Wing Chun taught at Shaolin Temple

Wai Jia: The Kung Fu Forum Wing Chun
1

Hi,

One of my friends has a Shaolin monk as a teacher
in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada,
( http://www.chungwahkungfu.com/sifulee.php )

This friend told me that
there is a wing chun style taught in the Shaolin Temple.

Has anyone ever seen this form of wing chun?

And has anyone ever heard a Shaolin Monk’s version
of the story/history of wing chun ?

Most of the stories out there are told from an outsider’s perspective (temple burnt down, 1 survivor, etc), but it
would be interesting to here a historical perspective from
the current Shaolin monks.

Just curious.

2

Too much controversy in that question alot of people are probably questioning your intentions.

but if your legit do a search on this forum and also on google you will find something.

3

I am simply curious, that is all.

There are many wing chun lineages out there, and I respect
all of them.

( I even respect skill practicioners of other styles )

With each lineage there is sometimes a different story of
of how it evolved after the shaolin temple was burned.
Some say Yim Wing Chun existed, others say that she didn’t “really” exist. etc, etc.

All I care is that it found its way into my life.

I am just curious about how the current shaolin monks
relay the story about the wing chun that is taught in their temple.

I was hoping maybe Rene Ritchie & others have come across
any info on this.

:slight_smile:

4

The Communists put the final match to Shaolin in the early days of the PRC (in fact, they would have gone a long way to torching Chinese MA as well if Mao’s wife hadn’t found it nice to look at, and combined with gymastics, etc. to make modern Wushu).

Then the Kung-Fu boom hit and stary-eyed westerners with money to burn came looking for Kwai-Chang Kane’s ‘Shaolin’, and the PRC saw there was money to be made, so they tried to find the monks they’d forced out into the village, and sent a bunch of young Wushu actors to play monks in the new Shaolin tourist site, complete with price-gauging instruction for foreigners and the ability to buy plaques for your Karate school back home to make money when you got back.

The actors went on tour doing Wushu and Qigong tricks like bending spears with their necks and so on, to make more money.

Of course, some of the real monks did salvage some of Shaolin, and some of the new monks did some religious training (its often forgotten Shaolin was a religious place first and foremost), and some of those who defected while on tour did have some real training. But many were just actors, swilling meat and wine and ready to wench, and looking for more opportunity to do so.

So, first off, be very, very, very wary of anyone who claims to be a Shaolin monk or dresses up in a Kwai-Chang Kane outfit and tries to raise money in the middle of nowhere for a ‘temple’. More often than not, they’re just looking for the money.

Second, there’s no WCK in Shaolin. Aside from the (mis)use of the term Shaolin as a catch-all for any of the so-called ‘external’ systems of Chinese MA, WCK is a Southern Chinese system, and a fairly distinct one at that.

In Shaolin you will find Lohanquan, and other northern systems that were brought into the temple. These are very different from WCK.

So, while anything is possible (its possible Julius Caezer drove a Ferrari…), it would be unlikely you’ll ever find anything that could authentically be called Songshan Shaolin Yongchunquan (Wing Chun is, after all, Cantonese pronounciation).

5

WCfighter, Rene is correct. A whole group of TWC people just got back from training with the Shaolin Temple fighting “monks”. There is talk about teaching WC there in the future,
but there is no WC there now. Inside Kung fu magazine was there as well. There will be an article about the trip soon.

6

(its possible Julius Caezer drove a Ferrari…),

Rubbish! If you’d been to Rome and done the research PROPERLY, you’d know he was a Lamborghini freak!

7

Originally posted by Phil Redmond
WCfighter, Rene is correct. A whole group of TWC people just got back from training with the Shaolin Temple fighting “monks”. There is talk about teaching WC there in the future,
but there is no WC there now. Inside Kung fu magazine was there as well. There will be an article about the trip soon.

Now you know why I got crazy pumping posting wild things out there for past few days… hahahaha

when that teaching Wing Chun kuen in Shao Lin happen. I convert to study Redboat Xanda with elbow allowed ofcorse. :smiley:

who said WCK is not Redboat Xanda with elbow allowed of 1850? :smiley:

watched the new movie Xanda. There you see the different between Wing Chun opps Xanda with sets based cMA.

8

Funny the Chinese logo says it is “Siu Lum Weng Chun Hawk(Chinese word for Crane) Kuen”.

9

Originally posted by yylee
Funny the Chinese logo says it is “Siu Lum Weng Chun Hawk(Chinese word for Crane) Kuen”.

There is only one Siu Lum Weng Chun Hawk kuen. That is White CRane of Fujian.

If Shao Lin has made that decision, I am crying for those who always think Shao Lin is on thier side who even wrote book qouting about Shao Lin and Southern Shao lin.

Certainly, Shao Lin will like to stick with the HISTORY as close as possible for thier benifits. since anything has the prefix of shao lin is belong to shao lin. And White Crane Eng Chun of Fujian is the one which is closest to have a solid prefix — Shao LIn.

Wing Chun Kuen is not Shao Lin and they know it. and if the Emei people started to Teach SLT with the Emei 12 Zhuang. then Shao Lin has a compatator in the market where Shao Lin cannot deny the Emei people bring out the evident of SLT rooted in Emei 12 Zhuang’s snake body.

Thus, at the end, Shao Lin will not use Wing Chun or even Weng Chun by itself. But Weng Chun with Condition — Weng Chun White CRane. — under the name of White Crane Eng Chun of Fujian.

Pray that I am wrong.

otherwise, we better get what and who are we clear. all writting translated and clearified.

WCK can be come modern wushu over night. No Chan but sport…

But then some doesnt even care because their need are who can teach me fighting. different conciousness different thinking. and that is ok.

NOw, for the rest of us. look at it clear — another old song.

Do you know where you’re going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to?
Do you know?
Do you get what you’re hoping for?
When you look behind you there’s no open door
What are you hoping for?
Do you know?

Once we were standing still in time
Chasing the fantasies that filled our minds
You knew how I loved you, but my spirit was free
Laughing at the questions that you once asked of me

Do you know where you’re going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to?
Do you know?

Now looking back at all we’ve had
We let so many dreams just slip through our hands
Why must we wait so long before we see
How sad the answers to those questions can be?

10

It took 50 years for it to become public knowledge that Yip Man had some knowledge of Chi Sim Weng Chun. It took Victor’s actual first hand interaction for him to see a connection between TWC and Chi Sim. Now you have both Anerlich and Victor stating publicly that they have Chan practices in their system.

This is real knowledge being made public. That is why you are posting so much.

Your knowledge is superficial based on an outsider’s gathering of internet information and jpegs. That’s why you like to quote songs so much and make your techno-inspired analogies.

Maybe next time you will further your progression up the path of Wing Chun. That is, if next time you actually practice the art that you speak so much about.

11

Shaolin Temple Tour

Here’s the tour that I was refering to. I hear that there is some good video footage of the fighting monks sparring with TWC guys. I can’t wait to see it.
Phil

12

It took 50 years for it to become public knowledge that Yip Man had some knowledge of Chi Sim Weng Chun.

Again? :- :- Old timers know that Yip Man and Chu Ching Man were
relatives, knew each other and visted each other and Ip man pointed out that wing chun and weng chun are not the same.

13

Originally posted by Hendrik
[B]

Wing Chun Kuen is not Shao Lin and they know it.

[/B]

I have just seen a picture of a Shaolin monk and the wing chun grandmaster William Cheung together.

14

Hi Rhat,
The picture doesn’t prove a relationship between Shaolin and Wing Chun. Anyone can take a tour to the Shaolin Temple.
But, there were discussions about Wing Chun coming from Shaolin during the tour. It should all be in an issue of Inside Kung Fu soon. :wink:

15

I have just seen a picture of a Shaolin monk and the wing chun grandmaster William Cheung together.

No reflection on Cheung sifu- almost anybody can have a pic taken with one or more Shaolin Monks in China or when they are on tour.

If you pay, you can even have a tablet set up nearby for your school’s
image.

For a long time except for a few elderly monks Shaolin was in decline in the entire Mao era- before new contemporary wushufication. Most of the “monks” are not really monks.

For a while guys who were not athletically gifted to be first class
wushu team people(jet Li’s seniors, juniors and contemporaries) ended up in the shaolin environs.

With the making of the good movie Shaolin with Jet Li running around shouting “shifu, shifu,” the romance of shaolin gota new boost for visits and guided tours and new tourist oriented ma schools sprouting nearby.

Makes for good magazine stories too.

The return to Camelot.

16

White Crane wEng Chun of Fujian is the only style which has history/ local/gorvenment/ martial art history, rock solid since 1660’s

As for the rest of style, with name closed to Fujian Weng Chun was not historically both in chinese official history, martial art history converge.

Fujian Weng Chun was sometime called the Shao Lin white crane Weng Chun. Because, Fang Chi-Niang had practiced Shao LIn art before her new invention of the white crane style.

Fan Chi-Niang or weng Chun’s father was a Shao Lin practitioner.

IMHO, the more screw up our story. the more His-story we make, the more vauge our identity, is going to drive Shao Lin temple to include Wing Chun Kuen within/under White Crane Weng Chun of Fujian. because people will believe a story from a rock solid martial art system more. and who can explain to the shao lin’s why wck uses the five elements shape and the white crane’s propetory center line theory?

and, look at the white crane of Weng Chun, last year, they indeed has included Wing Chun Kuen as thier branch or spin off in thier conference. Remember at one point I post that chinese web?

we can dream as much as we like. but do they care? and what is the trend? I think the corse of the future has been setted.

back to white crane weng chun of Fujian. even our ancestors has added and improve lots of things in the Red Boat.

I might be wrong. and I hope I am wrong.

Thus, I said all those EMPTY ancestors words, post those EMPTY post.

But, do you know, overnight, WCK can changes name? merged into a big coorporation?

I hope that not happen. and ofcorse some might not even care for the efford and contribution of the ancestors. But for chinese tradition, that always a believe, drinking the water, one has to respect where the water from. Instead of “to the heck all the old fool, your word are empty words”

just some thougth

17

"Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa
Men have named you
You’re so like the lady with the mystic smile
Is it only cause you’re lonely
They have blamed you
For that Mona Lisa strangeness in your smile

*Do you smile to tempt a lover, Mona Lisa
Or is this your way to hide a broken heart
Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep
They just lie there, and they die there
Are you warm, are you real, Mona Lisa
Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art"

Strange that people still ask so many questions and talk so much if they care not at all. =)

18

I want to thank everyone for their replies.

I guess my friend was a little confused as to where his
teacher’s wing chun style actually came from.

He did tell me that it is a crane version of wing chun.

I do not know for certain if his teacher told him that
he learnt it in the Shaolin temple or not.
(Maybe my friend just assumed that he learnt it there)

Based on the replies I got back, I guess it is
certain that no wing chun kung fu is taught there at all.

In reading his teacher’s website more thoroughly, I noticed that
he was given an honorary shaolin monk status by the shaolin temple at some point in his life. Most of his training seems to
have come from outside the temple; training under several different masters. This is probably where he learnt the
crane version of wing chun.

19

I know there are people who teach many systems (some claim mastery of over 100 completely different systems!), but if I want to train with someone, I will always seek a person’s speciality.

I have no interest myself in learning the 100 whatever systems they ‘know’. Just the few things (if any) they excell at.