Ng Mei |
 Wing Chun is one of the world's youngest kung fu styles and the only one founded by a woman. That woman was Ng Mei (or Ng Mui), a Buddhist nun of China's famous Shaolin Temple.
Ng Mei was recognised as one of the top five martial artists in China during the early 1700s. Although highly proficient in the existing styles of kung fu, she felt it was possible to devise a more effective fighting method which did not rely so much on brute strength or take too long to learn.
According to legend, inspiration struck while Ng Mei watched a fight between a stork and large rodent. She was impressed by the way the stork used its wings and legs to deflect and counter-attack at the same time. She adapted the technique to formulate a unique new martial art.
The art later took the name of her student, Yim Wing Chun. Wing Chun translates as 'everlasting springtime'. |
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