There are various versions of the origins of Wing Chun Kuen but no-one knows for sure as there are no written records as the legend was passed down verbally from master to student.
During the Qing Dynasty period Southern China was in turmoil and many rebellious groups hid there and concealed their true identities from the ruling Qing government. These rebellious groups where supporters of the old Ming Emperors and their descendants, and they sought to overthrow the Qing. Many of them were the survivors of the armies, trained in Shaolin Kung Ku, that were defeated by the Qing. These rebels formed Unions / Associations / Societies as a cover for there activities. One of these Associations was called Hung Fa Wei Gun. This group had a large northern element, including the Hakka people, it was these that started an Opera Troop so they could travel around the country without causing suspicion. They taught the southern people Opera and their Shaolin Kung Fu. After a time the Qing government found out about this and closed the Association down forcibly. It was many years before the people dared to start an Opera Troop again. They eventually did and called the Association “King Fa Wei Gun”. This became a centre for Opera and Martial Arts training. After a few years the King Fa Wei Gun purchased two Junks for the Opera troops to travel around the country.
It was during these times that the Wing Chun legends were staged. One such legend passed on to Ku Sifu is as follows.
During these times in the village of Portien, Fujian Provence there was an old man highly skilled in Shaolin Kung Fu who owned a Tau Fu shop. He had been taught in his younger days by Miu Shun, one of the Five Shaolin Elders. He had an only teenage daughter who was both beautiful and intelligent. His name was Yim Say and his daughter was Yim Wing Chun. Yim Say dotted on his daughter and had taught her all he could of his Kung Fu by the time she was a teenager.
Other than the main Shaolin temple in the mountains of Fujian there was another smaller temple called “Fat Sui Lam Sim Ying” and was occupied by Nun’s and Governed by Ng Mui. Ng Mui was also one of the Five Kung Fu elders from the main Shaolin temple was very much respected by all. Yim Yong Chun’s father and the Abbott Ng Mui were very familiar and knew each other well. He would take Yim Yong Chun to meet Ng Mui, his Sitai, on his visits to the temple. Ng Mui loved Yim Yong Chun very much and saw that she was very intelligent and quick to learn everything she taught her so she decided to take her as a disciple (Todai). She taught Yim Wing Chun advanced / high level Shaolin Kung Fu at the temple for 3 years. One day in the temple gardens Yim Wing Chun witnessed a fight between a Crane and a poisonous Snake. Using its beak and claws the crane defeated the snake. After this incident she modified the Crane’s attack actions and fused it with the Kung Fu she already knew to create a new fist method. Even though this method was short it utilised both hard and soft power, using small precise actions to use the opponents force against him, the fist changes were fast and often using softness to defeat hardness. When she invented this new method she kept it to herself.
Also at this time there was a Young man named *Leung Bak Sau who when he was younger had a foster father who also had four natural sons. The foster father was the Linage holder of Choy Family Kung Fu. Due to his good character and skill the foster father past on the title of linage holder to Leung Bak Sau before he past away. The real sons where not happy about this and caused trouble for him. Therefore Leung Bak Sau agreed to hand over the title to them. He then decided to move away to another village to become a school teacher. This village happened to be the village where Yim Wing Chun lived. One day Leung Bak Sau saw Yim Wing Chun practising her Kung Fu. Her method was odd and did not look effective so thinking that the way she was training looked silly, he teased and made fun of her. She was thin skinned and easily took offense. She wanted to challenge him so she asked her father and he gave his permission. Leung Bak Sau was soundly beaten by Yim Wing Chun. A romance ensued and they got married after which she taught him her Kung Fu. Two years after the marriage Yim Say passed away and Leung Bak Sau and Yim Wing Chun moved to a village in Guangdong.
In the olden days in china the opera was known as Ban Chung. Leung Bak Sau didn’t belong to the Ban Chung people but being an Opera lover as well as a Ming sympathizer he came into contact with a lot of the members of the Opera House people. He took 13 Students and out of all of them he took the four best fighters in the group to be his disciples. The four disciples were: Cheng Dan Kam (Yik Kam), Leung Lan Gai, Leung Tee Tai, Wong Wah Bo.
He did not have a name for his Kung Fu so when asked he named it Wing Chun in honour of his wife.
Leong Lan Gai moved to Sam Soi, it isn’t known if he took any disciples. Wong Wah Boe & Leung Yee Tai took a disciple called Leung Jan who became famous for his fighting skill in Fatsan. When Yik Kam returned to his home town of Poon Yee and taught the Cho family.
www.banchungchogawingchun.com
For the record “Wing Chun” passed down from Yik Kam has only four sets - SLT, Muk Yan Jong, Yan Yee (Bat Jam) Doe, Luk Dim Pun Gwan. Of course Cho family has many other sets of Kung Fu but the above are the core.
Yeun Kay San people still have a 3 section SLT…?
Chan Wah Shun passed down 13+ sets to his son -> grandson? go figure?
No mention of Ermei has been made to me by elders in Penang, Singapore and China nor when questioned have they any knowledge of any association. This is the research of Hendrik and I believe he said his sifu, Cho Hong Choi, also. Cho Hong Choi Sifu, known as the Kung Fu “King” in Penang at a time when triads and schools challenged & fought all the time sometimes fatally. As Hendrik knows our family Kung Fu the aim is to beat the emeny as swiftly and effectively as possible. He now seems to have chilled out in his older life and is researching and delving deeper into the art as he see’s it and I think he as found what he is looking for from his posts. And the very best to him. It’s not what he is saying that seems to an issue to everyone but how he say’s it 
imho.
Wing Chun is Wing Chun it’s how YOU choose apply it that is the difference, hard, soft, soft/hard, hard/soft, forceful, evading…etc all depends on your attributes. If you have strength then your a fool if you don’t use it, if you weaker then your a fool to test your strength against a stronger person and should use other tactic’s, common sense really.
I hope this post answers some questions.
