A Brief History

Wing Chun is the only martial art that was developed by a woman. During the Ching Dynasty over 250 years ago, the minority the Manchus ruled the majority the Hans. The Shaolin Temple became a sanctuary in preparation of a revolutionary army.  At the temple, five of China's grand masters got together and conceded many martial arts at the time took too long, typically between 15 to 20 years, to master.  To develop a new style, one that would have a shorter training time, they took the most efficient techniques from each style. They came up with a program that develops an efficient martial artist in 5 to 7 years.

The Ching Government, fearing the skills of these fighting monks, burned down the temple and tried to kill everyone inside.  The temple's top nun, named Ng Mui (pronounced Wu Mei), escaped with her high level of martial skills. She fled to a small village and soon met Miss Yim Wing Chun, whom the style is named after.  Wing Chun then passed the system to her husband.

The Wing Chun system was kept in secrecy and was continually refined through fighting experience. It was passed down over the years only to family members or to close friends.  Wing Chun was taught in this manner until in 1949 when Grand Master Yip Man fled the Communist take over in China and settled in Hong Kong. Due to financial necessity, he opened the first ever Wing Chun School. Yip Man taught from 1949 until near his death in 1972 at the age of 79. During this time period, he instructed many students in the art of Wing Chun, including the late Bruce Lee.