The History of Ving Tsun
Please note that in discussing the History of this unique style I will originally be using the spelling Wing Chun. Wing Chun is the more commonly known spelling of the System and is widely used within the Yip Man Lineage. However, Ving Tsun is the spelling that was given to the System by Master Wong Shun Leung, my Sigung. He used the more traditional spelling to denote the "V" of Ving Tsun as the Victory Fist. Master Wong Shun Leung had developed a highly practical System of In-Fighting based on his numerous challenge fights or Beimo and thus wanted to preserve his teachings with the name of Victory and thus used the Ving Tsun spelling to denote the Victory Fist devloped through his unique System.
For clarity sake then:
Wing Chun is the more commonly known spelling of the System and is traditionally used outside of the Wong Shun Leung Circle
WingTsun is the System developed by Leung Ting
Ving Tsun is the name commonly given to the Wong Shun Leung System
For clarity sake then:
Wing Chun is the more commonly known spelling of the System and is traditionally used outside of the Wong Shun Leung Circle
WingTsun is the System developed by Leung Ting
Ving Tsun is the name commonly given to the Wong Shun Leung System
The Qing Dynasty, Shaolin Monastery and the Venerable Five
During the Qing Dynasty, the Shaolin Monastery offered refuge to many anti-government revolutionaries as such the Manchus decided to raid the Shaolin Monastery and proceeded to set siege to the Monastery, burning it and in so doing killed many of the Monks and Nuns, residing there. In fact history states that only five survived the carnage. One of these five was a Nun called Ng Mui, who would play historical part in the history of the Wing Chun System. Ng Mui had to flee and hide from the Manchu Troops and thus retired to the White Crane Mountain and it was here in this province that she met and befriended a girl called Yim Wing Chun. The story states that Yim Wing Chun was a beautiful woman who was being harrased by a local warlord and his gang. Ng Mui seeing the plight of this beautiful maiden decided to teach her the skills of Kung Fu that she had learned at the Shaolin Temple. Yim Wing Chun using the skills developed at the Shaolin Monastery, skills which had been developed by the Venerable Five to defeat the Long Bridge Methods of the Manchus who ruled in the Qing Dynatsy, easily defeated the warlord and his henchmen. As such history states that Yim Wing Chun was left in peace and later married Leung Bok Chao whom she later taught her fighting skills to. In honour of his wife, her husband named the System of Kung Fu he had learned from her as Wing Chun. The story then states that Leung Bok Chao passed on the Wing Chun skills to members of the Red Boat Opera Troupe. The Red Boat Opera Troupe were performing artists who toured via the Red Boats or Long Boats. In fact legend reveals that many of the performers were highly skilled Martial Artists who were anti government revolutionaries who used their profession on the Red Boats to disguise or hide what they were doing in spreading anti government messages. Leung Bok Chao taught the System to Leung Lan Kwai, who in turn taught it to Leung Yee Tai and Wong Wah Bo. Leung Yee Tai met up with and became friends with Jee Shim a cook on the Red Boats who was in fact one of the Venerable Five being an Abbot from the burned down Shaolin Monastery. Jee Shim was a Master of the Pole Pattern and taught this to Leung Yee Tai who in turn added it to the Wing Chun System as the Luk Dim Boon Kwan (Six and Half Long Pole Techniques). Legend states that Leung Yee Tai and Wong Wah Bo would later become the teachers of Leung Jan, who would go on to become a very famous Master in his own right. Leung Jan was a famous herbalist and bone setter as well as being an outstanding Martial Artist. He ran a busy Practice which healed people and also taught people the Art of Kung Fu. He is famed for having many challenge matches. Amongst his students were his sons, Leung Chun and Leung Bik, as well as a Money Changer called Chan Wah Shun.
Yip Man
The story then moves onto Yip Man who became the last student of Chan Wah Shun in the mid 1800's. When Chan Wah Shun passed away, Yip Man learnt from his Senior Disciples. There is a story that a brash and arrogant Yip Man challenged a Master of Kung Fu when Yip Man was schooling in Hong Kong in the early 1900's. The Master turned out to be none other than Leung Bik, the son of Yip Man's Grandmaster namely Leung Jan. Yip Man continued learning his Wing Chun from Leung Bik, adding to the knowledge from Chan Wah Shun, prior to returning to China. However, Yip Man in 1949
due to the Communist takeover of China, lost his family fortune and had to leave to seek refuge in Hong Kong. Here he found sanctuary at the Restaurant Worker's Union. Yip Man began teaching Wing Chun to its members. This spread Wing Chun and it grew in fame as a noted System of Kung Fu. In time the name of Wing Chun as a formidable System of fighting spread outside of the Association.
due to the Communist takeover of China, lost his family fortune and had to leave to seek refuge in Hong Kong. Here he found sanctuary at the Restaurant Worker's Union. Yip Man began teaching Wing Chun to its members. This spread Wing Chun and it grew in fame as a noted System of Kung Fu. In time the name of Wing Chun as a formidable System of fighting spread outside of the Association.
Wong Shun Leung
One of the most senior students of Yip Man and the most formidable fighter of the Wing Chun Clan was Sifu Doug Clark's Sigung namely Wong Shun Leung. Wong Shun Leung originally studied Western Boxing and Tai Chi Chaun prior to learning Wing Chun. The story states that a young Wong Shun Leung had gone to Yip Man's School and challenged the students there. After defeating the students who were not the most senior as it was the time of Chinese New Year, Yip Man was forced to fight the young Wong Shun Leung, who quickly found his attacks intercepted and nullified. This convinced Wong Shun leung of the efficacy of the System as being practical and useful for fighting and Yip Man accepted him as a student.
In fact Sigung Wong Shun Leung would go on to become the most gifted of the Wing Chun fighters and make a considerable name for himself as the Gong Sau Wong or King of Talking Hands. Talking Hands being a polite way of referring to no holds fights held on the rooftops of Hong Kong, called Beimo. Sigung Wong Shun Leung continued his studies of Wing Chun with Yip Man and became an Assistant Instructor at his School until Yip Man's passing in 1972. Sigung Wong Shun Leung would go onto spread and develop his own unique System of Wing Chun which he called Ving Tsun, he taught lots of people throughout the world but fewer still were direct line students of the great man who unfortunately passed away on the 28th January 1997.
In fact Sigung Wong Shun Leung would go on to become the most gifted of the Wing Chun fighters and make a considerable name for himself as the Gong Sau Wong or King of Talking Hands. Talking Hands being a polite way of referring to no holds fights held on the rooftops of Hong Kong, called Beimo. Sigung Wong Shun Leung continued his studies of Wing Chun with Yip Man and became an Assistant Instructor at his School until Yip Man's passing in 1972. Sigung Wong Shun Leung would go onto spread and develop his own unique System of Wing Chun which he called Ving Tsun, he taught lots of people throughout the world but fewer still were direct line students of the great man who unfortunately passed away on the 28th January 1997.
Anthony Kan
This photograph shows Sifu Anthony Kan with his Sifu namely Master Wong Shun Leung.
Anthony Kan was a close friend and personal student of the late great Master Wong Shun Leung. Sifu Anthony Kan was certified as a Senior Instructor directly by his Sifu Wong Shun Leung. Sifu Anthony Kan is also a highly gifted student of his Sifu and an outstanding Master of Ving Tsun Kung Fu.
Sifu Doug Clark was honoured to become a direct line student and good friend of Sifu Anthony Kan, beginning his studies in late 1993 and continuing instruction with him to date.
Anthony Kan was a close friend and personal student of the late great Master Wong Shun Leung. Sifu Anthony Kan was certified as a Senior Instructor directly by his Sifu Wong Shun Leung. Sifu Anthony Kan is also a highly gifted student of his Sifu and an outstanding Master of Ving Tsun Kung Fu.
Sifu Doug Clark was honoured to become a direct line student and good friend of Sifu Anthony Kan, beginning his studies in late 1993 and continuing instruction with him to date.