Each Martial Arts style has its icons, legends and masters. Wing Chun is no exception. We have compliled a list of some of the most influential Wing Chun Masters below. This style was considered very secretive during the first few hundred years of existance, before it branched out after Master Ip Mans influence. Thats why today it is considered an extreme privelege to have a direct lineage to Ip Man, and ultimately Ng Mui, the styles founder.
Wing Chun Master - Ip Man
Ip Man, (pictured below right, seated, with Bruce Lee) was born in 1893, Foshan, China. He is also known is Yip Man. His surname, 'Ip', is sometimes spoken as 'Yip' in some western countries, although 'Ip' is the real translation from his Chinese surname. He has a direct lineage with Ng Mui, the founder of Wing Chun Kung Fu which is shown below:
Ng Mui (founder of Wing Chun more on her at: Wing Chun History)
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Yim Wing Chun (taught by Ng Mui to defend herself)
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Leung Bok Chau (husband of Yim Wing Chun)
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Leung Lan Kwai
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Wong Wah Bo
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Leung Yee Tei
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Leung Jan
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Chan Wah-Shun
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Ip Man
He was 13 years old when he started to learn Wing Chun from his teacher Chan Wah-Shun. However due to his teachers old age, he learnt mot of his techniques from his masters second eldest disciple Ng Chung-Sok. Unfortunately Chan died after only 3 years of his training - his dying wish was for his last student Ip Man to continue to learn the style.
Before Ip Man died in 1972 (throat cancer), he recorded 3 of the 5 Wing Chun forms because he was afraid that people were changing Wing Chun.
Wing Chun Grand Master Ip Ching
Born in 1925, Foshan (Zheyieng region of Guangdong province in the south of China), and becoming one of the most prominent Wing Chun figures around the world. Ip Ching promoted Wing Chun mainly in the UK in the 1980's, which then went on to spread around Europe and many other Western countries including USA. He is also the eldest son of Grandmaster Ip Man (above). He began studying Wing Chun with his father when he was just seven years of age.
Bruce Lee - student of Master Ip Man
An expert in Wing Chun Fu, Lee (pictured above right, standing, with Ip Man) was one of Ip Man's few students. Ip Man commented on Bruce saying that he would learn the techniques with perfection so quickly and that he was a complete natural with outstanding ability to learn faster than anyone he knew.
At birth he was names Lee Jun Fan, but became famous in Hong Kong and mainland China as Li Xiaolong. He may always be remembered as the most influential Martial Artist ever to have lived. We have purposely ket this seciton short on Bruce due to our growing Bruce Lee section on this site.
Ng Mui
During the reign of the famous Chinese ruler named as Emperor Kangxi, a Buddhist nun failed to withstand the misery and corruption of the destruction that eventually occurred in a Shaolin Monastery by the ones who were named to be as the Qing forces. The nun named Ng Mui escaped in the Daliang Mountains that were situated in between the Yunnan and Sinchuari. The helpless Ng Mui witnessed a fight between the snake and a crane in the jungle. She was a keen observer and noticed the fighting techniques that the snake and the crane used to combat against each other. With her surprising intellect she observed each and every move that the creatures made and adopted them into her own style. She combined her own efficiency of aggression and defense along with the techniques adopted from the snake and the crane. The technique was indeed and thus the legendary Ng Mui unknowingly became the founder of one of the most popular martial art style of all times.
Yim Wing Chun
It has been a said history saga that soon after Ng Mui encountered a woman in her youth named the Yim Wing Chun. This youthful lady was supposed to marry a bandit entirely against her own will when she met the founder of the respective martial art form. Ng Mui eventually bestowed all her techniques and combat skill to this fine lady. It is believed that it was Wing Chun who used the combat skills inherited from Ng Mui against the bandit and drove him away there by securing herself from marrying him. The young Wing Chun married whom she desired for long. The man was named Leung Bok Chao and was an utmost fond of the fine young lady. As Wing Chun married Bok Chao, both shared and learnt the different skills and techniques that Wing Chun previously learnt from Ng Mui. As the married couple went on cultivating the new style they were followed by many followers who were eventually taught the combat skills of this new martial form of art. The new style thus got derived in the name of Wing Chun Kung Fu. The Chinese word of Wing Chun means an “everlasting springtime”.