Weng Chun (Eternal Spring)
永春South Chinese art of eternal spring, separate from wing chun. The Hong Kong inventory of intangible heritage lists it as item no. 367.
Quick Facts
ChinaCharacter & Origin
Training
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
About Weng Chun (Eternal Spring)
Weng chun, literally eternal spring, is a South Chinese martial art that is easily confused with wing chun. In Mandarin the names 永春 and 咏春 are homophones, in Cantonese they differ only in tone, and the oral tradition of both styles traces their origin to the Shaolin monk Chi Sim, which is a legend. The 2014 Hong Kong inventory of intangible heritage, however, lists weng chun as a separate item no. 367, apart from wing chun, and the historians Judkins and Nielson also regard it as a separate art. The documented history begins in the twentieth century. The best documented figure, according to the English Wikipedia, is Chu Chung-man of Foshan, a doctor who moved to Hong Kong in 1953. There he met the masters Tang Yik and Wai Yan, and their meeting place became the Dai Tak Lan hall in Kowloon, in the premises of Wai Yan's poultry wholesale business. Teaching includes, according to Wikipedia, empty-hand forms, a wooden dummy, a pole and double knives. We have not found a technical description from a higher-level source. It is a poorly documented style and we are still looking for reliable sources.
History
Weng chun's oral tradition places its origin in the Shaolin temples and names the monk Chi Sim as its creator. This is a legend, as the English Wikipedia also states. According to it, wing chun spread mainly in the Cantonese opera milieu of the Red Boats, whereas weng chun spread outside it. The best documented figure, according to Wikipedia, is Chu Chung-man, born in Foshan at the beginning of the 20th century. During the Second World War he worked as a doctor in Macau and from 1953 in a Hong Kong hospital. In Hong Kong he met the masters Tang Yik and Wai Yan.
How it differs
Weng chun and wing chun are easily confused. In Mandarin the names 永春 and 咏春 are homophones, in Cantonese they differ only in tone. The Hong Kong inventory lists weng chun (no. 367) separately from wing chun (no. 380) and its branches Pao Fa Lien, Snake Crane and Yip Man. According to the English Wikipedia, Leung Ting, Paetzold and Judkins with Nielson regard the line whose techniques deviate from present-day wing chun as a separate art. The claim that weng chun is closer to hung gar than to wing chun is described by Wikipedia as an opinion rather than a proven fact.
Technique
We have not found a technical description of weng chun from a higher-level source. According to the English Wikipedia, one modern line has the Weng Chun Kuen form in eleven parts, Fa Kuen, Luk Dim Boon Kuen and Saam Pai Fat, the wooden dummy Muk Yan Jong, the pole Luk Dim Boon Kwun and the double knives Fu Mo Siong Dao.
Training
According to the English Wikipedia, teaching in one line is divided into five levels of understanding, called ying, yi, lei, faat and seut, and three distances: heaven, earth and man. We have not found a specific training plan from a higher-level source.
Ranks and progression
We have not found a belt or grade system in the sources. Today's schools derive their variants from the families of Wai Yan, Tang Yik and Chu Chung-man and from the Dai Tak Lan hall, where these masters met.
Today
Weng chun is item no. 367 in the martial arts category of the first Hong Kong inventory of intangible cultural heritage from 2014, which had 480 items. The full list was published by the South China Morning Post, and we have not been able to open the official inventory. The historian Ben Judkins pointed out at the time that the inventory lists weng chun as a separate style. The Dai Tak Lan hall in Kowloon was established, according to the English Wikipedia, in the premises of a poultry wholesale business owned by Wai Yan.
Did you know
Cantonese opera, with which tradition links wing chun, was banned after the 1854 rebellion of opera actors in Foshan led by Li Wenmao. According to the English Wikipedia the ban ended in 1870, but sources disagree on its length. Most of the Red Boats were destroyed in 1938 by an air raid on the Foshan harbour.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between weng chun and wing chun?
They are two separate styles with similar names. The Hong Kong inventory of intangible heritage lists them under different numbers, weng chun 367 and wing chun 380, and the historians Judkins and Nielson also regard weng chun as a separate art.
Who is the founder of weng chun?
Oral tradition names the Shaolin monk Chi Sim, but this is a legend. The best documented figure of the 20th century is Chu Chung-man of Foshan.
Is weng chun intangible heritage?
Yes, in Hong Kong. It is item no. 367 in the martial arts category of the first Hong Kong inventory of intangible cultural heritage from 2014.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.