When I was a little boy, I used to read a lot of novels and saw a lot of movies on Chinese chivalry. I always fancied myself as one of the protagonists that could easily knock down a handful of ruffians with a few raceful kicks and punches, or paralyze a group of armed bandits with a few strokes of the ole. When I grew older I took to martial arts and had followed different styles of skills. I was, however, not content with what I had learnt until I finally came to WingTsun.
Whence I was determined to stick to learning this art for the rest of my life. WingTsun, as I see it myself, is probably one of the most practical, straightforward and scientific forms of combat techniques. There are no rigid rules or defined sets of movements with the system, and all the training is dedicated to sharpening one¡¦s subconscious instinct to react to aggression in the most economical and effective manner. A fighting movement could be a spontaneous creation and an application guided by one¡¦s own free will. In this sense, there is virtually no limit to the attainment of a WingTsun practitioner.
Confined by my own talents, though, I have never been able to excel myself as a practitioner. Despite my inconsiderable achievement, nevertheless, my interest in practicing WingTsun has never subsided. All through the years, I have read a good number of books and watched quite a few of self-training videos about WingTsun, hoping to gain from the experience of the wise and the accomplished. Whilst most of these publications were on the whole enlightening and informative, I had found that there were certain limitations on the messages that just words and pictures or pre-arranged demonstrations could get across. Very often, study of published works like these would give rise to new queries, sometimes bewilderment, which one would really need to consult a WingTsun master for advice. Such a source of advice, however, was not always readily available. I had been dreaming for the emergence of a reference source, where I could go for help should I encounter a puzzling question during my training. For years, no such thing had yet come into place.
By chance, a fellow practitioner introduced me to Professor Leung Ting. Professor Leung is a most prominent master of the WingTsun system, and had profound experience in teaching and propagating the art. He is the President of the International WingTsun Association (IWTA), which currently has 8,000 branch schools all over the world. He is also a famous author and publisher of kung fu books and training audio-visuals, having turned out over fifty works on WingTsun and other contemporary kung fu styles. I spoke to him about my problem and my wish.
He agreed readily as many of his overseas students and readers had raised similar concerns. He believed that to address such demand, perhaps something could be done through the use of the latest information technology. He brought up the idea of providing coaching and consultancy over the Internet. He wanted somebody with an IT background to work with him together in his project. I was deeply interested, and being a web site designer and engineer by profession, I offered myself. The result is this unique web site.
As it had all begun, this site is primarily targeted at WingTsun practitioners or anyone who wants to know more about WingTsun. It is designed to be a media through which you could keep abreast with the latest development in the WingTsun system or activities of WingTsun people; it is going to be a rostrum where great WingTsun masters as Professor Leung will talk about their thoughts, concepts and experiences; and it will act as a forum where you would be able to discuss with these masters about any specific queries or problems that you encountered during the practice of WingTsun. What is most important is that all such information, news, coaching or answers will be delivered, wherever possible, not just in words or pictures, but in video on the web, as we believe live coverage or demonstration is worth more than a thousand words or photos and will much better serve the purpose. In the process of developing this site, we had consulted the views of a number of IWTA branches worldwide, and it occurred to us that there was also strong interest amongst most of their members overseas to know more about China as a country and her culture. To meet this demand, we have accordingly modified the site’s coverage, and expanded on its comprehensiveness. Whilst WingTsun will still constitute the basic feature, the site will also give information of interest on China, which would include subjects such as concepts of other kung fu styles, arts, antiques, crafts, customs, traditional cultures etc.
In this inaugural issue, you will see the breaking news about the "change-head" incident on which there has been a lot of ontroversy amongst the WingTsun circles. These include the response for the first time by Professor Leung Ting as well as the inside story revealed by the photographer who took the photo concerned.
There is an introduction to Chinese Chi Kung, a brief history of the evolution of Chinese martial arts and a background story on WingTsun. Other columns include a Photo Gallery where you would find a collection of WingTsun people in action, a Chat Room where you are welcome to put forward your suggestions and views, an Online Shop through which you could order books, video tapes and equipments. As it rolls on, more news, interviews, feature stories, Q & A’s, and guided learning will appear in forthcoming updates.
The site is basically free. However, some of the live coaching forums hosted by masters will be confined only to registered members. In addition members will also enjoy considerable discounts on purchases made through the online store. So keep logging on!
Li Bingxian
Editor
