Popular version of Wing Chun's history

The founder of the Wing Chun Kung Fu system, Miss Yim Ving Tsun was a native of the Canton Province in China. As a young girl, she was intelligent and athletic, upstanding and manly. She was betrothed to Leung Bok Chau, a salt merchant of Fukien. Soon after that her mother died. Her father, Yim Yee, was wrongly accused of a crime and nearly went to jail. So the family moved far away and finally settled down at the foot of Tai Leung Mountain at the Yunnan-Szechuan border. All this happened during the reign of Emperor K'anghsi (1662-1722).

At the time Kung Fu was becoming very strong in Siu Lam Monastery (Shaolin Temple) of Mount Sung, Honan. This aroused the fear of the Manchu government, which tried to get the monks to teach their fighting skills to the army. The monks refused and the temple was attacked numerous times but the warrior monks could not be defeated. A man called Man Wai came top of his graduation class in the civil service examination that year. He was seeking favour with the government and suggested a plan. He plotted with Ma Ning Yee a corrupt monk and others on how to bring about the destruction of Siu Lam. Ma Ning Yee got hold of the plans to the temples lay-out and started fires in the inside of the temple. At the same time soldiers attacked it from the outside the monks caught unaware were massacred. But as with all massacres there is survivors the Venerable five. Buddhist Abbess Ng Mui, Abbot Chi Shin, Abbot Pak Mei, Master Fung To Tak, and Master Mui Hin escaped through some of the secret passageways and fled their separate ways.

Instead of joining the others in rebelling and finding a way of over throwing the government Ng Mui walked the countryside looking for shelter she found the white Crane temple on mount Tai Leung and stayed there. She was the best boxer in the temple and she analysed the way the styles being taught to the government troops were full of faults as the styles were copied from animals such as eagles and tiger styles low stances and long swinging punches. These were mainly for shows and demonstration and not practical for fighting. She watched a fight between a Crane and Snake noting how the Crane covered using its Wing and counter attacked with its beak and the Snake's direct striking method. She decided to create a fighting style based upon these principles. Whilst taking refuge in the temple she ventured down to the village and brought bean curds at the stall where YimYee and his daughter Yim Ving Tsun and became friendly with them.

Ving Tsun was a 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 of this and took pity on Ving Tsun; she agreed to teach Ving Tsun her new fighting techniques so that she could protect herself. Then she struck a deal with the bully to take Ving Tsun away for a year and teach her to fight then if the bully could beat her she would have to marry him. A year passed and the day of the fight arrived Ving Tsun easily defeated the bully and his gang and was free to marry Leung Bok Chau. Ng Mui then set off on more travels around the country, but before she left she told Ving Tsun to strictly honour the Kung Fu traditions, to develop her Kung Fu after her marriage and to help overthrow the Manchu government and restore the Ming Dynasty.

This is how Abbess Ng Mui handed down Wing Chun Kung Fu

The Kung Fu techniques of the Wing Chun system were passed down through many individuals. The most recognised Wing Chun Master of the modern era is without doubt Grandmaster Ip Man whose teachings have influenced millions of practitioners of the Wing Chun system all over the world. Grandmaster Ip Man passed away in 1972, however his network of knowledgeable and talented instructors still continue to keep Wing Chun amongst the most respected and effective Martial Art of the present day. Grandmaster Yip Chun the eldest son of Grandmaster Ip Man, has continued to promote the Wing Chun system across the World with great success. One of his greatest success stories has been Master Samuel Kwok, the chief overseas representative of Ip Chun Martial Arts Association. Master Kwok has raised the standard of Wing Chun in this country consistently over the years and has parted his knowledge onto thousands of students. One in particular has been taught from an early age and has grown up to be the leading representative in the UK in Wing Chun Sifu Gary Payne. Sifu Gary Payne's physical ability and knowledge of Wing Chun Kung Fu is unique and can only benefit Wing Chun within this country.

The journey we have taken through the history of the Wing Chun Kung Fu system has led to my instructor Master Gary Payne and then onto myself Sifu Gary Jamison.