About Wing Tsun A brief description of Wing Tsun and its history

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For those who dont know what Wing Tsun is:

Wing Tsun Kung Fu is a Chinese martial art which teaches you to systematically evade any attack, by learning never to fight force against force it is designed to allow a weaker practitioner to overcome a larger and stronger opponent.
As a soft-style martial art you learn to allow your body to be moved mechanically by your opponent's force which enables you to effectively move and evade an attack without having to know when or where it is aimed.

The system is ideal for modern self-defence situations. In fact WT is so effective it is taught to special police units all over the world (including FBI, GSG9 in Germany, and RAID in France).

In addition to the large classes which are open to all members, a limited number of smaller more intensive classes (usually of up to 8 people) run throughout the week. There are also private one-on-one lessons available for those who wish to learn most quickly.

WT will work for you regardless of size, strength, gender or athleticism. All martial arts were not created equal. Interested?

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History:

The origins of WingTsun are shrouded in myth and legend, but the system is said to have been devised by a woman, Ng Mui, who was, it is said, a Buddhist nun and expert in White Crane kung fu.
Between 250 and 300 years ago, political problems meant that Ng Mui and some of her compatriots were forced to go into hiding from rulers of the Qing Dynasty. In the place she took refuge, Ng Mui came across some very innovative martial arts techniques which she integrated into her existing fighting system.

Ng Mui’s first known student was a young maid named Yim Wing Tsun. Yim married a salt merchant called Leung Bok Chau and taught him the art she had learned from Ng Mui. Together they taught and refined the techniques. Yim’s husband taught a man called Leung Lan Kwai and named the art Wing Tsun Kuen in honour of his wife.

Leung Lan Kwai only accepted two disciples, and only one of them, Wong Wah Bo, learnt everything. Wong Wah Bo was part of an opera troupe who were known as ‘Followers of the Red Junk’ due to the colour of the boat in which they travelled between performances. Many of the troupe knew some form of fighting, most notably a man called Leung Yee Tai who was an expert in long pole techniques. Wong and Leung shared their knowledge and together adapted the long pole for the Wing Tsun system.

An elderly Leung Yee Tai taught a herbal physician in Fatshan named Leung Jan, who became so passionate about the art that he dedicated his life to it. Throughout his life, Leung Jan was challenged by many fighters, but was never defeated and soon he and the name Wing Tsun were well known in Fatshan.

Leung Jan took on a few students, but the one who stood out was a man who worked in the market known as Chan the Money Changer because of his profession. Chan was part of the ‘lower end’ of society where violence was common and he honed his fighting skills there. He taught Wing Tsun for 36 years and admitted his last and youngest disciple at the age of seventy. Little could he have imagined that the boy would go on to become the unchallenged master of Wing Tsun. The boy’s name was Yip Man.

When Chan passed away, Yip Man moved to Hong Kong where, by a twist of fate, he met Leung Jan’s eldest son, Leung Bik. Leung offered to teach Yip Man all that he had learnt from his father and Yip followed him for a number of years.
In 1949 Yip Man was invited to give kung fu lessons to members of a Restaurant Workers’ Association in Hong Kong. This he did for two years before founding his own school.
Yip Man also, with the help of his students, founded the Hong Kong Ving Tsun Athletic Association in 1967 and expanded his classes, and Wing Tsun grew in popularity. When Yip finally retired from teaching in 1970 he passed teaching on to his disciple Leung Ting. Now a Grandmaster, Leung Ting registered the spelling WingTsun (WT) as his particular branch of the late Grandmaster Yip Man’s art.

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Yip Man was born in Fatshan (faht sŕan), China into a wealthy family. In his youth he studied Wing Chun Gung Fu from a gentleman who rented a space from the Yip family. This gentleman was Chan Wah Shun (chahn wŕh seuhn). Later on, when Yip Man was sent to attend high school in Hong Kong, he displayed his skills learned from Chun Wah Shun by coming to the aid of a Chinese gentleman who was being beaten for no apparent reason. Yip Man's classmate witnessed this and relayed the event to another Wing Chun teacher named Leung Bik (lčuhng bďk), the eldest son of Leung Jan (lčuhng jaan), the teacher of Chan Wah Shun. Leung Bik then arranged to see Yip Man and later became his second teacher. Yip Man spent several years in Hong Kong studying with Leung Bik and greatly increased his skill. He returned to Fatshan after finishing school and remained there until the Communist takeover of China in 1949. At that time he was forced to flee back to Hong Kong as he had worked in the police force of the Nationalist government and would certainly have been killed had he stayed.
Upon returning to Hong Kong permanently, Yip Man began teaching select students the Wing Chun style and his name quickly spread. Yip Man was a humble teacher of traditional values who's goals were not of fame or fortune. However, as his abilities became known, it was clear that he held profound knowledge of the Wing Chun system and was a very capable teacher. It was only a matter of time before he had produced many famous students including Bruce Lee and the recognition of Wing Chun Gung Fu became widespread, reaching around the world.

One dream that Yip Man had and was not able to realize was that of a place where Wing Chun players and students could call home. This was to be a place for fellowship, a place to learn from, and a place to show respect for those who had come before. This idea was initially conceived in 1968 when Yip Man expressed his desire to establish a Wing Chun Tong (wihng cheůn tňhng). However, due to the staggering cost of real estate in Hong Kong and the taxation levied, there was simply no way at that time of dedicating a place for the Wing Chun Temple. So, instead of the temple, the Ving Tsun Athletic Association was born and still functions today in Hong Kong.

One of Yip Man's students never let his Sě Fuh's vision die. Moy Yat (můih yaht) was very close to Yip Man and spent countless hours discussing and acting upon his Sifu’s ideals and dreams, thus achieving fame in his own right; a recognized Grandmaster in all areas of the world. Moy Yat taught in Hong Kong for many years and he moved to New York in 1973 following his Sifu death. He has produced many skillful and famous students. Not only has Moy Yat become famous as a Grandmaster of Wing Chun but also as an artist, known worldwide for his paintings, stone carvings, writing, and other works of art. He passed away in January of 2001.

Moy Yat, like his teacher, had traditional roots. It could be said that he was proud and sentimental about his Wing Chun history. He continued to strive to assure his Sifu’s dream of establishing a Wing Chun Tong by carefully searching for the proper time and place to make it a reality. Grand Master Moy Yat kept Yip Man's dream alive for over 30 years. During a trip to Dayton, Ohio in October, 1993, he began discussions with his Disciple, Benny Meng (maahng hing fůng), about the creation of the museum. After many meetings with Master Meng, his disciples, Yip Man's sons, and the Ving Tsun Athletic Association, Dayton was accepted as the site and Yip Man's dream became reality.

In 1994, the Ving Tsun Museum Planning Committee was formed and began the planning of the Museum. Three Grand Masters of Wing Chun; Yip Chun (yihp jéun), Yip Ching (yihp jing), and Moy Yat as well as Master Benny Meng attended the groundbreaking ceremonies on July 26, 1995. This was the first time all three Grand Masters were together in the United States.

In November of 1995 construction of the Museum began and was completed by June of 1996. The Museum held its First Annual International Workshop from May 2nd to 4th, 1997, conducted by two Grand Masters: Yip Ching and Moy Yat, nine Masters: Benny Meng , Sunny Tang (Dunn Wah), Leo Imamura, Jeffrey Chan, Henry Moy, Mickey Chan, Pete Pajil, Miguel Hernandez, and William Moy; it was attended by 150 Wing Chun enthusiasts from various parts of the world. Since that time, major strides have taken place including much historical information being gathered, the transcription of tapes, the boo--The Voice of the Ving Tsun--being published, the collection of more Wing Chun artifacts, and the physical completion of the building that will house the museum.

When the elder martial arts brothers of the late Bruce Lee decided to introduce the Ving Tsun Museum in Dayton, Ohio to martial artists from all over the western hemisphere, they agreed to a series of historic events planned by Master Benny Meng, the museum's Curator, culminating in the Grand Opening of the museum itself. Each event represented a "first of its kind" achievement in the history of Wing Chun Gung Fu.

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Edited August 4, 2006 by serverph (see edit history)

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this thread is going nowhere but a bunch of copied content. closed.