Recently, I was asked about the history of wing chun, the kung fu that I have studied and received my training in. I compiled this piece as the response:
The Ming dynasty took control of China in 1368 and ruled for nearly three centuries. The mariners from this time experienced adventure and travel across the globe, as they mapped the world. In the early 17th century, however, their power began subsiding. The empire's vulnerabilities were further complicated by famine, rebellion, and civil war across the land. This internal strife left borders unprotected, and neighboring countries and clans began marauding the countryside.
The Manchu were making incursions into northern China at the same time as people in China were rebelling against their emperor, Chongzhen. In 1644 a rebel Chinese force swept into Beijing. Chongzhen hanged himself. In the coming seven years the Manchu fought battles outside of Beijing, the Manchu gaining hold of military garrisons at strategic points, and Ming supporters taking refuge in Taiwan, which did not submit to the Manchus until 1683. The Manchu's took power in Beijing and eventually over the whole of China. (Details provided by scholar/reader.) China's emperors now belonged to a Manchu family called the Qing family, a dynasty that was to rule to the 19th century. (www.fsmitha.com, copyright Frank E. Smitha)
To establish rule and protect their governmental stronghold, the Manchu enacted many suppressive tactics:
Meanwhile, Manchu emperors kept military power out of the hands of Chinese and in the hands of their fellow Manchu. They guarded against their fellow Manchu being swallowed by the Chinese by forbidding Manchu from marrying Chinese. They forbade them from engaging in commerce or labor and obliged them to military service dedicated to maintaining Manchu power. (www.fsmitha.com, copyright Frank E. Smitha)
This struggle between the ruling invaders and the overrun people serves as the backdrop for the birth of wing chun kung fu.
...when the Manchus took over China, about 90 percent of the Chinese people considered themselves to be members of the Han nation. The Manchus, on the other hand, came from the Northern border areas. So in order to prevent the people from overthrowing their government, the Manchus placed a lot of restrictions on the Han.
They forced the Han men to shave their foreheads and to wear pigtails so that they could be easily identified. They made the Han women bind their feet so that they became completely dependent on the men. And since the women could not walk very far, the men could not wander off. High positions in the government had to be held only by Manchus, or by Hans who had been made Manchus through a special ceremony. They even limited the number of knives that could be kept in a Han household. (www.cheungswingchun.com)
The biggest problem facing the rebellion was that kung fu took 18 years to master. With foreigners in control of their land, the Hans did not have that long to wait. So, the Hans condensed and modified the prevailing kung fu styles of the time, forging a more compact style. More than any of it's predecessors, this style of kung fu focused on economy of motion, controlling balance, and attacking the opponent's center-line. Born during a time of war, the style incorporates the engagement of multiple opponents, and is more effective, more efficient, and much quicker-to-learn than any of its predecessors:
So about 280 years ago, the oldest and most knowledgeable elders of the Shaolin Temple got together and decided to develop a style which would overcome all the other styles, and which would take a much shorter time to learn. (www.cheungswingchun.com)
Hence, wing chun kung fu was born. The name, 'wing chun' literally translates to 'hope for the future' or 'eternal spring'. This faction of kung fu brought a renewed sense of hope and optimism to the Hans during their struggles to regain control of China.
For more information about wing chun kung fu, I recommend you visit the World Wing Chun Kung Fu Association website. This site is presented by my grandmaster, GM William Cheung. I have had the extreme privilege of attending several seminars conducted by GM Cheung during his regular visits to the U.S. If you ever have opportunity to attend a seminar from this living legend, I highly recommend that you do.
