74 ƫđƫ333ċ (%06) #ċ*!0 | (^) FEATURE STORY
- Dim mak (vital
acupuncture points that cause
blackouts or internal injury):
Being able to injure or kill an
opponent required knowledge of
the body’s vulnerable points. - Forms and training
methods: Deeper knowledge of
a martial art’s forms and training
methods was passed on only to
trusted students to enable them
to reach higher levels or develop
unusual abilities. This training
usually did not encompass
learning a whole new system but
focused on essential points or the
essence of certain forms. - Nei gung training: This
cultivation of internal energy or
force involved training similar to
tai chi. The idea was to pass on
simple but effective techniques
to build the student’s nei gung to
set him apart from others.
In modern times, of course,
all of this has lost its original
meaning. For example, an injured
student can simply visit a doctor
or be sent to the hospital instead
of being treated by his sifu. In the
old days, most masters had only
a handful of students who would
literally support their master’s
life, financially and otherwise.
All this had changed by the time
Yip Man came on the scene.
Firstly, Yip Man never appointed
a successor (jeung muhn yahn
in Cantonese), according to his
son Yip Chun. He was also open
to having many students. One
of the benefits that we are all
reaping now is that he produced
a good many teachers who
themselves, or their students,
have branched out all over the
world. While Yip Man didn’t
necessarily pick those he wanted
to go into teaching, he did
encourage his students to do so.
Although Yip Man didn’t
follow many of the traditions
described above, he did take
on private students. And it’s
entirely possible that he passed
on ‘secrets’ or deeper elements of
Wing Chun to them. Some say
that his private students’ skills
were better in some areas — for
example, greater dissection of
the wooden dummy form or
better hand placement. But the
difference is that Yip Man likely
did not select his private students
but accepted them on the basis of
financial remuneration. It may be
noteworthy that Bruce Lee and
Duncan Leung (Yip Man’s first
private student in Hong Kong)
took private lessons with Yip
Man together.
Yip Man’s less traditional
approach might also partly
explain why his lineage has
become so popular. Compared to
other Wing Chun lineages that
were confined to a closed and
xenophobic China, and perhaps
just to a small village, the location
of Hong Kong as Yip Man’s new
base offered the world a window
into Chinese culture and martial
arts. And the fact that many of
his students and their disciples
migrated overseas from Hong
Kong is also an important factor
in the spread of the lineage.
And of course we cannot
overlook Bruce Lee’s impact
on the popularity of Yip Man’sWing Chun throughout
the world.
However, while
Yip Man’s lineage is
probably the most
popular, other lineages
have played an
important role in
Wing Chun’s overall
evolution. These
include the Wing
Chun systems Pao
Fa Lin, Snake Crane, Yuan Kay
Shan, Chan Yui Min, Gulao,
Fung Siu Ching, Ban Chung,
Hung Suen, Jee Shin, Fujian and
others. Different lineages of the
art started breaking out during
the so-called ‘Red Boat’ period
in the 1850s (when the art was
kept alive among travelling
Chinese opera troupes on their
boats). The resulting different
branches of Wing Chun all had
their influences — for example,
from other kung fu styles or
via the introduction of chi gung
(internal energy) — but almost
all Wing Chun lineages haveDonald Mak flanked by
statues of Wing Chun’s
forefathers, from left: Fung
Kan Chu, Fung Chun, Wong
Wah Sam, Leung Jan, Chan
Wah Shun, Yip Man and
Bruce Lee.