Wing Chun is a Chinese martial art specializing in close-range combat. Wing Chun was originally passed down orally from teacher to student rather than through written documentation. This makes it difficult to precisely trace its origins. Attempts have been made to uncover its history by examining the specific purposes of the techniques used. The earliest accounts of the martial art appear in independent records documented during the era of Wing Chun master Leung Jan.
There is a legend about a young woman named Yim Wing Chun. After she rejects a marriage proposal from a local warlord, he says he will withdraw his proposal if she can defeat him in a fight. She asks a local nun, Ng Mui, to teach her boxing, and the style they develop enables her to defeat the warlord. She then marries the man she truly loves and teaches him the style, which he names after her.
