It is normally challenging to research the history of Chinese Kung Fu due to the scarcity of written records on the same topic. For most of the Kung FU communities, the clan practices and history was passed down from one generation to the other orally. With time, the descendant themselves became the teachers and taught the new generation according to what they learned from their ancestors. Thus, history and traditions were transitioned from one generation to the rest through word of mouth.
In “Wing Chun Kung-Fu,” Yim Lee gives a brief description of the origin of Wing Chun and proceeds to give evaluate some of the techniques that are used in this martial art. According to the author, Wing Chun was founded almost four hundred years ago by a woman called Yim Wing Chun (Yimm 13). The technique of self-defense was passed down to Yim Wing Chun by a Buddhist nun known as Ng Mui. Yim passed the skills to the later generations namely Leong Bok Sui, Wong Wah Bo, Leong Jon, Yip Man, Leong Sheong and Wong Soon Sum (Yimm 13). Martial arts was common among nuns at the time as most of them were expected to be fierce fighters.
Yim Wing Chun is still considered the founder of the wing chun system despite the fact she also learned it from another person. The author asserts that Yim Wing Chun was of the opinion that a lot of focus was being placed on the “hard style” that were obvious in other systems. As a woman in martial arts, she felt that there was a need to complement the hard style with some wiser actions. She created the Chi Sao practice that enabled the efficient use of energy by allowing a fighter to flow with the pace of the opponent instead of attempting to dominate the opponent. The wing chun style is thus common with women as a compact, economical defense strategy.
Works Cited
Yimm Lee. "A Brief History of the Wing Chun." Wing Chun Kung-Fu. N.p.: Ohara Publications Inc, 2014. Available at < https://archive.org/stream/pdfy- mvwirnj1fxzzT9nP/Wing%20Chun%20Kung-Fu#page/n1/mode/2up>.
