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The friendship between Bruce Lee and Wong Shun Leung

- By Wong Shun Leung 

“Heroes are still human beings when you know them well. I have seen how Bruce Lee grew from a small boy to a mature man. In my mind, he will never be a hero or a superman. I only know that he was a friend, a very good friend. He was also a funny man, one with whom you could expose your inner feelings without fear. You could be very frank with him, pointing out his short-comings. So what I am now writing about it, the Bruce Lee in my own eyes. I believe that it will be a more objective and real picture.”

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The origins of kung fu are generally accepted to have come from the Shaolin temple in China around the 6th or 7th century A.D. after a visit to the temple by Bodhidharma who introduced Buddhism from India at that time. The monks at the temple eventually gained a widespread reputation as fearsome warriors and that made them a threat when the Manchu emperor seized control of China and thus ended the Ming dynasty.

The new Qing government made life more and more difficult for the monks with a series of purges against the temple, which culminated in the burning, and looting of the Shaolin temple and the killing of many of its inhabitants. It is said that five elders escaped the carnage and vowed to adapt their kung fu to overcome the existing styles (because there were traitors in the temple and the elders could no longer trust the monks) and to overthrow the Qing government.

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Wong Shun Leung: the man behind the legend

Recalling the life of Bruce Lee’s teacher, by David Peterson

January 28th 1997 was a very sad day for the martial arts and, indirectly, for fans of Hong Kong cinema–specifically, for fans of the legend that is Bruce Lee. On that day, Wing Chun Kung-Fu Master Sifu Wong Shun Leung, 61, teacher and friend of the late martial arts superstar, lost his fight for life following a massive stroke and ensuing coma that had befallen him some sixteen days earlier. Considered by many to be a fighter and instructor of unparalleled skill, Sifu Wong was renowned for earning the title of “Gong Sau Wong” (King of talking with the hands) after surviving countless “beimo,” or “comparison of skills,” throughout the 50s and 60s, emerging every time as undefeated and undisputed champion.

These were not tournament fights as conducted in the West, with rules, protective equipment or time limits. Instead, they were full-on fights between representatives of the various schools of combat in Hong Kong, and Sifu Wong is said to have “let his hands do the talking” by winning the majority of these “contests” within just three punches! In one such match, arranged by a reporter working for a prominent Hong Kong newspaper of the day, Wong (who stood barely 5ft 6in tall and weighed in at around 120lbs) easily defeated a visiting Russian boxer named Giko, a giant of a man who weighed over 250lbs and stood some twelve inches taller than the dynamic Wing Chun exponent.

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The forms of Ving Tsun are a collection of movements put together to make a martial art . Listed below are the first two forms that make up the martial art system called Ving Tsun .

Siu Nim Tao .
( Young Idea .)

Siu Nim Tao is the beginning of VingTsun system .Wong Shun Leung would said that “Siu Nim Tao is your A,B,C’s of VingTsun “. Every thing in Ving Tsun system is based on it and it is the foundation of Ving Tsun . As it states Siu Nim Tao means , young idea , like any good idea it must grow and developed , the more you learn about the positioning of elbow , concepts and applications of the positions the more your idea will improve .
These positions allows the opponents attacks to be redirected and this allows you to protect yourself and attack at the same time .

Siu Nim Tao is performed in a stationary position and should take around 10 to 20 minutes to complete .

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