WingTsun History

The common legend as told by Great Grandmaster Yip Man involves the young woman Yim Wing Tsun (Chun) at the time after the destruction of the Southern Shaolin and its associated temples by the Qing government approximately 250 years ago. After Wing Tsun rebuffs the local warlord's marriage offer, he says he'll rescind his proposal if she can beat him in a martial arts match. She asks a Buddhist nun- Ng Mui, who was one of the Shaolin Sect survivors, to teach her boxing and self-defense; this still nameless style enables Yim Wing Tsun to defeat the warlord. She thereafter marries Leung Bac-Chou and teaches him the concepts, which he names after her.

It should be noted that the system was developed during the Shaolin and Ming resistance movement against the Qing Dynasty, and thus many legends about the creator of WT were spread to confuse the enemy, including the story of Yim Wing Tsun. This perhaps explains why no one has been able to accurately determine the creator or creators of this ancient Chinese fighting system.

Lineage

The official lineage of Wing Tsun, leading up to Leung Ting, is as follows:

Ng Mui(五枚)

• Yim Wing Tsun (嚴詠春)
  • Leung Bok Chau (梁博儔)
    • Leung Lan Kwai (梁蘭桂)
      • Wong Wah Bo (黃華寶) & Leung Yee Tei (梁二娣)
        • Leung Jan (梁贊)
          • Chan Wah Shun (陳華順)
            • Yip Man (葉問)
              • Leung Ting (梁挺)

 

 

 

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