stance, which calls for feet shoulder-width apart with the toes and knees
turned in at 45-degree angles. The system favors flowing with an opponent
rather than meeting force with force and deflecting strikes with one’s own
strikes at such an angle as to simultaneously block and attack. Therefore,
yongchun is well suited for use by a smaller, weaker person against a larger,
stronger one.
Finally, yongchun, unlike the overwhelming majority of Asian martial
arts and many non-Asian ones, is notable for its absence of ritual. The pri-
mary example of this is the fact that the yongchun sets begin without the
formal bow that precedes the forms of most other martial arts.
Yongchun systems exist that developed parallel to Yip Man’s. Since
the 1970s, however, Yip’s system has enjoyed overwhelming international
popularity. Some of this is due to Grand Master Yip himself; he developed
an effective system and introduced it to the public before his rivals. More
importantly, though, he taught film star Bruce Lee (1940–1973) yongchun
in the mid-1950s. Lee vocally acknowledged his debt to Yip throughout his
career. As a result of these factors, Yip’s students, such as Hawkins Che-
ung, Leung Ting, William Cheung, and others, have successfully perpetu-
ated the Yip system of yongchun.
During the 1960s, Bruce Lee developed his own martial systems,
which expanded on and departed from the yongchun techniques he learned
from Yip Man. For example, Jeet Kune Do translates as “intercepting fist
way”; the intercepting fist is also a principle of yongchun.
In Hong Kong, Leung Ting has sought to systematize and popularize
Yip Man’s yongchun by introducing a highly structured curriculum, a rank-
ing hierarchy, uniforms, and diplomas under the auspices of the Wing Tsun
Leung Ting Martial Arts Association.
Yongchun systems, unlike many other martial arts, show no sign of
developing into sports. Their compact movements lack the spectacular ac-
robatics that have caused other arts to capture public attention. As a prac-
tical defensive art, however, the international popularity of yongchun con-
tinues undiminished.
Thomas A. Green
See alsoBoxing, Chinese; Boxing, Chinese Shaolin Styles; Folklore in
the Martial Arts; Women in the Martial Arts: China; Written Texts:
China
References
Chaudhuri, Joyotpaul. 1995. “Defending the Motherline: Wing Chun’s Sil
Lim Tao.” Journal of Asian Martial Arts4, no. 4: 70–83.
Cheung, Hawkins. 1987. “The Beginning of Modern Day Wing Chun.”
Inside Kung-Fu14 (January): 58–64, 106–108.
Godwin, Karl. 1986. “In Search of Wing Chun’s Roots.” Black Belt 24
(June): 39–42, 92.Yongchun/Wing Chun 785