Our Lineage
Before his passing, among Grandmaster Ip Man's (葉問, Yip Man) last students was a young man named Leung Ting (梁挺, Liang Ting). One of Leung Ting's greatest contributions to the art of Wing Chun was to popularize it in the west, in particular, Europe. He also systemised the learning and teaching of the art to ensure consistency of transmission. He termed what he did as Wing Tsun to distinguish it from other schools of Wing Chun. One of Leung Ting's earliest students was Tam Hun Fan (譚鴻勳, Tan Hong Xun).
Tam Hun Fan was a practitioner of many southern styles and who had a reputation as a formidable fighter. One day, he challenged a Taoist priest to a fight and was soundly defeated. It turned out the priest was a practitioner of Wing Chun. Impressed by this skill, Tam Hun Fan went to seek the grandmaster of Wing Chun, Ip Man, to learn Wing Chun. Unfortunately, Ip Man was in the advanced stages of cancer at the time, and no longer took on new students. However, he then asked Leung Ting who was present at that time, to take Tam Hun Fan as a student.
Tam Hun Fan soon became skilled in Wing Tsun and began assisting Leung Ting in teaching classes. Tam Hun Fan was given permission to set up his own martial arts association (The Wing Tsun Tam Hun Fan Martial-Art Association) with his Headquarters in Hong Kong. He eventually took Wing Tsun to New Zealand where schools were established in Auckland and Wellington.
Tam Hun Fan's brand of Wing Tsun and is focused on developing softness, dissolving energy and borrowing energy. He has been conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award and also the 10th Level degree by the World Organization of Wushu and Kungfu Masters (世界功夫武術段位制总會).
Sifus Paul Cheng and Peter Yu were some of the earliest students of Tam Hun Fan. They took on the mantle for establishing and running the Wing Tsun branches of the Tam Hun Fan Wing Tsun schools in Wellington and Auckland. It was at the Wellington school where both Joel Lee and Pearl Seet started their Wing Tsun journey.
Sisok Albert Lee Yeung Chi is one of the senior students of Tam Hun Fan. Currently, Sisok Albert Lee carries on the Tam Hun Fan lineage at his gwoon in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong. Together with Sisok Gong Lam Yuk Doi, Sisok Albert and his students come over to Singapore every year for a Wing Tsun Exchange Weekend with students of the Singapore Wing Tsun Training Centre.
Sifu Leung Chi Fung was the last student of Tam Hun Fan. He presently continues the Tam Hun Fan lineage at his gwoon at the New Territories, Hong Kong.
