy hands, flashy feet" or literally "flower hands, embroidery feet").
Wing chun came to attention several years ago due to the late Yip Man. Although known to the Western public as the teacher of the martial artist and movie personality, Bruce Lee, Yip was also the Grand Master and head of the Wing Chun tradition. Kenneth Chung, a respected Wing Chun practitioner and sifu ("accomplished teacher"), who pioneered Wing Chun in America, learned his art in Hong Kong from Leung Sheung, Yip Man's senior-most student. Eddie Oshins, who is the instructor for the Stanford Wing Chun Student Association, is a senior student of Kenneth Chung with whom he has directly studied since 1984. Eddie is a frequent wing chun judge at local kung fu tournaments. He has also served as Supervisor, as Secretary-General, and currently as Director of the World Traditional Sports Federation.
Copyright © 1999-2001 Stanford University Wing Chun Student Association.