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 New Zealand.
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).
