Leung Ting Articles Yip Kin,So Kai Ming , Yik Kam, Leng Lan Kwai

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Other than the Wing Chun Kung Fu brought to Vietnam by Sifu Yuen Chai Wan , there was also a person who brought Wing Chun to Nam Yeung (Nan Yang in Mandarin ) a special term that means the countries around the Southern Coast of China . It was said that there was a martial art opera actor named So Kai Ming nicknamed Ching-Dan Kam or Kam the Main Female Character who learnt Wing Chun Kung Fu in the opera troupes . As an actor, he also learnt lion dance and some other styles of Kung Fu besides Wing Chun style .So Kai Ming was a native of Poon Yu (or Pan Yu in Mandarin ) After retirement, he went back to his hometown. There he opened an osteopathic clinic and taught Kung Fu to some natives .In Poon Yu, there was a youngster named Yip Kin . Yip Kin was a Kung Fu enthusiast. He learnt different kung fu styles under a few kung fu masters . Other than learning Wing Chun under Sifu So Kai Ming , he also learnt Hung Gar and the Yam -Yeung Bart-Gwai Kwun or the feminine and Masculine Eight -Diagram Long Pole Techniques from Sifu Yip Hang Sing ,five different kinds of weapon techniques from Sifu Cho Fei Hung and different kung fu styles from Sifu Yik Kam . Yip Kin later moved to Kuala Lumpur and setteled down there . He became a labor in the ore field . After he deafeated some bullies in a fight ,he became a hero. Soon he was employed by a boss of a ship company to work in there as a foreman. In the Mid 40 s , Yip Kin became a voulnter kung fu instructor for the charity organizations.He combined the Weng Chun kung fu techniques with the other styles he had learnt from different kung fu masters and called it the Malaysian Wing Choon Kung Fu . Between 1959 and 1961, with co-operation of Sifu Wong Yam Sun , Sifu Yip Kin established a Kung Fu asssociation in Malaysia called the Persatuan TinJu Wing Choon . In 2nd Jan 1968, Sifu Yip Kin passed away . Sifu Yip Fook Choi , succeeded his grandfathers position and became the cheif instructor of the association.According to Sifu Yip Fook Choi , there are two differet styles of Wing Chun the conservative one and the reformed one . The conservative style consists of three single training sets . However, two of the sets are missing . Whereas the reformed style conclude the Fa Kuen or Flowery Boxing set , Siu -Nim-Tau wich is also called Siu -Fa-Kuen or Little Flowery Boxing , and the Tit-Pou-Jarn or Iron-plated Elbows Set.There are many Kung Fu sets in the Malaysian Wing Choon style . Other than those sets such as the Fa-Kuen, Siu-Fa-Kuen and Tit-Pou-Jarn, there are also Chi-sau, Muk-Yan-Chong, Luk-Dim-Poon-Kwun,Yam-Yeung Bart-Gwai Kwun,Yeung-Mui Kwun or Arbutus Staff, Woo-Dip-Shang-Dao or Butterfly Broadswords, Mui-Fa Cheong or Plum Blossom Spear , Lau-Yip Shang-Dao or Willow-Leaf-like Double Broadswords , Fook-Fu Tai-Pai or Tiger-subduing Trident , Chun-Chau Tai-Dao or Spring -& Autumn Long-Handled Broadsword , Dan-Dao Tang-Pai or Single Broadsword & Rattan Sheild, Fei-Tok or Flying Plummet, Wang-Tau Tang or Long bench, Saam-Jeet-Kwun or Three-section-cudgel ,Lion Dancing , etc.

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There were some more Wing Choon styles once developed in Malaysia .What a coincidence these Malaysian Wing Choon styles also developed in Pon Yu or ( Pan Yu in Mandarin ).It is not suprised if we know that there is a Poon Yu Wui Koon or Association of the Natives of Poon Yu in Malaysia, and the members there are all natives of Poon Yu. Therefore, once they wanted to open kung fu clases, the kung fu instructors were all from Poon Yu. This Wing Choon style in Penang was passed down by the late Grandmaster Sam Chan . Sam Chan was a student of Sifu Cho Shun . Cho Shun , nicknamed Dai-Ngan Shun , was the most outstanding student of So Kai Ming in the opera . Cho Shun was a famous kung fu actor in the Cantonese Opera . Same as his sifu , when Cho Shun retired ,he soon became a kung fu instructor teaching in the Luen Yee Koon or the Luen Yee Martial Arts School of Poon Yu. When Sam Chan moved to Malaysia , he lived in Ipoh and worked there . Sifu Sam Chan only taught Wing Choon to no more than six students . Cheong Way Bo was one of them . Cheong Way Bo lived in Penang . Since young , he learnt kung fu from uncle Cheong Hing , a great kung fu master in Malaysia. Later, he was recommended by his uncle to learn Wing Choon kung fu with Sifu Sam Chan in Ipoh for six years . In 1972 , he returned to Penang and was already 27 years old. He started to develope Wing Choon in his city. As to differentiate his style from the Yip Kin Wing Choon style, he named his style Ban Chung Wing Choon or the Wing Choon style of the Opera Troupes . The Wing Choon styles of the late Sifu Sam Chan are quite different from that of the Yip Kin Wing Choon style in Malaysia , though both of them claimed their techniques originated from the late Grandmaster So Kai Ming of Poon Yu. Obviously, it was because the late Grandmaster Yip Kin adds in some sets of the other styles and Ban Chung Wing Choon do not . In the Ban Chung Wing Choon the learners have to begin with the Yee-gee-kim-yeung-ma or Character Two Abduction Stance , Sup-bo-yee-gee-ma or the Ten Step Character Two stance , Chi Bart-Dim Lin-Wan-Kiu or the 8-point Chain-movements in Chi-Sau . Then the students have to practice the Sup-Saam-Sau or Thirteen hand-technique training. The second stage of training includes the Siu-Nim-Tau, Saam-Sing Poon-Lung Chong or the Three Star Coiling Dragon Piles, Wan-Yuen Chum-Kiu or the Harmonious of Heaven & Earth Sinking -Arms set, Noi-Ying Biu-Tze or the Internal style Thrusting Fingers set, Saam-Cha Chin-Cheung or the Three Side Arrow like Palms set , Fa-Kuen or Flowery Boxing set, Chat-Sing Kuen or Seven Star Boxing set .The third stage includes Saam-Jeet Lok-Ying Kuen or the Three -Sectional Lower-Flying-Eagle set, Luk-Dim-poon-Kwun- or the six & a half Point Long Pole with Thirteen Spear -Techniques , Luk-Dim-Poon-Kwun-Fat or the six & a half Point Long Pole Techniques and Yan-Gee-Bart-Cham-Dao or the Character Eight-Cutting-Section Broadsword Techniques . Another Wing Choon school in Penang was run by Sifu Cho Hung Choy . The Wing Choon Kung Fu techniques he learnt are also said to be originated from Poon Yu . However, I have not too much information about this style in hand .

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What is strange is that So Kai Ming in Leung Tings book is called Ching-Dan Kam and played the main female character on the Red Boats in the opera troupes ,In Hendrik Santos article Yik Kam played the role of Cheung Tan the proper woman ,In the book Complete Wing Chun So Kai Ming or So Koi Ming is called Ching-Tan Kin,these names sound all the same for So Kai Ming ,Ching Tan Kin, Ching-Dan Kam ,Cheung Tan , and they played the female role in the opera on the Red Junks ,Leug Ting says that Cho Shun or Dai-Ngan Shun was the most outstanding student of So Kai Ming Hendriks article says that Cho Shun learned from Yik Kam so maybe Yik Kam and So Kai Ming are the same person Leung Ting says that So Kai Ming was a native of Poon Yu or Pan Yu ,But Leung Ting also says that Yip Kin learned other arts from Yik Kam and says that Yip Kins Wing Chun is different than the other Ban Chung Wing Chuns in Malaysia because he did not learn the whole Wing Chun system from So Kai Ming and mixed Hung Gar and other arts with what he learned .So Kai Ming or So Koi Ming s teacher was Leung Kwai Lam this name sounds very similar to Leung Lan Kwai the man Yip Man talked about that other lineages of Wing Chun dont talk about . Also Leung Ting says Yip Kin came from Poon Yu or Pan Yu.
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