Wing Chun delighted the world with fearless men of Kung Fu
Leung Jan, Ip Man and Bruce Lee were masters of Wing Chun
Statues of Wing Chun stances and Bruce Lee
Wing Chun led to Bruce Lee and Kung Fu legacy
Wing Chun and the Chinese martial arts of Kung Fu have roots stretching back to ancient dynasties and have become synonymous with Chinese culture and identity.
Altar at the Wing Chun Heritage Exhibition Hall
With a history reaching back to the Shang (1600-1046 BCE) and Zhou dynasties (1046-256 BCE), Kung Fu is steeped in tradition with some references even dating the origins of martial arts as far back as the Xia dynasty (2070-1600 BCE).
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Whatever the legend, Kung Fu has been practised and refined throughout Chinese history to become a well-recognised style of martial arts.
Interior of Wing Chun Heritage Exhibition Hall
In contemporary culture, Kung Fu is often mentioned synonymously with the man who made it famous in the West – Bruce Lee.
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Through a handful of movies, he made Kung Fu cool and hip. Tragically, Bruce Lee died at age 32, but when he passed in 1973, he was still handsome, fit and robust – a gorgeous modern symbol for an ancient art.
Courtyard of Wing Chun Heritage Exhibition Hall
He left an indelible legacy that has been celebrated since that time in popular culture, more so in the West than in China, where Kung Fu began.
The first literary references to Kung Fu show that it was used for basic self-defence and military training.
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Between the Qin (221-207 BCE) and Han dynasties (206-220 BCE), wrestling, swordplay and spear skills – all components of Kung Fu – were daily practices for civilians and troops alike. But Kung Fu did not develop homogeneously and differed throughout China.
Wing Chun Long pole and Muk Jong (wooden dummy)
By the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD), various styles had been established in different regions of the country.
Stylised movements popularised by masters of novel techniques
Through the Ming (1368-1644 AD) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911), Kung Fu had reached its peak, spreading throughout China in hundreds of specialised forms.
Wax figures of the master with his student
Masters taught their own styles of Kung Fu to small batches of loyal students, who in turn took their skills and expertise to new recruits, developing new techniques along the way.
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Some styles were classified by their geographic locations, and others through their specific stylised movements, while some were popularised through the masters who created novel techniques.
Display of pottery
Some well-known examples include the Shaolin School based in the Shaolin Temple in Henan, a style steeped in Buddhist philosophy and widely attributed as the first example of institutionalised Chinese martial arts.
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Another popular style of Kung Fu, further separated into different schools, is Tai Chi, a style classified by fluid motions that meld Taoism, traditional Chinese medicine and physical exercise into a series of movements.
Concrete dumbbells
Despite the various styles and philosophical ideologies behind them, Kung Fu became an important part of Chinese nationality in 1840.
Kung Fu encouraged to strengthen the nation
After the first Sino-British Opium War, martial arts groups cropped up as pockets of resistance against the British army invading Guangdong.
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During the turbulent period from 1912 to 1949 (between the fall of the Qing dynasty, the Japanese Invasion and the Chinese civil war), Kung Fu masters were encouraged to teach their skills openly.
Mortar and pestles, and vases
Overall, their intent was to strengthen the nation through a shared skill and pride for the martial arts. But many of these masters were forced to migrate to Taiwan and Hong Kong after 1949, as the People’s Republic of China began to form.
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Through their exodus, Kung Fu spread beyond the borders of China, entering Western popular culture with its promotion by Bruce Lee and by his teacher Ye Wen, also known as Ip Man in Hong Kong.
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Through numerous contemporary movies, the legend of Ip Man reached iconic status, even surpassing the fame of his most famous student.
A Muk Jung (wooden dummy)
Ip Man was a master of the Wing Chun style of Kung Fu, particularly popular in southern China. His legacy in Hong Kong is a tale common to that era.
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Fleeing China as the son of a wealthy family, Ip Man finds himself in Hong Kong, impoverished and invisible. Yet his martial arts skills were quickly noted by a few young men, who sought out Ip Man to be their master.
Concrete barbells
Thus began an illustrious career for Ip Man, who taught from 1950 until his death in 1972 in various locations around Hong Kong. Ip Man taught many pupils who became master martial artists and who have helped popularise Wing Chun.
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The origin of this particular style of Kung Fu has been attributed to Leung Jan (1825-1894), who taught those that subsequently taught Ip Man.
Leung Jan who popularised Wing Chun
Known as the great master of Wing Chun, Leung Jan was a scholar and a skilled herbal doctor. After he retired, he began to take on apprentices and taught a simplified version of Wing Chun in his birthplace of Heshan, Guangdong province.
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The Wing Chun Heritage Exhibition Hall in Heshan provides a place of pilgrimage for students and a place of curiosity for those who are interested in knowing more about the development of Kung Fu in China.
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The exhibits housed in the courtyard of his old home detail the life and work of Leung Jan, as well as the different techniques and teaching styles prominent in Wing Chun.
Wing Chun poses in the gym
The exhibition provides visitors a picture of how the Heshan School of Wing Chun rose to prominence throughout Guangdong and Hong Kong.
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Because of Leung Jan’s legacy, hundreds of thousands of Heshan residents now practice Wing Chun regularly, and it has replaced traditional exercises in local schools.
Evolution of Kung Fu from self-defence to sport
Times and sentiments have changed since the era of Bruce Lee. Kung Fu has moved away from a form of self-defence to a sport and a celebration of history and culture.
A kick frozen in time
The 2017 Heshan Wing Chun International Invitational, a major martial arts event was hosted. The event brought thousands of practitioners and fans from around the world to the hometown of Leung Jan and promotes Chinese martial arts and culture locally and abroad.
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For martial arts devotees, consider visiting A Man Beyond the Ordinary: Bruce Lee, a permanent exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum that presents the life and legacy of the icon of Kung Fu.
Text & photos by Cammy Yiu
