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Wing Chun

Close range, centre line.

Close-range southern Chinese kung fu: centre line, chain punches, sticky hands (chi sao) and the wooden dummy. Made famous by Ip Man and his student Bruce Lee.

Fact file

Country
China
Founder / origin
Ng Mui & Yim Wing-chun (legend); Leung Jan (tradition)
Year / period
18th–19th century
Type
Striking
Style of
Kung Fu
Sources: Ving Tsun Athletic Association (Hong Kong) · Encyclopaedia Britannica

History

Wing Chun is a southern Chinese style of close-range fighting. Legend says it was created by the nun Ng Mui and named after her student Yim Wing-chun; historically it spread through the Red Boat Opera troupes and the city of Foshan, where Leung Jan taught it in the 19th century.

In 1949 Ip Man moved to Hong Kong and began teaching Wing Chun publicly. Among his students was a young Bruce Lee. Today Wing Chun is practised worldwide and its training methods are among the best known in kung fu.