C. Saint Pierre
02-02-2006, 10:54 PM
Ok, so the story of Yim Wing Chun is not the history of Wing Chun, but it's still a story - one that is assosciated with Wing Chun. Rather than discard it completely, perhaps we can find its rightful place in the system. As it is a story, and as it was probably started by a Buddhist (perhaps even a monk,) I thought that it might have some Buddhist messages. Therefore, this thread is to a) write the Yim Wing Chun story as you know it, and b) discuss any buddhist messages the story(ies) may contain. :)
Let's revisit (this version was passed to me from a Yip Man derivative style.):
*****************
ONCE UPON a time, in the far away land of the south, there was a young woman named Yim Wing Chun. She was betrothed to a man whom she loved dearly, a man named Leung Bok Lao. Bok Lao, however, was away on important business in the north, and so Wing Chun spent her days at home alone, minding what needed to be minded, and waiting for her love to return.
One day, a warlord rode into town. Rough and loud, he was known for his joy of collecting women for his harem. He was also vain, and very enamoured with confucian philosophy. Upon seeing Wing Chun in the marketplace, he immediately set about wooing her - with the help of two guards, of course.
Wing Chun, not knowing how to respond and fearing for her life, ran away into the woods. She ran towards the local temple, Shaolin, hoping the monks there would help her. When she arrived at the temple, the monks directed her to the nun, Ng Mui. Yim Wing Chun fell to her knees and recounted her frightening story. She begged the monks to help her, to keep her hidden away.
Ng Mui knew better than to shelter a woman from a warlord - doing so meant placing the rest of the townsfolk in danger, for the warlord would surely frighten and Bully the innocent people in an effort to force Yim Wing Chun out of hiding.
Not knowing what to do, Ng Mui instructed the young girl to go inside, have some tea, and relax. In the meantime, Ng Mui would meditate on what to do about the situation. Ng Mui walked in slow, measured steps, mulling over essence of the problem. How could she let the young girl stay? How could she let her leave? As she pondered this, she wandered into the pagoda forest. It was there that something caught her eye - a snake and a crane, engaged in combat. In a flash of inspiration, she knew the answer to her problem.
Ng Mui rushed back to the temple and explained her plan to Yim Wing Chun. She instructed Wing Chun to return to the market square and publicly annouce that she would marry the warlord on two conditions. The first condition was that she be allowed to call off the wedding with her husband before marrying the warlord. This meant writing a message, and waiting six months for an answer to return. The second condition she would not divulge until they had heard back from her fiancee, claiming an air of mystery only heightened the excitement. The warlord, being given the opportunity to get what he wanted respectfully, agreed, even to the second condition.
Yim Wing Chun did not cancel her engagement to her Leung Bok Lao - instead, she wrote him a letter explaining what was happening. The nun, Ng Mui, began teaching the girl Shao Lin Gong Fu. She taught simply, using concepts rather than techniques to instruct the girl in self defense.
Six months passed in a flash. The time had come for her to face the warlord.
Upon her arrival in the marketplace, she announced the second condition required for the warlord to marry her. She loudly declared that she would not marry any man who could not defeat her in Chinese kickboxing. Laughing, the warlord accepted the challenge, and walked over to her with the intention of grabbing her and picking her up off the ground. To his surprise, he found himself face down in the dirt. He got up angrily, wanting to put this young harlet in her place. He struck out at her face, only to shudder as a flurry of strikes disrupted his focus and posture, bringing him to the ground. Dazed, the warlord got up and faced Yim Wing Chun. He no longer had any illusions about Yim Wing Chun's skill. This time, he was determined to finish the fight decisively, Attacking Wing Chun with the same intensity that he would use on an enemy. With a gasp, the warlord collapsed to the ground, incapacitated. Yim Wing Chun had retained her virtue.
****************
The most prominent feature that I noticed was the objective, naturally appropriate progression of aggression that Yim Wing Chun followed... from a takedown, to a stun, to a decisive action... all based on the nature of what she was dealing with. There seems to be no emotion involved, and she does not strike first... she always reacts, and only when she has to, how she has to.
Any other thoughts or story variations?
Cheers,
CSP
Let's revisit (this version was passed to me from a Yip Man derivative style.):
*****************
ONCE UPON a time, in the far away land of the south, there was a young woman named Yim Wing Chun. She was betrothed to a man whom she loved dearly, a man named Leung Bok Lao. Bok Lao, however, was away on important business in the north, and so Wing Chun spent her days at home alone, minding what needed to be minded, and waiting for her love to return.
One day, a warlord rode into town. Rough and loud, he was known for his joy of collecting women for his harem. He was also vain, and very enamoured with confucian philosophy. Upon seeing Wing Chun in the marketplace, he immediately set about wooing her - with the help of two guards, of course.
Wing Chun, not knowing how to respond and fearing for her life, ran away into the woods. She ran towards the local temple, Shaolin, hoping the monks there would help her. When she arrived at the temple, the monks directed her to the nun, Ng Mui. Yim Wing Chun fell to her knees and recounted her frightening story. She begged the monks to help her, to keep her hidden away.
Ng Mui knew better than to shelter a woman from a warlord - doing so meant placing the rest of the townsfolk in danger, for the warlord would surely frighten and Bully the innocent people in an effort to force Yim Wing Chun out of hiding.
Not knowing what to do, Ng Mui instructed the young girl to go inside, have some tea, and relax. In the meantime, Ng Mui would meditate on what to do about the situation. Ng Mui walked in slow, measured steps, mulling over essence of the problem. How could she let the young girl stay? How could she let her leave? As she pondered this, she wandered into the pagoda forest. It was there that something caught her eye - a snake and a crane, engaged in combat. In a flash of inspiration, she knew the answer to her problem.
Ng Mui rushed back to the temple and explained her plan to Yim Wing Chun. She instructed Wing Chun to return to the market square and publicly annouce that she would marry the warlord on two conditions. The first condition was that she be allowed to call off the wedding with her husband before marrying the warlord. This meant writing a message, and waiting six months for an answer to return. The second condition she would not divulge until they had heard back from her fiancee, claiming an air of mystery only heightened the excitement. The warlord, being given the opportunity to get what he wanted respectfully, agreed, even to the second condition.
Yim Wing Chun did not cancel her engagement to her Leung Bok Lao - instead, she wrote him a letter explaining what was happening. The nun, Ng Mui, began teaching the girl Shao Lin Gong Fu. She taught simply, using concepts rather than techniques to instruct the girl in self defense.
Six months passed in a flash. The time had come for her to face the warlord.
Upon her arrival in the marketplace, she announced the second condition required for the warlord to marry her. She loudly declared that she would not marry any man who could not defeat her in Chinese kickboxing. Laughing, the warlord accepted the challenge, and walked over to her with the intention of grabbing her and picking her up off the ground. To his surprise, he found himself face down in the dirt. He got up angrily, wanting to put this young harlet in her place. He struck out at her face, only to shudder as a flurry of strikes disrupted his focus and posture, bringing him to the ground. Dazed, the warlord got up and faced Yim Wing Chun. He no longer had any illusions about Yim Wing Chun's skill. This time, he was determined to finish the fight decisively, Attacking Wing Chun with the same intensity that he would use on an enemy. With a gasp, the warlord collapsed to the ground, incapacitated. Yim Wing Chun had retained her virtue.
****************
The most prominent feature that I noticed was the objective, naturally appropriate progression of aggression that Yim Wing Chun followed... from a takedown, to a stun, to a decisive action... all based on the nature of what she was dealing with. There seems to be no emotion involved, and she does not strike first... she always reacts, and only when she has to, how she has to.
Any other thoughts or story variations?
Cheers,
CSP