Alright, I made it back from Dayton, OH and when I was there (Wednesday night), I was able to check out Sifu Benny Meng's Ving Tsun Museum (link) which is located at his school where Hung Fa Yi Wing Chun is taught.

I caught Sifu Meng off guard in his office as I was unaware of what to expect from the museum. There were kids classes going on and the lobby was busy, but he stopped what he was doing and told me the museum is a guided tour but that he'd be happy to show me through - even though it was undergoing some rennovations. Even though HFY Wing Chun is taught here, the museum is set up to honor all lineages and I was impressed at how "non-political" it was. There were pictures of all the grandmasters who have been through the facility.

Let me tell you, Sifu Meng is a really nice guy. He talked to me for around 2 hours about the history of Wing Chun and about the principals and specific history of the HFY system. I train in William Cheung's lineage, which Sifu Meng said is quite similar to what they do and I never felt uncomfortable or that he was talking down to me. In fact, it seems the goal is to promote all lineages, while continuously seeking the truth (something we all should be doing anyway). I was extremely impressed with his knowlege of history and the amount of work he (and other contributors) put into the gathering of historical information. His goal is to minimize the kung fu legends and get down to historical facts, if possible. I can see how this would offend some, but he stressed for me to just keep an open mind and to come to my own conclusions.....no pressure to convert me to his beliefs.

Sifu Meng also showed me some of the differences in SLT and motions based on the principals behind the system. Some points he made and things he showed me have given me a lot to think about and I look forward to talking to my Sifu about the visit. I have to say I came away extremely impressed and could not thank him enough for the time he took out of his night.

I ended up buying the book he helped author - "Mastering Kung Fu: featuring Shaolin Wing Chun". I've skimmed the whole book and have just started reading it but can already tell it will be very enjoyable, worthwhile, and informative. I would recommend it to others just for the historical section in the beginning.

Thanks to those who responded to my previous thread telling me to go. I would highly recommend anyone in the Dayton, OH area to check it out (although, unlike me, it would be a good idea to call first!).

If you have any questions, let me know.

Eric