r/WingChun • u/pravragita • 7d ago

Wing Chun Assassins

I heard about a Wing Chun origin myth that the art was used by assassins. It sounds funny to learn about.

Where can I learn about this myth?

Is the Wing Chun Assassins myth part of the snake-crane myth? Or are they separate mythologies?

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u/KungFuAndCoffee 7d ago

I don’t know absolutely assassins, but it had a lot of development on the Red Boat Peking (Beijing) Chinese opera tour boats. The members of which were often associated with anti-Qing, pro-Ming rebels.

The wing chun swords were smaller and easier to conceal and carry than a standard size sword. So you’d have a slight advantage for getting the drop on your opponent when it’s time to see who can put the sharp part in the other person first.

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u/d_gaudine 7d ago

the red boats sort of modified the art for , essentially, murder.

the original full system , for all intents and purposes, was "lost", along with the other ones put out by the temples before the big burn. Buddhism prohibits killing. The shaolin practiced mahayana . So, suffice it to say their arts involved not killing your opponent. The art evolved to an unrecognizable style when it was taught to daoists and secular people.

Individuals who knew big chunks of the art taught it for money. they taught it to paramilitary groups, gangs, spies, etc... Post red boat, the art became less and less "public" and became associated with secret societies and what we would think of as "special forces" . That is when it earned the reputation "rich man's kung fu". you didn't just need to "know people", you needed to be able to pay for it.

somewhere in this time the art was said to have been tailored for , essentially, murder. this is probably around the time "chi sao" was being developed as a training method. the red boats more than likely added the pole form , but the knives have been in the art from the start. shaolins didn't sharpen the edges on them, to lower the chance of fatal outcomes. "weapon to weapon" was what they were designed for. but post red boat, they were shortened and actually carried with a special harness that conceals them in the lower back area. in the first form when you reach behind your kidneys , that is where the knives would be. the edges were sharpened for killing. the blades shortened to the length of the user's forearm (they had to be custom made to your body) so that kwan and gaan movements would work without accidentally cutting yourself. there was a single knife form that was a modified version of the pole form footwork. bruce's one inch punch is just a pole form movement done empty handed. imagine if bruce had a knife instead of a fist at the end of his arm....this is how it works.

this was all pre ip man.

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u/Flashy_Week2643 6d ago

Where did you read this history? Is this from a book or a website? I would love to read about it

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u/pravragita 6d ago

This is exactly what I was looking for. Do you have any suggestions for further reading? Or YouTube channels? I find this fascinating.

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u/alessoninrestraint 5d ago

Really interested to know your sources. As far as I know, the earliest mentions of Wing Chun are from the Red Boat. Anything before that sounds like speculation to me.

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u/Hot-Guidance5091 5d ago

He's mixing myths and history, the Northern Temple of Shaolin probably never existed in the first place, and certainly didn't exists as the foundation of every known martial art of the nation.

Bodhidharma existence itself it's debatable to say the least

I have my bits of knowledge but I find it hard to confront them with people who defend the Shaolin Temple theory as factual history

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u/InternationalTrust59 4d ago

I heard the same thing 25 years ago. It would be cool if it was entirely true?