When the Manchurian Dynasty began to cast its long, dark shadow across the land of China in the 1640s, many of its Han residents were not very pleased. The cruel tactics that government was known for were entirely unacceptable to them. Rather than stand by while the abuses went on, they became committed to working for the human rights of their people, and against the troublemakers. Among the many who held this view were the legendary Five Elders of Shaolin: Jee Sin (Hung Gar), Pak Mei (White Eyebrow), Fong Do Dak, Miu Hin, and of course Ng Mui (Ving Tsun).

At the time, the martial arts of the land were primarily systems based on the movements of a broad assortment of animals. The many different methods represented by the variety of systems was not what was needed to do serious battle. What was needed instead was an efficient system that the whole body of warriors could use together; a unified approach to fighting back against the larger foe. Therefore, the Five Elders made many changes to the existing styles to build a better fighting system. They had already spent most of their lives studying the existing methods in depth. Using the wealth of traditional Chinese martial wisdom they already had, they condensed and streamlined the known techniques to build highly efficient and effective systems of martial arts based more directly on the natural movements of the human body.

In the process of sharpening the traditional fighting skills, Northern and Southern styles of martial art developed. While the Northern styles worked primarily with long-range movements, the Southern styles developed a more streamlined and efficiency-oriented method.

Each of the Five Elders left a legacy of martial arts to the world. One of these was instrumental in the development of ours.  It was Ng Mui, the youngest of and only woman among the Five Elders, who showed Yim Ving Tsun how to fight. In doing so, her action was instrumental in producing the Ving Tsun art that practitioners around the world still study today.

Left to right: Yim Ving Tsun, her father Yim Yee, and Shaolin Elder Ng Mui.