 Bruce Lee (1940-1973) Although this gave Wing Chun international recognition, it also led to a lot of misconceptions. Due to a lack of authentic information, many mistakenly came to assume that the renowned Yip Man was the sole inheritor of the style and that his Wing Chun was the lone version of the art.
In fact, there are several different and distinct systems of Wing Chun. Unfortunately, over the years most of these systems have remained unseen or unreported to all but a few. From where then do these misconceptions come?
Over time, Wing Chun's history has become a mishmash of factual accounts and fictionalized stories. Early secrecy and modern marketing did much to create and fuel the confusion. Legendary figures like Ng Mui and Yim Wing-Chun are believed to be the sole founders of the art and a single lineage through Leung Bok-Chao, Leung Lan-Kwai, Wong Wah-Bo, and Leung Yee-Tai to Leung Jan has become accepted as the only branch.
The doors of Wing Chun, however, were never this closed, nor the line this limited. Over the generations, many highly skilled masters of the past have learned the art, contributed enormously to its development, and passed along their knowledge. Yet, masters such as Cheung "Tan Sao" Ng and many of the Red Junk actors like Dai Fa Min Kam, Gao Lo Chung, Hung Can Biu and their descendants have disappeared entirely from all but a very few records.
As Wing Chun's origins and development have remained relatively unknown, so has its true breadth. Inside the Bamboo Curtain of the People's Republic of China, however, many branches including the Yuen Kay-San, Gu Lao, Pao Fa Lien, Jee Shim, Pan Nam, Hung Suen, Pien San, and even the early Foshan students of Yip Man survived the rise of communism and the Cultural Revolution. While the Yip Man style was brought to Hong Kong around 1950, the Yuen Kay-San, Pao Fa Lien, Pien San, and Jee Shim styles followed soon thereafter. Beyond China, Wing Chun spread into Southeast Asia over half a century ago and today many unique versions of the art can be found in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and surrounding areas.
Thus, it has been very difficult, to find real information on the Wing Chun family of styles, especially in the western world.
(Following the introduction of the book “Complete Wing Chun – The Definitive Guide to Wing Chun’s History and Traditions” written by Robert Chu, Rene Ritchie and Y. Wu) |
