From Buddhist Nun to Bruce Lee

The Fall of the Southern Shaolin Temple

In 1644 the Manchurians invaded China ending the Ming Dynasty and establishing the Qing Dynasty (which remained in power until 1911 when Sun Yet-Sen’s army put an end to the Qing Dynasty. Anti-Qing (Ming) rebels sought refuge at both the Northern Temple in Henan and the Southern Temple in Fukien. At each temple, rebels masqueraded as monks and studied the martial arts in preparation for revolution.

It is said that It became apparent that the traditional process of learning Shaolin Kung Fu took too long. It is said that Shaolin masters gathered at the southern Shaolin Temple. Drawing from the best of Shaolin Kung Fu they developed simple but efficient and effective Kung Fu techniques to train rebels in close combat and assignation. In fear of an uprising the Qing troops In razed the Fukien Shaolin Temple to the ground in 1760. It is said that Shim Sim Si (Jee Shim “Chan Buddhist Teacher”) Fung Dao-Duk, Mui Hin, Bak Mei Dao Yan (“White Eyebrows, Taoist) and Ng Mui Si Tai (Five Plums, Nun) escaped and became the famed “Five Ancestors”. It is more probable however that many more monks escaped the burning of Shaolin.

From Ng Mui and Yim Wing-Chun to the Red Junk Opera Company

Ng Mui is said to have sought refuge in the Bak Hok Jee (White Crane Temple) of the Daliang Shan on the borders of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. Ng Mui is said to have witnessed the fight between a snake and a crane. Ng Mui is said to have incorporated the strengths and tactics of the snake and crane into her existing Kung Fu skills. Ng Mui would travel from Bak Hok Jee to a nearby Yunnan village where she met Yim Yee who sold tofu. Yim Yee’s daughter was called Yim Wing-Chun.

One day Ng Mui found Yim Wing-Chun in tears and it transpired that the local gangster had come to town and taken a liking to Yim Wing-Chun. He had sworn to return a short time later to claim her as his wife. Ng Mui could not fight the gangster herself for fear of exposing herself to the Qing soldiers so she took Yim Wing-Chun to the temple to teach her Kung Fu so that she could learn to fight for herself. Yim Wing-Chun needed to learn Kung Fu very quickly so she could defeat the gangster before he returned so Ng Mui taught Yim Wing-Chun the simple, efficient and effective techniques developed at the Fukien Shaolin Temple and combined these with the insights gained watching the snake and crane fight at Bak Hok Jee. Wing-Chun is said to have practiced very hard and defeated the gangster when he returned.

Yim Wing-Chun is said to have later married Leung Bok-Cho to whom she taught her style of Kung Fu. Leung Bok-Cho is then said to have passed on “Wing-Chun’s Kung Fu” to Red Junk Opera Company performer Leung Lan-Kwai. Leung Lan-Kwai in turn passed on “Wing-Chun’s Kung Fu” to fellow Red Junk Opera performer Wong Wah-Bo. Wong Wah-Bo worked on the Red Junk with Leung Yee-Tai. It is also said that Jee Shim (one of the “Five Ancestors”) had disguised himself as a cook and was on the Red Junk. Jee Shim taught the “six-and-a-half-point pole” techniques to Leung Yee-Tai (said to have been the Red Junk’s poler). Wong Wah-Bo and Leung Yee-Tai exchanged martial arts and together improved their Kung Fu. There are many versions of the Ng Mui and Yim Wing-Chun fable. The above is most popular version.

Both Wong Wah-Bo and Leung Yee-Tai passed their knowledge on to Leung Jan, a well known herbalist in Foshan. Leung Jan taught Chan Wah-Shun and his Leung Bik and Leung Chun. Chan Wah-Shun then taught Yip Man. Yip Man taught few students in Foshan (including Lun Kai Si-Jo) before moving to Hong Kong where he taught many more

The Red Junk Opera Company (Hung Sung Hay Ban)

It is more probable that after the burning of the Fukien Shaolin Temple that Ming rebels took refuge within the Cantonese Red Junk Opera Society. The rebels used their cover as opera performers to move from village to village without alerting Qing troops. At night the Ming rebels were able to recruit and villagers to fight the Qing. Wong Wah-Bo, Leung Yee-tai, Dai Fa Min Kam (Painted Face Kam) and Gao Lo Chung were performers in the Red Junk Opera. Red Junk Opera members would have known both northern and southern boxing and weapons. As revolutionaries and rebels they needed close range fighting skills for self defence and the assignation of Qing officials on junks and the narrow alleys of Southern China. It is probable that these performers explored their Kung Fu and distilled movements that later became the core techniques of Wing Chun Kuen. Wing Chun Kuen probably began as separate hand techniques and later developed into forms (which accounts for both the similarities and differences between the major Wing Chun Kuen styles).

In the late 1800’s Wing Chun Kuen moved from the Red Junk’s to local villages on their route (including Zhaojing, Foshan and Guangzhou). At this point Wing Chun Kuen was probably used to protect villages against bandits and for self protection. When the Red Junk Opera performers retired they passed their knowledge onto Leung Jan, Fung Siu-Ching, Fok Bo-Chuen, Cho Dak-On, Lok Lan-Gong, Cheung Gung amongst others.

Leung Jan was taught by Wong Wah-Bo and Leung Yee-Tai. He owned a herbalist shop (called Jan Sang Tong or “Mr. Jan’s Hall) on Fai Jee street in Foshan. He was known as Wing Chun Wong (or “King of Wing Chun”). Leung Jan taught his sons Leung Bik and Leung Chun and also Chan Wah-Shun (also called Jiao-Chin Wah or “Moneychanger Wah”).

From Yip Man Wing Chun Kuen Spreads Globally

Yip Man was Chan Wah-Shun’s final student. Yip Man came from an affluent family. Eager to learn Kung Fu the young Yip Man (aged 13) approached Chan Wah-Shun. Thinking Yip Man was too gentle and scholarly to learn Kung Fu, Chan Wah-Shun attempted to discourage him and asked a hefty fee. Yip Man returned with the money. Chan Wah-Shun believing that Yip Man must have stolen the money took the youngster to his parents only to learn that Yip Man had offered his life savings.

At first Yip Man did not teach anyone, but during the Japanese occupation Yip Man saw his wealth dwindle. In 1941 he took on some students in a nearby village. These included Chow Kwong-Yiu, Kwok Fu, Chan Chi-Sun, Chow Sai and Lun Kai. All but Kwok Fu and our master, Ji Jo Lun Kai, have passed away. Kwok Fu and Lun Kai continue to teach Wing Chun Kuen in Foshan.

In 1949 Mao Zedong’s Communist Party took power in China. Under Communist rule Yip Man lost his wealth and property and he was forced to go to Hong Kong. No longer wealthy, Yip Man took shelter at the Restaurant Workers Association in Kowloon. Teaching Choy Lay-Fut at the Association at the time was Leung Sheung. It is said that Yip Man criticized Leung Sheung’s Kung Fu. Leung Sheung challenged Yip Man and the result was Leung Sheung asking to be Yip Man’s student. In late 1950 Yip Man had 12 students but his reputation grew and by the end of 1951 he had more than 40.

Yip Man’s Hong Kong students include: Leung Sheung, Lok Yiu, Tsui Seung-Tin, Wong Shun-Leung, Chung Chuk-Hing (Willian Cheung), Lee Siu Lung (Bruce Lee), Cheung Hok-Kin (Hawkins Cheung), Lo Man-Kam (Yip Man’s nephew), Yip Chun and Yip Ching (Yip Man’s sons). Also: Kan Wah-Chit (Victor Can), Leung Ting, Ho Kam Ming, Fung Hon (Stewart Fung), Chan Sing (Chris Chan), Leung Siu-Hung (Duncan Leung), Fong Chi-Wing (Augustine Fong), Chung Man-Lin (Ken Chung), Chong Yin-Cheung (Eddie Chong), Yeung Biu (Robert Yeung) and many others.

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