Wing Chun From Guangzhou:Same Origin, Differant Development by Kwok Wah Ping New Martial Hero

For many decades, Wing Chun Kuen stayed around the Foshan and Guangzhou area and never spread further. Today many people still dont know this "Short Bridge Narrow Horse" Boxing Art.Decades ago in Guangzhou Wing Chun Kuen was known as "Gwai Ga Kuen"("Returning Home Boxing". This meant Wing Chun Kuen was not like the "Long Bridge Big Horse" boxing arts which look good in demonstrations. Wing Chun Kuen is not good looking in Demonstrations but than, thta is not where Wing Chun Kuen's Value Lies.

20 years ago, Wing Chun Kuen had not spread far and its circle remained very small. Not many people had learned the art and those with good quality did not easily teach others. Thus, Only a few were succesfful with it. Since then, however, the Wing Chun Kuen of founder Yip Man has been spread in Hong Kong and around the world. Now, People know of Wing Chun Kuen. Besides the branch of Mr.Yip Man, there is another system with differant methods and techniques.

The reader may ask, why are there differant branchs? Like TaichiQuan, it has spread and developed differant branchs. Now in Hong Kong a differant branch is becoming popular. Wing Chun Kuen has 2 main branchs. This branch has the same origins as Mr.Yip Man's branch but the techniques and methods are a little differant. This article will introduce the "Guangzhou Wing Chun Kuen" (Yuen Kay Shan/Sum Num Branch)

The name Guangzhou Wing Chun Kuen is only used to distinguish the system from Mr.Yip Man's style. Like TaichiQuan has Yang, Chen, and Wu Branchs, but they all remain TaiChiQuan. While the distant origins of Wing Chun Kuen may lie with Siu Lam, its development must be traced to the Foshan Area. One teacher of Guangzhou Wing Chun Kuen is Kwok Wah Ping Sifu, who operates the Guangzhou Wing Chun Institute. So we refer to it as Guangzhou Wing Chun for convenience.

According to Kwok Wah Ping Sifu, he learned Wing Chun Kuen in Guangzhou from Sum Nung Sigung. 20 years ago, Sum Nung and Mr.Yip Man knew each other. now, Sum Nung is still in Guangzhou. This branch comes from Chi Shim and Ng Mui - Red Junk Opera Actors - Fung Siu Ching - Yuen Kay Shan and Cheung Bo - Sum Num - Kwok Wan Ping.

  • Difficult to Research the Origins and Development

Kwok Wah Ping:"Today, if you want to trace the origins and development and find out what happened along time ago, its very difficult. You commonly hear two different oriings. One is that Chi Shim tuaght it to the Red Junks. The other is that it comes from Ng Mui. After this, the boxing art spread to a few people on the Red Junks. After, Fung Siu Ching, Yuen Kay Shan and Cheung Bos skills were passed down to Sum Num.

New Martial Hero:"So, is this WCK branch is differant to Mr.Yip Man's??

Kwok Wah Ping:"I dont know much about Mr.Yip Man's WCK. I can only tell you about the WCK i learned. This WCK has 3 fundamental hand forms of Siu Lien Tau (Little first training), Chum Kiu (Sinking Bridge), and Biu Jee (Darting Fingers). It also has Sup Yee San Sao (12 seperate hands) and more than 150 Wooden Dummy Tehcniques. This are the important points for training wrist power.

NWH:"Do you have a Wooden Dummy Set?"

KWP:" Yes, we have the Hong Jong (Air Dummy), and th Yut Jong (Real Dummy). I learned WCK with Sunken Chest and Dropping Shoulders. The body shape faces the side.

NWH:" You go to the side for simultaneous canceling and hitting?"

KWP:" Yes, but we have front body, facing body, chasing body, ect. For example, when I am at the center, i can follow the opponent with my stance like a radius of a fan."

NWH:" You said Air Dummy and Real Dummy before, what does that mean??

KWP:" They are two methods of training the Dummy form. One trains flexibility, the other Power.

  • Wing Chun Kuen Kicks are not higher than the Chest

NWH:" Kwok Sifu, does WCK have leg techniques?"

KWP:"Yes, but never higher than the chest, like the Invisible Kick, Heart Piercing Kick, Tiger Tail Kick, Lifting Groin Kick, Side Nailing Kick ect.

NWH:" And weapons??"

KWP:"WCK has Yee Jee Kim Yeung Dit Ming Dao (Parallel shaped groin clamping life-taking knives) and Look Dim Boon Gwun (Six-and-a-Half- Point)

NWH:" Ive heard the Gwun has a Dummy to?"

KWP:" The Look Dim Boon Gwu has a Dummy, but since there is not a lot of space its easier to use a ball hanging from a string. The aim is to train speed and accuracy, there's no secrets."

NWH:" Kwok Sifu, I saw you teach your students before and some of the movements did not look like Wing Chun Kuen??""

KWP Those were Gai Gun Gung (Basic Work). You have to train the whole body- joints, muscles, and tendons. Its just basic work. Its goal is to build power, inner strength, speed , flexibilty, and softness. In my opnion, when learning Kung-fu, the basic work is the mother of the fists. I studied in Guangzhou and Wuhon Sports Institute where these exercises come from. They're important so i never forgot them. In every activity, you need good basics, fist fighting is the same."

Kwok Wah Ping learned at the Guangzhou and Wuhon Sports Institute for 4 years. He won the All-China Lightweight wrestling championship during this time. At the institute, he studied Mongolian Wrestling, freestyle, and Greco-Roman Wrestling. He also learned weight lifting, fencing, and Chinese Martial Arts. Besides the Wing Chun Kuen of Yuen Kay Shan and Cheung Bo he also learned Chen and Fu Taichichuan, Hsing I, Wuxing Bashi, Yin Yang Bagua, and Longxing Bagua Palms, spear, knife, pole, flying dragon sword, ect.


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