History and Lineage.

Important Disclaimer - It is impossible to list completely everyone involved in the Wing-Chun Lineage Tree here.
This abridged tree authenticates the Wing-Chun Lineage in the VIKOGA Program.

Clearly identifying your lineage helps you understand the way you practise your Wing-Chun Gungfu. Historically, there is anecdotal evidence to support unambiguously that Wing-Chun was founded by a nun. One version states that the nun Ng Mei was the originator. The other identifies Yat Chan as the nun responsible for the initial configuration of the system. Ng, passed to Yim Wing-Chun direct who then passed it to her husband Leung Bok-chau. Then Leung passed to Wong Wah-bo who then passed it to the very famous medical doctor in Kwangtung Province's Fatshan County, Leung Jarn.

The other version states that Yat Chan passed to Taan Sau Ng of the Red Boat Opera who then passed to others, including Wong Wah-bo. Ng originated from the province of Shanxi in the north and it is possible, in fact probable he brought with him profound internal arts from that region. No matter which version we believe in, Leung Jarn is undeniably accepted by practically every Wing-Chun master as having existed in near contemporary times in Fatshan county, Kwangtung Province.

Contemporary Relevance.

A well defined lineage tree lends credence and provides credibility to the proper promotion of Wing-Chun gungfu. It also reassures the practitioner that his/her teacher did learn from a believable source and hence, the teachings substantiate the learnings accordingly. As the world is more a global electronic village and the ease of cross border travel is so much easier nowadays, the proper network exchange of friendship between various practitioners and enthusiasts from all over the world is made more interesting with clearly identified and substantiated lineages. At ICAN we urge students to look upon lineages realistically. Different lineages should serve to unite the differences between various groups of people and not to divide. Looking at it this way, historical lineages should enrich our faith and understanding of the development of Wing-Chun, and this will help us improve what our ancestors managed to come up with.