The Origin Of Ving Tsun

BY THE LATE GRANDMASTER YIP MAN

(from "Genealogy of Ving Tsun Kung Fu" from the Ving Tsun Athletic Association)

The text in Chinese was a rough draft written by the late Grandmaster Yip Man and was supposed to be the preface for the purpose of organizing the “Ving Tsun Fellowship”, once upon a time. However, the Ving Tsun Fellowship never came into existence; instead, the “Hong Kong Ving Tsun Athletic Association” was finally established on August 24, 1967.

The founder of the Ving Tsun Kung Fu System, Miss Yim Ving Tsun, was a native of Canton, China. As a young girl, she was intelligent and athletic, upstanding and manly. She was bethroned to Leung Bok Chau, a salt merchant of Fukien. Soon after that, her mother died. Her father, Yim Yee, was wrongfully accused of a crime and nearly went to jail. So the family moved far away and finally settled down at that foot of Tai Leung Mountain at the Yunnan—Szechuan border. All this happened during the reign of Emperor K’anghsi (1622-1722).

At the time, Kung Fu was becoming very strong in Siu Lam Monastery (Shaolin Monastery) of Mt. Sung, Honan. This aroused the fear of the Manchu government, which sent troops to attack the monastery. They were unsuccessful. A man named Chan Man Wai was the First Placed Graduate of the Civil Service Examination that year. He was seeking favor with the government, and suggested a plan. He plotted with Siu Lam monk Ma Ning Yee and others. They set fire to the Monastery while soldiers attacked it from outside. Siu Lam was burned down and the monks scattered. Buddhist Abbess Ng Mui, Abbot Chi Shin, Abbot Pak Mei, Master Fung To Tak and Master Miu Him escaped and fled their separate ways.

Ng Mui took refuge in White Crane Temple on Mt. Tai Leung (also known as Mt. Chai Har). There, she came to know Yim Yee and his daughter, Yim Ving Tsun. She brought bean curds at their store and they became friends.

Ving Tsun was a very young woman then and her beauty attracted the attention of a local bully. He tried to force Ving Tsun to marry him. She and her father were very worried. Ng Mui learned this and took pity on Ving Tsun. She agreed to teach Ving Tsun fighting techniques so that she could protect herself. Then she would be able to solve the problem with the bully and marry Leung Bok Chau, her betrothed husband. So, Ving Tsun followed Ng Mui into the mountains and started to learn Kung Fu. She trained night and day, and mastered the techniques. Then she challenged the local bully to a fight and beat him. Ng Mui set off to travel around the country, but before she left she told Ving Tsun to strictly honor the Kung Fu traditions, to develop her Kung Fu after her marriage and to help the people working to overthrow the Manchu government and restore the Ming Dynasty. This is how Ving Tsun Kung Fu was handed down by Abbess Ng Mui.

After the marriage, Ving Tsun taught her Kung Fu to her husband Leung Bok Chau and he passed his Kung Fu techniques on to Leung Lan Kwai. Leung Lan Kwai passed it on to Wong Wah Bo. Wong Wah Bo was a member of an opera troupe on board a junk, known to the Chinese as the “Red Junk”. Wong worked on the Red Junk with Leung Yee Tei. It so happened that Abbot Chi Shin, who fled from Siu Lam, had disguised himself as a cook and was now working on the Red Junk. Chi Shin taught the six and a half point Long pole techniques to Leung Yee Tei. Wong Wah Bo was close to Leung Yee Tei and they shared what they knew about Kung Fu. Together they correlated and improved their techniques and thus the Six and a half point Long pole techniques were incorporated into Ving Tsun Kung Fu.

Leung Yee Tei passed the Kung Fu on to Leung Jan, a well known herbal doctor in Fat Shan. Leung Jan grasped the innermost secrets of Ving Tsun and attained the highest level of proficiency. Many Kung Fu Masters came to challenge him, but all were defeated. Leung Jan became very famous and later he passed his Kung Fu on to Chan Wah Shan, who took me as his student many decades ago. I studied Kung Fu alongside my brothers such as Ng Siu Lo, Ng Chung So, Chan Yu Min and Lui Yu Jai. Ving Tsun was thus passed down to us and we are eternally grateful to our Kung Fu ancestors and teachers. We will always remember and appreciate our roots and this shared feeling will always keep our Kung Fu brothers close together. This is why I am organizing the Ving Tsun Fellowship, and I hope my Kung Fu brothers will support me in this. This will be very important in the promotion of Kung Fu.

Seventeen Keys to Wing Chun

- Be ferocious when clashing.

- Be fast with your fist.

- Be forceful when applying power.

- Be accurate with timing.

- Be continuous when applying Fan Sau.

- Do not use all your strength.

- Protect your own posture.

- Be alert with your eyes.

- Unite your waist and stance.

- Coordinate your hands and feet.

- Movements must be agile.

- Comprehend the principles of Yin and Yang.

- Remain calm.

- Be steady with your breathing and strength.

- Sink your inner chi.

- Be commanding with your fighting demeanor.

- Be quick to end the fight.

Ip Man Maxims of Wing Chun, Kuen Kuit

Maxims of Wing Chun

- Retain what comes in, send off what retreats. Rush in on loss of hand contact.

- Do not be lax when your opponent is not advancing.

- Once your opponent moves, his center of gravity changes.

- Make the first move to have control. Attack according to timing.

- Timing is achieved through practice.

- A strong attitude and posture gives an advantage over your opponent.

- Being alert and adapting to the situation allows maximum results for minimum effort.

- The body follows the movement of the hands. The waist and the stance move together.

- Complement the hands with posture to make good use of the centerline.

- The eyes and the mind travel together, paying attention to leading edge of attack.

- Charge into the opponent. Execute three moves together.

- Strike any presented posture if it is there. Otherwise strike where you see motion. Beware of sneak attacks, leakage attacks and invisible centerline attacks.

- Soft and relaxed strength will put your opponent in jeopardy.

- Coordinate the hands and feet. Movement is together.

- Do not take risks and you will always connect to the target.

- Have confidence and your calmness will dominate the situation.

- Occupy the inner gate to strike deep into the defense.

- To win in an instant is a superior achievement.

- The Yin Yang principle should be thoroughly understood.

- The theory of Wing Chun has no limit in it applications.

- Be humble to request your teacher for guidance.

- Understand the principles for your training.

- Upon achieving the highest level of proficiency, the application of techniques will vary according to the opponent.

Wing Chun Fist, easy to learn, hard to master

咏春拳, 易学, 难精

Wing Chun Fist, easy to learn, hard to master

Dinner pictures with Grandmaster Ip Chun, Sifu Samuel Kwok and other wingchun elders

Traditional Wing Chun Rules of Conduct

Traditional Wing Chun Rules of Conduct

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1. Remain disciplined - Conduct yourself ethically as a martial artist.
2. Practice courtesy and righteousness - Serve the society and respect your elders.
3. Love your fellow students - Be united and avoid conflicts.
4. Limit your desires and pursuit of bodily pleasures - Preserve the proper spirit.
5. Train diligently - Maintain your skills.
6. Learn to develop spiritual tranquility - Abstain from arguments and fights.
7. Participate in society - Be moderate and gentle in your manners.
8. Help the weak and the very young - Use martial skills for the good of humanity.
9. Pass on the tradition - Preserve this Chinese art and rules of conduct

Wing Chun Kuen Kuit

Wing Chun Kuen Kuit are “Words of Wisdom” which capture in poetic terms the finer attributes of Wing Chun Kung Fu. “Kuen Kuit” is Cantonese for “Martial sayings” , “Fist poetry” or “Fighting songs.” Chinese martial arts employ Kuen Kuit as concise, rhythmic verses which present a method or philosophy of a style. Even among competing Wing Chun traditions, many sayings are recognized and shared. One significant proverb cites, “Loy Lau Hoi Sung, Lut Sau Jik Chung.” This means: “Retain what’s coming in; Send off what’s retreating; Rush in upon loss of hand contact.” Regardless of the Wing Chun tradition, this advice bridges many differences and defines one of the most important strategies of the art.

The original Wing Chun Kuen Kuit are believed to descended from an ancient, oral tradition, and reportedly were connected to southern Chinese secret societies of the nineteenth century. Moy Yat wrote, “It was during the ching dynasty that many of the proverbs were part of secret codes and rituals developed by the rebels dedicated to overthrowing the Manchus.” Over the passing years, unrelated or inapplicable sayings were eventually discarded, the remaining few are described as being “truly intrinsic” to Wing Chun Kung Fu.

“Wing Chun Chuen Jing Tung” is an important proverb usually displayed in the traditional Wing Chun school. This refers to the genuineness of the martial art and reads, “Wing Chun authentically passing down.” This means passing on the true system of Wing Chun “unchanged by your own ideas.” Other well known proverbs cite: Kuen Yau Sum Faat (The punch starts from the heart); Ying Da Juck Da, But Ying Da, But Ho Da … (Strike when you should, Do not strike when you should not …); Chew Ying Joi Ying (Face toward and chase the opponent); Chum Jong Sau Jone (Sink the elbow, protect the center)4; Guan Mo Leung Heung (The staff doesn’t make two sounds), etc.

Wing Chun’s Traditional Rules of Conduct and the popular sayings above may be easily recognized. Others have been preserved based upon the discretion of Augustine Fong, and these originally appears in Randy William 6 book set. There are maxims, training proverbs and sayings for all Wing Chun forms. The majority of these are genuine, artistic commentaries on Wing Chun boxing. It may be noticed some verses are similar to training proverbs presented in the Chinese Internal Arts. Thus, “People do not know the extent of my skills, but I know their abilities,” has been attributed to Yang Lew-Shan: “The theory of Tai-Chi is that nobody knows you, only you know them.” This is a popular saying, as are those which mention invisible techniques such as the famed Mo Ying Gerk (No Shadow kick).

While masters of self-defense declare that real experience is the best teacher, Wing Chun proverbs do excel as wonderful reminders and clues to the mastery of the martial art. These poetic stanzas preserve a secret Kung Fu tradition, a legacy which can be rendered in beautiful Chinese calligraphy. Wing Chun Kuen Kuit are treasures waiting to be discovered; they remain an outstanding contribution to the world of Chinese martial arts.

Some random pictures from Training with Grandmaster Samuel Kwok in Kajang, Malaysia

Mo Dak Training Part 2 from Ip Man 2 the movie

你所追求的，是武功上的拳脚招式。但是我想（让你）你学的，是中国的武术。因为中国武术，包含了我们中国人的精神，还有修养。贵在中和，不争之争 甄子丹对黄晓明说：你是不是觉得我很能打？　　黄晓明说：你当然能打，你一个人可以打那么多人......　　甄子丹说：20年后呢？20年后你随时可以打倒我。人总是会老的嘛。这世界上怎么会有最能打的人。 為生活我可以忍，但是侮辱中國武術就不行。 中國人燒香不只是為了算時間，除了計時，最重要的，是包含了我們的謙遜。 你觉得分胜负重要，还是跟家里人吃饭重要？ 我們身為別人的師父，是不是應該先教好自己的徒弟 不炫耀，不张扬；不爱喧嚣，不喜热闹。 在内省与沉寂中，过着真正属于自己的生活。 武学分有层次，那些最爱与人争斗的人，大抵都是略通拳脚者。 武学至理乃在"中和"二字，而不以好勇斗狠为上。 武学修为越高的人，领悟越透，其性格气质也随之潜移默化，而趋于淡泊平和。

Mo Dak Training from Ip Man 2- the movie

今天的胜负，不是我想证明中国武术比西洋拳更优胜。我只​是想说，人的地位，虽然有高低之分，但是人格，不应该有​贵贱之别。我很希望，从这一刻开始，我们大家可以学会懂​得怎么去互相尊重。 From Ip Man 2 Translation- In today's win, I was not trying to prove chinese kungfu is better than western boxing. I was just trying to say, people's position in life, our status, albeit may be high or low(depending on fate), but our integrity, character, mindset should not differentiate and say who's life is worth more or less. I hope from this minute on, we will all learn how to respect each other.