Complete Wing Chun:
Introduction
When Bruce Lee first exploded onto television and movies,
he captured the imagination and hearts of people all over the world. With
the fame of Bruce Lee, the conditions in Hong Kong, and the hard work
and effort of many of his classmates, the Wing Chun of his teacher Yip
Man became one of the most well known and popular Chinese martial arts
in the world. Although this gave Wing Chun international recognition,
it also led to a lot of misconceptions. Due to a lack of real information,
many mistakenly came to assume that the renowned Yip Man was the sole
inheritor of the style and that his Wing Chun was the lone version of
the art.
In fact, there are several different and distinct systems
of Wing Chun. Unfortunately, over the years most of these systems have
remained unseen or unreported to all but a few. Where then do these misconceptions
come from?
Over time, Wing Chun's real history has become a mish-mash
of factual accounts and fictionalized stories. Early secrecy and modern
marketing did much to create and fuel the confusion. Legends like Ng Mui
and Yim Wing-Chun are believed to be the sole founders of the art and
a single lineage through Leung Bok-Chao, Leung Lan-Kwai, Wong Wah-Bo,
and Leung Yee-Tai to Leung Jan has become accepted as the only branch.
The doors of Wing Chun, however, were never this closed,
nor the line this limited. Over the generations, many highly skilled masters
of the past have learned the art, contributed enormously to its development,
and passed along their knowledge. Yet, masters such as Cheung "Tan Sao"
Ng and many of the Red Junk actors like "Dai Fa Min" Kam, "Gao Lo" Chung,
"Hung Gan" Biu and their descendents have disappeared entirely from all
but a very few records.
As Wing Chun's origins and development have remained relatively
unknown, so has its true breadth. Inside the Bamboo Curtain of the People's
Republic of China, however, many branches including the Yuen Kay-San,
Gu Lao, Pao Fa Lien, Jee Shim, Pan Nam, Hung Suen, Pien San, and even
the early Foshan students of Yip Man survived the rise of communism and
the Cultural Revolution. While the Yip Man style was brought into Hong
Kong around 1950, the Yuen Kay-San, Pao Fa Lien, Pien San, and Jee Shim
styles followed soon thereafter. Beyond China, Wing Chun spread into South
East Asia over half a century ago and today many unique versions of the
art can be found in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and surrounding areas.
Thus, it has been very difficult to find real information
on the Wing Chun family of styles, especially in the western world - until
now.
Complete Wing Chun, for the first time, presents
seldom seen information on over a dozen branches of the Wing Chun art.
It is hoped that this volume will serve as a helpful resource
for the interested newcomer and as a valuable reference for the long-time
enthusiast.
< Acknowlegdements
: Foreword >
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