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::Introduction::

Wing Chun Kung Fu is a devastatingly effective martial art, founded primarily on strategic, logical principles. It is these principles which govern the system's techniques, which are a versatile blend of both soft and hard, internal and external energies.

::History::

The origins of Wing Chun have become difficult to verify, due to the lack of written documentation during the art's early years. Wing Chun began to appear in documentation around the period of Master Leung Jan (c1826-1901), prior to this, Wing Chun's knowledge was passed orally from teacher to student, leaving us today with a martial art whose roots are steeped in folklore and legend.
The most commonly circulated story is this:

During the early reign of the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu Government, fearful of the martial arts prowess of the Shaolin Monks residing within, attacked and burned down the Siu Lam Monastery of Mt. Sung, Honam.
Six of the inhabitants escaped and fled the monastery, each going their separate way.

Among these survivors was an Abbess named Ng Mui, who took refuge in the White Crane Temple on Mt. Tai Leung. Legend has it that Ng Mui witnessed a confrontation between a snake and a crane, and was inspired by the movements of these creatures to develop a direct fighting system.
Ng Mui befreinded a young girl named Yim Wing Chun, who lived locally selling bean curd with her father. Wing Chun was reputed to have been intelligent and beautiful, which attracted the attention of a local bully, who intimidated the girl and her father in an attempt to force her into marriage.

Ng Mui took pity on Yim Wing Chun, and agreed to teach her fighting skills to defend herself from the bully. She taught the girl a direct form of Kung Fu, stripped of elaborate and unneccessary movements, which the young girl learned rapidly. Wing Chun then challenged the bully to a fight and beat him, humiliating the aggressor and allowing her to marry her sweeetheart, Leung Bok Chau.
Yim Wing Chun then taught this fighting style to her new husband, who named it after her.

Although this story is disputed, it's historical accuracy is subordinate to it's key message; namely that Wing Chun is a martial art that does not require physical superiority or great strength, and that by using direct and scientific principles, a young girl can be taught how to defeat a larger, stronger opponent.