ORIGINS According to legends, when the southern Shaolin temple was destroyed in the 17th century, the fighting monks carried their legacy with them and started to teach their art secretly, mainly on the red boat. There, the Weng Chun kung fu system was handed down from the last abbot of souther n shaolin temple Chi Sin Sim Si (meaning "extreme compassion Zen master) to the red boat opera performers Wong Wah Bo and San Gam (â—ŠPainted Face" Gam) and from them on to Fung Siu Ching, who in the 18th century became the most famous Weng Chun hero and kung fu hero in south china. In the Chinese cities Xi Qao and Fatshan Fung Siu Ching Fung Siu Ching passed the Weng Chun legacy to the Lo family and they passed their legacy to Wai Yan, who became (with Chu Chung Man) the most famous Weng Chun master of the 19th century in Hongkong. Grandmaster Wai Yan built the Weng Chun Research Academy in Hongkong named Dai Duk Lan. Andreas Hoffmann from Germany was the last student of the Dai Duk Lan Research Academy and the only western student of Grandmaster Wai Yan. Between 1986 and 2002 Grandmaster Wai Yan passed on his Weng Chun heritage to Andreas Hoffmann, his only western student ever. In the beginning of the 90s Weng Chun Kung Fu, like many other Kung Fu styles in China and Hongkong started to die out. Grandmaster Andreas Hoffmann founded the International Weng Chun Kung Fu Association and introduced Weng Chun in more than 12 countries. Today he is guiding more than 500 Weng Chun instructors worldwide. Under his direction Weng Chun Kung Fu maintains its strong Shaolin identity and combat effectiveness.
WENG CHUN KUNG FU IS A CONCEPTIONAL STYLE Weng Chun Kung Fu is not a technical style - it is a conception style. It is a guide to the core principles of Southern Shaolin martial arts and to the understanding of real combat.