The History of Wing Chun

The history of Wing Chun has been passed down through word of mouth over many generations. Often, this type of storytelling results in many different versions of the story appearing over time. Thus, the story of Wing Chun is not necessarily accurate down to the exact detail. Instead, it is a guideline for what generally happened. Recent history contains more accurate facts, due to the writings and recordings of modern society.

The 5 Elders of the Shaolin Temple

Buddhist temple in China, the birthplace of all martial arts styles. Divided into chambers, or rooms, each chamber teaching a certain style, weapon, or skill. The temple was burned down by the Manchu government in the year 1723 years ago, killing many of the monks and nuns.

A few escaped, including the a handful of Shaolin monks and the Five Elders: The Five who had mastered every chamber.  Only one of the Five Elders was a nun; her name was Ng Mui.

  • Monk Chi Sim – 5 Animal Specialist, Weapons expert
  • Monk Hung Yee – Founder of Hung Gar
  • Monk High Priest Pai Mei – Founder of Bak Mei Pai (White Eyebrow), known as the traitor of the Shaolin
  • Monk Fung Dao Dak – Taoist Monk
  • Abbess Ng Mei – Founder of Wing Chun Kung Fu System

The Story of Yim Wing Chun

After the temple burned down, Ng Mui traveled the country, hiding from the Manchus.  She settled on top of a mountain in southern China, where she began to think about all of her martial arts knowledge.  She realized that much of what she had learned (although useful) was still not as effective or practical for a small / frail woman to use on a larger man.

So she began to revise everything she knew, discarding those techniques that relied on strength or size, were inherently slow, were too flowery, or which wasted motion.  She was left with a core of fast, effective, economic techniques that relied on things like the body’s structure for power.  1. Simultaneous offense and defense, 2. Attacks for economy 3, Angles, 4.  Distance,  5. Redirection of the opponent’s energy instead of strength.  What she came up with is what we trained today…but it needed a name. 

As Legend Has it…

One day Ng Mui made her usual trip to the village at the bottom of the mountain to buy food and supplies. While at a bean curd stand owned by a father and his daughter, Ng Mui noticed that the two seemed troubled. She soon found out that the girl, named Yim Wing Chun, was being pressured into marriage by a local bully who had threatened her father with physical harm if she refused.  Sensing their desperation, Ng Mui revealed her identity and offered to train the girl in kung fu.  She suggested that Wing Chun challenge the bully to a fight in one year’s time.  If the bully won, the girl would marry him.  If the girl won, the bully would leave her alone.  Wing Chun and her father agreed and the bully, who was the best fighter in the area, laughed at the challenge and gladly accepted.

Ng Mui trained the young Wing Chun in her newly revised system.  She trained diligently day and night for one year, learning the basic theories and techniques of the system.  When the year was up, Wing Chun returned to the village and faced her challenger.  Each time the bully charged in at her, she would quickly drop him with a simple technique.  The bully could not believe he was being defeated — much less by a young girl. He became more frustrated and charged in harder.  Each time he was knocked down by Wing Chun until he stayed down. The system became known as Wing Chun, after the woman who made it famous throughout China.

Grand Master Moy Yat

Moy Yat was a teacher of the Ving Tsun style of Kung-Fu.   He began teaching in Hong Kong, in 1962, at the direction of his Sifu (teacher), and was the youngest Sifu Ip Man gave this honor to. After Ip Man’s death in 1972,  Moy Yat moved to New York City and began teaching there until he retired from teaching at age 60. According to Inside Kung-Fu Magazine, he was “…considered among the greatest martial arts teachers of all time”.

In recognition of the 2008 Olympic Games, and the Wushu Tournament Beijing 2008, both held in the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Government issued a series of commemorative postage stamps and a collectors album, Chinese Wushu Treasure Stamps Album, in a Limited edition of 7200 copies.  The album features the greatest Wu Shu (martial art) practitioners of all time, including Moy Yat and his teacher, Ip Man.

 

Grand Master Anthony “Tony” Watts (Moy Wu)

Grand Master Anthony “Tony” Watts aka Moy Wu (which means “Disciple of Moy Yat and Honorable King and Loyal Warrior) and bka Professor Watts has been studying Martial Arts for 52 years and teaching for 40. Because he wanted to protect him and his family from abuse, he started his Martial Art Journey in the second grade with his uncle. The Martial arts he studied prior to Ving Tsun are Kyokushin Karate at 2nd Dan, Goju Karate at 3rd Dan, and Angry Tiger Claw Kung Fu. At the age of 19, he became Moy Yat’s youngest Sifu. Also, He studied Sanuces Ryu JuJitsu under Grand Master Dr. Moses Powell, which Watts is an 8th Degree closed door Disciple. Currently, GM is studying Balintawak Arnis Cuentada Escrima under GM Bobby Taboada. He is 7th Master of 12 Elders of SWAM with Sijo Abdul Mutakabbir.