A Wing Chun Odyssey: part I

Hong Kong, China and Beyond
by Benny Meng and the Ving Tsun Museum Group

In November of 1999, the Ving Tsun Museum, led by museum curator Benny Meng, set out on a martial arts odyssey to discover some of the roots and heritage of their system. From Hong Kong to Yip Man's Tomb, Ving Tsun conferences and banquets, Buddhist temples and Bruce Lee's hometown in China and a host of other historical kungfu haunts, it was a pilgrimage of spiritual, intellectual and cultural note. Here then is the group's chronicle of the journey - a journey into the heart of wing chun and kungfu.

Please note that this far reaching article may appeal both to the Wing Chun specialist and the general kungfu practitioner, and we have included both the more esoteric details of the 1st Ving Tsun conference as well as the exciting Hong Kong/China travelogue (and some mouth-watering menus). - Ed.

Ving Tsun Museum Group
The group consisted of Sifu Benny Meng, group leader, Simo Sunmi Park-Meng, Jeff Ramsey, Mike Mathews, Chango Noaks, Jeremy Roadruck, Steve Atkinson, Lee Geer, Darryl Holt, Christy Robinson, Jon Batteas, Gregory Cain, Sifu William Mason - student of Philip Holder, Richard Lee - student of Sam Chan, and Christian Saint-Pierre.

The Journey Begins
Leaving Chicago for Hong Kong we saw a movie on the plane called Brokendown Palace where two Westerners got locked away when visiting the Far East. This made Jeff Ramsey nervous. We arrive in Hong Kong after a 17 hour flight. The weather was overcast and dark. Much of the city was not seen from the air, just little points of light and small boats in the water. After passing customs, the Ving Tsun Museum group met up with their tour guide, Yanmy Chan. The baggage was put on a small, private bus. The ride to the hotel took 35 to 40 minutes. The hotel was located in Kowloon, as Hong Kong itself is an island. It would have taken 22 minutes by train from the new airport. A tour of Hong Kong was scheduled for Friday, but was moved to the second week as the World Conference started on Friday afternoon. The current rate of exchange was 7.5 Hong Kong dollars to 1 US dollar. The airport was big; security cameras and guards with radios everywhere. One Caucasian guard was dressed in full "swat" type clothes - flak vest and all - carrying a submachine gun.

On the way to the hotel, there was a tunnel. On the other side, tall buildings of many different colors were reflecting and shimmering off the waters far below. Hong Kong exists in 3 parts: Hong Kong Island, the New Territories, and Kowloon. Kowloon means Nine Dragons.

Apartment buildings were stacked like dominoes of cream and brown, speckled with yellow dots of light to our left. Hong Kong Island glittered off to the right; the bus passing close to the waterfront. A shipyard was off to the right, the masts of ships looking like discarded, used matchsticks. Everything was dark, calm, and quiet. The apartment buildings were stacked close enough together and could almost touch each other.

Arriving in downtown, the hotel was surrounded by a cornucopia of colors and signs, each crowded together screaming their messages. The hotel, located about half way between the Ving Tsun Athletic Association and Sifu Leung Ting's World Headquarters, was on Nathan Road. Many buildings were covered with skeletons of steel and wood, joined together. Daylight finds them filled with little people scurrying about like bugs; fixing, painting, building.

The Ving Tsun Museum group went across the street to eat dinner. It was a meal of 14 courses of Hakka cuisine. Sifu Benny Meng's father, Mr. Benjamin Meng recommended this type of food as one of the best of all Chinese cuisine. Afterwards, the Museum group went shopping at the open markets on Temple Street.

Visit to Grand Master Yip Man's Tomb

Day Two: Visit to Grand Master Yip Man's Tomb: (l/r) Ma Hang Lum, Yip Ching, Siu Yuk Men, Chu Shong Tin, William Cheung, Yip Ching, Lee Wai Chi

On our first morning the Ving Tsun Museum group went for a morning workout on the waterfront, consisting of a run and doing forms. It was followed by a Dim Sum breakfast. Then, it was time to go see Yip Man's tomb.

While waiting at the Mongkok terminal to go to the tomb, the Ving Tsun Museum group met two Ving Tsun practitioners from Poland, a group of Ving Tsun practitioners from Germany, and 3 Ving Tsun practitioners from Canada. We waited for almost an hour for our guide to show up because we were at the wrong end of the station. The tomb is at the Fung Ling (New Territories) Sin Koon stop on the train line.

Day Two: Fung Ling Temple at the foot of the Hill

Grand Master Yip Man's tomb is located on the top of a hill, covered with many other gravesites. At the foot of the hill, was a temple. The path to the grave goes behind a row of houses, up a narrow alley. The path changes from cement to dirt; the gravesites beginning close to this area. Chinese graves look somewhat similar to Western graves in that they both have a stone stating the name of the grave owner. However, Chinese graves are built into the side of a hill or mountain and on both sides of the grave stone are two semicircles, extending into the hill. With several family clusters, it was easy to see the generations of a single family in a sequence from the bottom of the hill up to higher elevations. Unfortunately for the families that had their family plots near the bottom of the hill, large amounts of trash were dumped out behind the row of houses.

The path leads up about a quarter of a mile up the hill, over many, many gravesites. When finally arriving at Grand Master Yip Man's tomb, there were already many people there. Among the people present were Sifu Chu Shong Tin, Sifu Yip Chun, Sifu Yip Ching, Sifu William Cheung, Sifu Lee Wai Chi, Sifu Siu Yuk Men, Sifu Ma Hang Lum, Sifu Pasco David, Sifu Ron Heimberger, and Sifu Philip Nearing. In front of the tomb was roast pig and incense filled the air. It is customary to offer incense and share the food and drink, offered at the tomb. Many photos were taken at the tomb.

1st Wing Chun World Conference
After arriving at Wa Ying College, the World Conference host location, a nametag and certificate were prepared for all participants. There was a book to be signed as well. Upstairs there were chairs everywhere with a booklet containing a schedule of the Conference and a card for comments or feedback. Each person was introduced in both Cantonese and English. Several were important men in martial arts circles outside of Ving Tsun, and the last 12 were direct students of the late Grand Master Yip Man.

1. Ian Fok Esq.
2. Mr. Lam Kin Ming
3. Mr. Kang Gewu
4. Mr. Ronald Luk
5. Mr. Yip Shing Cheuk
6. Mr. William Chan
7. Mr. Lewis Luk
8. Mr. Chu Shong Tin
9. Mr. Yip Chun
10. Mr. Yip Ching
11. Mr. Siu Yuk Men
12. Mr. Andrew Ma
13. Mr. Chan Nuen Lam
14. Mr. Lee Wai Chee
15. Mr. Francis Fong
16. Mr. William Cheung
17. Mr. Law Bing
18. Mr. Cheung Chi Shun
19. Mr. Pang Kam Fat

Sifu Chu Song Tin (Tsui Shong Tin) demonstrating Siu Nim Tau

There were speeches from the VIP's and presentation of banners by Mr. Lam Kin Wong - honorary president of the Hong Kong Chinese Martial Arts Association (Hong Kong CMAA), Mr. Ian Fok Esquire - Chairman of the Hong Kong Wushu Union and 5th World Wushu Championships. Next was Sifu Lewis Luk, a student of the late Sifu Wong Shun Leung. Sifu Luk was one of the principle organizers of the World Conference. He made an introduction of Hong Kong and China program, the Hong Kong and overseas representative, announcements of the 50 years anniversary book project, and introduction of international instructors. Following his introductions, were actual demonstrations by direct students of Grand Master Yip Man, including the Siu Nim Tau demonstrated by Sifu Chu Shong Tin, showing body unity and standing on one leg

Sifu Siu Yuk Men demonstrating Chum Kiu

Downstairs, in one of the large open rooms, food had been brought in. Two different meals were provided. During this time, many people met and discussed Ving Tsun with other practitioners from around the world. This time was also used to take photos and collect autographs from the attending direct students of Grand Master Yip Man and international sifu in attendance.

Members of the Museum group collected autographs from several non-active students of Grand Master Yip Man in the Ving Tsun Athletic Association Genealogy book. As they were signing, they began to reminisce about their training days, sharing stories of Bruce Lee and Sifu Moy Yat among others. A picture was taken for the Ving Tsun Museum archives.

Sifu Yip Ching emphasized BJ from a power generation perspective. He identifies several ways to generate power as expressed in the form:

1. Reactional Power - the movement of opposing extremities
2. Explosive Power - utilizing the body in up/down motions
3. Momentum Power - utilizing the body in twisting and stepping motions

Two demonstrators of the late Sifu Wong Shun Leung, Sifu Chiu Hok Yin and Sifu An Yeung Kim Man, demonstrated pole applications and demonstrated with a rarely seen 12' pole. Sifu Francis Wong presented two versions of his speech - one in Cantonese and one in English. Sifu Wong told the story of how he finished learning the doa and that he was in the last group to learn the doa directly from Grand Master Yip Man. Aside from demonstrating the form, he demonstrated some lethal applications and why he calls the Doa "choppers."

Following these presentations was a video of Grand Master Yip Man, showing the late Grand Master demonstrating SNT, CK and the MYJ. As proof of this video and its "unedited" format, a baby, the son of Sifu Yip Ching, walked across the screen. This video was made 16 days before the late Grand Master died.

Leaving for the night, everyone received a metal pin and yellow tee shirt. One constant distraction was profuse and multiple cacophony of cell phones ringing throughout the night. Several times, the Masters of Ceremonies asked members of the audience to turn off their phones.

When the conference started for the second day, a gentleman that learned from the late Grand Master Yip Man that had started his own organization presented information to the audience. He started around 1957, the same time as Sifu Moy Yat. Following several demonstrations by his students, a photo was taken.

To start, a student of Sifu Yip Chun demonstrated the MYJ. He played with little energy, emphasizing proper position as opposed to developing power w/o position. Sifu Yip Chun spoke:

"We have to open ourselves to the world and face the challenges of the future. Ving Tsun should be developed all over the world. Ving Tsun should be everlasting. How? We have to better ourselves in the present situations and in the future. The future depends on the development of technology. Violence should diminish and interest in health should be increasing. So, as the world faces the future, Ving Tsun can not stay at the same stage as Grand Master Yip Man?s 50 years ago. Ving Tsun no longer serves the purpose of only fighting; it should be developed into a health activity for the body (athletic), widely accepted by the world and easier to be understood as well. More importantly, we have to eliminate secrecy; we should be open. Why is soccer so popular? It is because everyone knows how to score. It is easy to understand. To develop Ving Tsun into an athletic activity, we have to understand this point. The best condition to do this in my opinion is Chi Sao Competition. However, different countries have different rules; the best rules are simple, precise, and concise, so that everyone can understand simply by watching. 2 pairs will be in competition and the rules are simple. For each successful blow, they will receive 1 point. For a heavy blow, there will be no points awarded. The aim is to eliminate violence."

Following this speech, two sets of people demonstrated Chi Sao under these rules. To demonstrate that these rules were very simple and easy to understand, Sifu Yip Chun asked for four volunteers to judge each competition. The format called for 2 rounds, 2 minutes long with a 1-minute break. The forbidden targets were the nose, throat, and other important areas of the body. The participants in the Chi Sao competition were members of the Wing Chun Class of Shatin Town Hall, the Wing Chun Martial Arts Association of City University of Hong Kong, and the Wing Chun Martial Arts Association of the University of Science and Technology.

Sifu Yip Chun demonstrated Chi Sao with his student and grand students.

Grading System proposed by the Ving Tsun Athletic Association
Ving Tsun Athletic Association has been certifying the approved instructors for over a decade. The certificates are widely accepted by the public. We need to review the system in order to strengthen the official position of our certificates. According to the current procedure, if any Ving Tsun student is certified by an approved instructor, they will be recognized as our approved instructors without further question. We would like to propose a new ranking system in order to protect the quality of the approved instructors.

The basic program will be divided into eight levels. They have to present their certificates from level 1 to 6 plus 5 years of training in order to qualify for the approved instructorship. Level 7 and 8 is classified as Further Study certificates which is for our instructors to further their research. The certificates from level 1 to 6 will be provided by our association. Our approved instructors shall have the right to issue these certificates on our behalf.

The assistant instructor certificate, full instructor certificate and the certificates for levels 7 and 8 will be issued by our association. The certificate for level 7 shall be certified by our approved instructors with over 15 years of teaching experience. The certificate for level 8 shall be certified by our approved instructors with over 20 years of teaching experience.

The minimum requirements for the certificates from level 1 to 8 are:

• Level 1 certificate: Siu Nim Tau and Single Chi Sau must be completed
  
• Level 2 certificate: Chum Kiu and basic Lok Sau or Pon Sau must be completed
  
• Level 3 certificate: Double Chi Sau and different kinds of Kua Sau must be completed
  
• Level 4 certificate: The first half of Wooden dummy (about 60 movements) must be completed.
  
• Level 5 certificate: Biu Jee must be completed Note: Individual instructors can re-schedule the Biu Jee curriculum into level 4. The first half of the Wooden Dummy can also be re-scheduled to level 5. You can apply for the Assistant Instructors Certificate when you complete this level.
• Level 6 certificate: The whole set of the Wooden Dummy must be completed.
  Note: You can apply for the Full Instructor Certificate when you complete level 6 and fulfill the minimum the basic training period of 5 years. Please be reminded that these are only the suggested minimum requirements of our association. Individual instructors can add in other techniques at each level according to their needs.
• Level 7 certificate: This level is for our approved instructors to further their studies. In order to receive this certificate, you have to complete the 6 1/2 point long pole or the equivalent curriculum. This certificate has to be renewed every three years. The instructors must provide documentary evidence to prove that they have participated in the equivalent curriculum during the past three years for every renewal.
  Note: Two Full (Senior) Instructor Certificate Curriculums have been organized by our association. We have issued 36 certificates already. Some people thought that it was not good to divide them into different levels. So they propose to issue the Full Instructor Certificate as the level 7 certificate.
• Level 8 certificate: Bart Cham Do is classified as the most advanced curriculum in our association. The instructors will receive level 8 certificate when you complete this curriculum. That means they have completed all the basic curriculum of our association. We recommend the instructors who have completed level 8 to continue further their studies. This certificate has to be renewed every three years. The instructors must provide documentary evidence to prove that they have regularly participated in Ving Tsun seminars organized by our association during the past three years for every renewal.
• Unclassified certificate: The instructors obtaining this certificate must complete the following: 15 years of teaching experience; in charge of Ving Tsun seminars for at least 6 times; have significant contribution in Ving Tsun Kung Fu; recommended by three fellow practitioners of Ving Tsun; approved by our ranking committee. This certificate is not classified at any level since the experienced instructors do not need that anymore. This certificate is issued to those instructors with significant contribution to our association.
• Level 8 Honorary certificate: This certificate is to give recognition to any member of our association though he or she has not reached to level 8. He or she has to complete the following: have received the internationally recognized awards; recommended by 3 fellow practitioners of Ving Tsun: approved by our ranking committee.

Sifu William Cheung from Australia speaks to the group:

Sifu William Cheung discussing Wing Chun

"Welcome! We didn?t expect to attend until the last minute. The only purpose to get involved is unity. Unity is the only element important to our success in the future. Ving Tsun has been in Hong Kong for over 50 years. Since it started, it has spread all over the world. People hear about it and want to know more. I think you?ll agree with me that in martial arts, and especially Ving Tsun, that the two most important aspects are respect and discipline. In Chinese martial arts, it's not when you get there but how you get there. It is very important that you respect your teacher and your elders.

Secondly, discipline yourself as well as discipline control because everything you do reflects on all Ving Tsun practitioners and the Associations to which you belong. Discipline - I will not tolerate anyone who would criticize anyone including your junior in front of strangers or your friends. We should be united. When we are united, we will go a long way. (applause) Secondly, people that try to jump rank, starting with one teacher and then jumping to a senior teacher - that cannot be done. The day you enter to be taught by a Sifu, he is your Sifu for the rest of your life. You cannot be reborn. You can be brought up by your grandfather, but you are still his grandson. You are born with your Sifu and you will die with him, too.

The next step for Ving Tsun organizations if you think it is worth your while, if you want to be affiliated with them? You have a choice, you don?t have to belong to this organization. In the next Genealogy chart, you will be listed with the person you started with. I will personally take on the job to make sure and do it myself. If you don?t think I can do it, you haven't seen anything yet, but it?s so easy to be done. And with this in mind, I think we can do great things. Now we are going to do some demonstrations. If you see anything that is not ok, please let us know."

Sifu Dana Wong explained that Sifu Cheung has spent the last 10 months working with Seal Team 6. In association with Scott Lion, Sifu Cheung has developed a program for law enforcement, SWAT teams, and anti-terrorist organizations to apply Ving Tsun to real situations called "Defensive Tactics for Close Combat".

Sifu Benny Meng of the Ving Tsun Museum Speaks on History and Ving Tsun
"Greetings from Moy Yat Ving Tsun International headquarters in NY and Ving Tsun Museum. We?re going to tell a story rather than demonstrate. I would like to start with history of the Ving Tsun Museum. In 1993 Sifu Moy Yat came to my wedding and told me that the late Grand Master Yip Man had a dream of a place for all Ving Tsun families to come together. This place is no longer a dream. We formed the Ving Tsun Museum Committee, and now this is a reality. In 1995 we held the Ground Breaking with Sifu Moy Yat, Sifu Yip Chun, and Sifu Yip Ching together for the first time in the United States. In 1997 we held our 1st International Event, hosting 2 Grand Masters and 9 Masters. In 1998 we celebrated our Grand Opening featuring for the first time 7 students of Grand Master Yip Man together for one workshop. In 1999 we hosted two workshops: The 2nd Annual Friendship Seminar featuring the first public appearance of Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun Grand Master Garrett Gee and Sifu William Cheung's Unity Workshop. As you know, part of the Museum's mission is to research Ving Tsun's history and archive and store its treasures. Now I would like to share the latest research into the history.

Ving Tsun represents the culmination of Shaolin kung fu. The Shaolin temple was friendly to the Ming dynasty. In 1644, the Manchu destroyed the Ming Dynasty. The Manchurians were a minority from the north. This event caused the Shaolin and revolutionary groups to come together for a common cause. Two of the monks that were important to the development of Ving Tsun were Chu Ming and Da Jung. Chu Ming founded the first secret society in the Shaolin. Da Jung was a fighting monk that traveled south to establish fighting skills in the south.

This was the seed as to why Ving Tsun was developed. Da Jung went to the Shaolin temple in Fukien; before that, Shaolin was only in the north. He traveled south because the Manchu were gaining control in the northern part of China. During wartime, they didn't have the luxury of training fighters for 10 to 15 years. They had to train competent fighters in a short amount of time. The monks took the best of the Shaolin and improved it. How could they improve the best and make it better? Ving Tsun is based on what is natural for humans and based on science.

The secret society had a place called the Hung Fa Ting. In the southern Shaolin, it was called Ving Tsun Tong. At that time, Ving Tsun had a meaning - Rebirth of the spring - Rebirth of the Ming dynasty so it would live forever. They continued to develop this fighting art and it was called Ving Tsun.

- (Translator: But who developed the fighting system?) -
It was developed by the head monks of Shaolin. One of the important people was Yat Chum Dai Si. Yat Chum was one of the first to receive the total fighting knowledge. He passed this knowledge on to Cheung Ng. This was about 100 years after the destruction of the Ming. The Ching had consolidated their power and control of China; they noticed the revolutionary groups in the south and sent troops to destroy the Southern Shaolin. In the legends about the destruction of the Shaolin, this was the temple that was referred to. Once the temple was destroyed, the revolutionaries were forced to move underground. They changed the characters used from "everlasting" to "praise". This is also consistent with Chan Buddhism. Chan Buddhism passes on its customs orally and at this time the revolutionaries could not afford to write anything down. They had to keep talking about the revolution. At the end of her last name they added the word Yim. "Yim" in Chinese means "to be discreet".

- (Translator: Whose last name?) -
Yim Wing Chun. This is another version of the history of Ving Tsun. Yim Ving Tsun is not the name of a person. Chinese history is colorful and has a history of secret phrases. If the revolutionaries had been successful, they would have changed the name of Ving Tsun from "praise" back to "everlasting" again.

Sifu Benny Meng (far right) discussing the history of Wing Chun

If you look for historical records, you can not find any written records of Ng Mui or Yim Wing Chun. Ng Mui translates to "five plums" - Cheung Ng has a similar name. Cheung Ng went to Fut San and established the Red Opera. That is the history according to some of the research conducted by the Ving Tsun Museum. History is very interesting. This version of the history is based on certain written facts. What is important is that Ving Tsun came from Shaolin through the secret societies. Today, you can identify 7 or 8 main lineages of Ving Tsun. However, according to the statistics, over 90% of today's Ving Tsun is from one family - Yip Man's lineage. One more interesting fact is that Ving Tsun can be broken into 4 main categories:

1. The Original System,
2. the Original System plus or minus one's personal interpretations,
3. the Original System plus or minus another martial art,
4. a combination of 2 & 3.

During the lunch break, food was again provided. This time, more people were talking and sharing their reactions to the information provided. Also, many photos were taken. It was easy to see that the Conference was creating a sense of community among the participants.

Sifu Dean Jones from S. Africa to invite Ving Tsun to South Africa
"Thanks. Let me tell you what?s up with South Africa. Wing Chun is still in its infancy. There are many misconceptions - we need a true feel of the "authentic" art. We would like to offer the Ving Tsun Athletic Association under Hong Kong in South Africa to help solidify, unite, and raise the Association in South Africa. As we?re all family, I would like to invite everyone to South Africa, but not all at once (laughter), to raise the level. Yip Chun and Samuel Kwok have been a few times; we have a house for you to stay at. We do have a high crime rate and lots of violence. You know you?re ok, you know Kung Fu and it?s all good training anyway (laughter). We can help mentally, physically, spiritually, and with the health of the county. Thank you."

Tony Bardakos - Australia - Student of Jimmy Fung discusses fighting
(translated by Susanna Ho) "As you know, I am a fighter. (I like to fight) (laughter). I would like to share my experiences with Ving Tsun techniques. I'm a student of Jimmy Fung, a student of Chu Shong Tin. The first time I met my Sifu, I thought I was a pretty good fighter. I was big and strong. When I hit people they go down. So I saw this little Chinese guy talking about short power. When he asked for volunteers, I stepped up. When he hit me, I went back about 8' and the bruise took 2 weeks to heal. What my Sifu taught me was that 'To get more, you have to do less.' I learned that 25 years ago. When you relax you get speed. When you get speed you get power, a byproduct of speed."

Next Sifu Bardakos demonstrated several ways to save time. Rather that pak with the front hand and punch with the back hand, you should pak with the front hand and then strike with it. An even better way to block a punch, use your front hand to punch with your forearm blocking the opponent?s striking hand. When you do the pak, you have to do it to hurt them. If you pak one time for each punch, you give him an incentive to stop punching. If you punch they can dodge. Before you try to strike with the back hand, you should hit them with a long bridge to give them an incentive to not come in before you strike with the back hand (short bridge). He threw a punch with his lead hand towards his partner. His partner dodged. Sifu Bardakos then used his extended hand to strike his partner's face as he followed up with his back hand.

If two people attack you, you should punch both and then attack the one you feel is the bigger threat.

As the daylight was quickly fading, there was a break in the speakers to take a group photo of the attendees. The front row of the picture was reserved for direct students of Grand Master Yip Man in the middle and practitioners at the Sifu level from around the world on the sides. The total audience was so large that two photos had to be taken. The first featured all the international participants; the second contained the Hong Kong participants. The photo was taken with a special panoramic camera. The camera sat on a tripod, inside a wooden box. The photographer wound a knob on the bottom of the box and removed the lens cap. The box rotated around driven by a small coil inside the box. The people in the picture had to remain totally still as the camera passes by. Two photos were taken of each group.

David Peterson - from Melbourne, Australia - student of Wong Shun Leung, spoke in Cantonese and Mandarin
"As time is running out I am going to give you the Wong Shun Leung version of my speech. Sifu always said that Ving Tsun should be 3 things: Simple, Direct, and Efficient. Please give me a second as I scan each paragraph and reduce it to one sentence?.

Sifu David Peterson from Australia discussing Wing Chun

My observation: we have lost the path and must get back on. Grand Master Yip Man left us with a brilliant legacy, but unfortunately it is a human failing that we keep trying to reinvent the wheel. I?m nobody super, I am just someone who loves Ving Tsun with a passion. I've spent the last 25 years trying to understand Ving Tsun, 15 of those years under Wong Shun Leung. If there is one thing, the most important, you must be a master of you system - not its slave. Take the system and make it work for you. On the street, attackers do not cooperate with you. They attack at random with aggression. Therefore, it is a mistake to try and apply Ving Tsun in the sequence of the forms. Ving Tsun is a set of concepts not techniques. If we take the concepts and apply them to biomechanics, call it a technique, you have to take it inside first. Forms give you the basics, you have to make it work. Think of the forms as a tool shed to make things. When you need to do a job, take what you need, use it, and put it back. You don?t have to use every tool every time; you might not even need more than a few. However, pass down everything.

Teach skills through open drills. Start with a drill and then increase intensity. Don't claim to teach self-defense. If you are defending, you are losing. You must attack. Teach students to survive. Don?t teach to block punches or chase hands. The shortest distance between to points is the best. Don't teach your students to do Chi Sao with opponents. Chi Sao develops skills. Hit the guy. If his hands get in the way, then use Chi Sao reactions to trap. Don?t try to trap. If you do, you?re chasing the hands. Let the opponent trap himself.

We need to think correctly. We must stop fighting each other and start fighting the enemies. We are all one family. If our ancestors thought things needed to stay the same, things would not be as they are. Otherwise Ving Tsun will stop. What is Ving Tsun? I'll tell you what it is not. Ving Tsun is not a sport; there are no rules in fighting. Ving Tsun is not fitness training; it's too efficient. A real fight doesn't take 10 minutes. Ving Tsun is not meditation; at least, not in the traditional sense.

I would like to apologize if I have offended anyone. We must never stop teaching the truth. We must never think that there is not a better way to do something. Never accept any idea at face value; think about it, discuss it, try it, and then decide.

The story of the 1st arrival of Grand Master Yip Man to Hong Kong
Grand Master Yip Man, before he arrived in Hong Kong, did not ask any tuition. His life, his work had nothing to do with Kung Fu. During those years, times were tough for the Yip family. Yip refused to have anything to do with the Japanese. A good friend named Choung Chou Yu wanted to learn Kung Fu. Repaying such gratitude, Grand Master Yip Man started to receive tuition. He had 7 students for 2 years. In 1949, he came to Hong Kong. He started tuition career and then out to the world.

Restaurant Workers' Union period
Actually, Grand Master Yip Man didn't bring a lot of cash. Two months after he arrived, he had empty pockets. He started tuition at an organization called the Restaurant Association. Two to three months after his arrival was a very stressful time. He had a very good friend, very literate, named Lee Man. Mr. Lee had a certain degree of handicap in his left hand. The Chairman, Leung Shun, of the Restaurant Association though Lee Man knew Ving Tsun. When asked, Lee Man said yes. Leung Shun asked if there was a good master teaching in Hong Kong. Lee Man said, an expert. Leung Shun asked to be introduced with the intention to learn. Lee Man discussed this with Grand Master Yip Man. Grand Master Yip Man eventually decided to meet. The build of Grand Master Yip Man at that time was thinner that Yip Chun. Leung Shun was bigger that Chu Man Sit. Leung Shun had learned two schools: Choi Lay Fut and Leung Ying Mo Kiu. Actually, they had combined with other martial arts. Leung Shun demonstrated a form and scared the opponent off. One is big, the other small. Grand Master Yip Man knew people very well. Leung Shun was not happy with Grand Master Yip Man?s build. Grand Master Yip Man asked, "You doubt my Kung Fu? (His intent was, "Do you want to try me?") Out of respect, Leung Shun said no. Grand Master Yip Man encouraged him to try. I will now demonstrate what happened. In Dragon Form Touch Forearm style, they will touch with the forearm and sense an attack. When Leung Shun came in, Grand Master Yip Man received his energy, sunk in down, and sent it back out into Leung Shun's body. Leung Shun was astounded, started to spread word around and became the 1st student in Hong Kong. After that, a lot of martial arts schools came to challenge Ving Tsun. Within years, there were many that came to learn.

Lee Tat Street and Li Cheng UK Estate period
Following those times, there were a lot of challenge matches. The school was moved to Lee Tat Street during this time. A lot of people knew what Ving Tsun was. Ving Tsun represented by Wong Shun Leung fought another popular school at that time. The outcome was almost an open argument between the two schools. A lot of reporters tried to approach Grand Master Yip Man to get his opinion. Both schools handled things well. It was settled in a restaurant over food and drink. An article was written in the newspapers. The name of Ving Tsun spread, particularly in martial arts circles.

Hing Ip Building to the establishment of the Ving Tsun Athletic Association
What was told so far occupies almost half of the time Grand Master Yip Man came to Hong Kong. Towards the end of 1961 the school was moved again to Hing Ip Building. Then in 1972, this period, further development and consolidation of this particular school of martial art; I'm sorry but as it is rather late, I?m not going to go into detail about this particular period. Because this is the first Ving Tsun conference worldwide, I would like to give some information on the Ving Tsun Athletic Association. In 1964, Ving Tsun was at a stage to form an association. As you know we had a lot of followers and a number of fighters. There were also seven wealthy followers. Two years later we got approval. Unfortunately, when the application was complete, Hong Kong had a lot of civil unrest. The organization was put aside. It was finally established in 1968. In mentioning the Association we should pay tribute to the late Mr. Dan Sung. His contribution was not denied. In the beginning, actually, the tuition was given by Grand Master Yip Man. Both of us were assistant instructors by then. Five months afterward Grand Master Yip Man said he would not give tuition at the Ving Tsun Athletic Association anymore because he was not pleased by how the association was run by the organizers then. When Grand Master Yip Man refrained from giving tuition at the Association, Mr. Dan Sung approached several people to give tuition there including Chu Shong Tin. Because of this act by Grand Master Yip Man, all the brothers, including us knew he was upset. No one continued to teach at the Ving Tsun Athletic Association. I want to stress this fact because practically no one from the first generation of Grand Master Yip Man took up tuition then until Mr. Dan Sung left Hong Kong a few years later. After he left, the first generation students came back to the Ving Tsun Athletic Association and took up its organization.

Sifu Yip Chun came up to talk about the founding of the Grand Master Yip Man Martial Arts Association.
The Chair of the Yip Man Martial Arts Association Mr. Liu Gong Sing (Sam Liu) waited, but he had to go. The Yip Man Martial Arts Association was founded in 1971. At that time the Ving Tsun Athletic Association was running fine. Grand Master Yip Man began the motion to start another association. Why? Because, under the police ordinance, they must be licensed to give tuition in the association. To provide grounds for all of his followers, they needed another association. Grand Master Yip Man was very ambition about developing Ving Tsun. This organization was started by him, using his own name. He even applied to it. These two associations were started by Grand Master Yip Man. Their relationship has been like brothers. There has been no conflict between the two associations. In fact, the directors of one are directors of the other. Please, for future development, don?t look down on Yip Man Martial Arts Association. There is a feeling, an undercurrent, against the Yip Man Martial Arts Association. This is wrong. We are all Ving Tsun schools, we should support each other.

Private Lessons period
In the final years, Grand Master Yip Man was suffering from a peptic ulcer. He continued to give private lessons and passed away in 1972. I would like to offer you one piece of advice: don?t practice Ving Tsun with your mouth shut. Practice combat with a smile. Ving Tsun is a happy art.

Then there was a Dragon Dance, and the official ending of the 1st World Ving Tsun Conference.

In Part II of A Wing Chun Odyssey, the tour group visits Sifu William Cheung, The 5th World Wushu Championships, Bruce Lee's ancestral home, Fut Shan, Sifu Yip Ching, Sifu Leung Ting, Sifu Lee Hoi Sang and more!

About Benny Meng and the Ving Tsun Museum Group:
Benny Meng is the principle founder and Curator of the Ving Tsun Museum. Richard Loewenhagen is one of the founding committee members of the Ving Tsun Museum and currently serves as its Director of West Coast Affairs. Both authors are full time teachers of Wing Chun Kung Fu.Benny Meng can be reached at the Ving Tsun Museum, 5715 Brandt Pike, Dayton, Oh, 45424, phone (937) 236-6485 and emailed at bennymeng@vtmuseum.org.