Home Martial Arts “Wing Chun is the understanding and perception of life”

“Wing Chun is the understanding and perception of life”

by Editorial Team
20 minutes read

2017-04-13            Chongqing Morning News upstream news

In recent years, with the release of the movie “Ip Man” starring Donnie Yen, Wing Chun has become popular all over the world for a while. In the movie, the great master Ip Man uses Wing Chun to save all kinds of situations from danger, among which the audience loves fast punches and the thrill of punching to the flesh.

In fact, there is also such a Wing Chun instructor in Chongqing. As the head coach of the “Wing Chun Academic Association”, Tu Tengyao not only has his own martial arts hall, but was also invited to become the “martial arts instructor” of the Civil Aviation Anti-Terrorism Major of Sichuan Southwest Aviation Vocational College.

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- What was Master Tu's reaction when he was asked?
— Chongqing Morning Post reporter will lead you to this journey

From Bruce Lee to Wing Chun

The 35-year-old Tu Tengyao is the owner of Wing Chun martial arts gym, Chongqing and the master of many boxing practitioners.

In fact, if we want to talk about the fate of Tu Tengyao and Wing Chun, we have to talk about it 16 years ago.
"I learned Tai Chi when I was a child, so the basic skills are still relatively solid."
Wing chun Master Tu Tengyao
Tu Tengyao

Tu Tengyao told the reporter that when he was practicing martial arts, he especially admired Bruce Lee, so he specialized in Jeet Kune Do, and from then on, he had the concept of Wing Chun.

  •  “In 2001, when I was doing business in Guangzhou, I met by chance. A Hong-Kong master of Wing Chun. I was thinking of messing with him.”

Maybe it was because he was young and energetic, or maybe he didn’t know the routines and moves of Wing Chun, so that match made Tu Tengyao lose convincingly..

  • “At the beginning of the challenge, before I could react, the fist on the other side greeted me in the face, and I felt that this Wing Chun fist was not simple and fast.”

It was this fiasco that made Tu Tengyao realize the unique charm of Wing Chun and began to learn it under his apprenticeship.

However, because there are very few authentic Wing Chun gymnasiums in the Mainland, Tu Tengyao went to Guangzhou every 3 – 5 days to learn boxing, and the rest of the time he practiced at his home in Chongqing.

Tu Tengyao told the reporter that when he was just practicing Wing Chun, a friend came to watch. Everyone thought it was strange that the knees sank slightly and the body leaned forward,

A little bit strange, but the first moves show the charm of Wing Chun.

With the popular release of the movie “Ip Man”, Wing Chun also began to be well known. But in Tu Tengyao’s view, although the movie is wonderful, there is still a big gap from the real Wing Chun.

  • “To be honest, the speed of Wing Chun is much faster than in the movie, and the range of movements is not that big, and it even feels a little bit hard.”

Tu Tengyao said that Wing Chun is a boxing method that is easy to learn but difficult to master, and many of the tricks are completely aimed at actual combat.

As more and more apprentices came to learn boxing, Tu Tengyao established the Chongqing Wing Chun Association in 2013, and opened the martial arts gym in Chongqing.

  • “In fact, the opening of the martial arts hall is to hope that Wing Chun will continue to be passed down, so that more people can understand Wing Chun, share Wing Chun, and have a place to exchange Wing Chun. ” said Tu Tengyao.

knocked out, a stranger decides to become his student

Referring to his apprenticeship experience, Tu Tengyao told the  reporter that he had 3 French apprentices, and they all learned boxing through a martial arts competition.

  • “One afternoon in 2014, three blond foreigners and one Chinese came to the martial arts hall. I thought they was here for a visit, so I called them in to have a look.”

Tu Tengyao still remember, The Chinese person was a translator for 3 French people working  in Chongqing. They said They have seen Wing Chun gymnasium with Chinese elements in Paris, France before.

  •  “Just when I was introducing Wing Chun to them, suddenly one of the French guys named Xia Fei (Pierre) told me that he wanted to learn from me.”
  • “Lets stop talking, lets fight now.”

Tu Tengyao said that he did not find the request so unexpected, on the contrary, he accepted the invitation from the French students.

  • “In fact, the process of learning is very short, and he was wearing protective gear at that time.”

According to Tu Tengyao’s memory, at the beginning of the sparring, He punched Xia Fei in the chest . Xia Fei was immediately repelled by the One inch fist, almost fell to the ground.

After a while, Xia Fei came back to his senses and excitedly praised Master Tu’s superb skills in blunt Chinese. The other two French people who were with him also expressed their desire to learn from him.

This is the attitude of foreigners learning things, and they don’t mean to disrespect. Due to his travels all year round, Master Tu has met many foreign friends who love Chinese martial arts.

  • “They are more direct and don’t care what title, seniority, or fame you are. In their opinion, the easiest way is to try it directly to see if there is “real kung fu”.

In addition to foreigners who love Chinese Kung Fu, more ordinary people practice boxing in Tu Tengyao’s martial arts hall.

  • “I have an apprentice here, who is only 11 years old this year, but he has been learning boxing for 3 or 4 years. He first watched a movie, and then pestered his family to sign up. Once I asked him why he learned boxing, he said he learned boxing to not be bullied anymore”

Tu Tengyao told the reporters that he often talks about martial arts and virtue with his apprentices.

  • “I think kung fu is to enhance people’s inner potential, but it is definitely not violence. The most powerful thing for people who practice martial arts is not kung fu, but perseverance and endurance”.

The "Martial Master" of the Aviation School, likes Chinese culture

On June 19, 2015, the unveiling ceremony of the Civil Aviation Anti-Terrorism Research Institute of Sichuan Southwest Aviation Vocational College was grandly held. This is also China’s first civil aviation anti-terrorism research institute..

And the teaching experts of this Civil Aviation Anti-Terrorism Institute are very successful. In addition to well-known military training professors, Civil Aviation Anti-Terrorism Expert, Civil Aviation Air Safety Officer Instructor.  There is also Tu Tengyao, the successor of Ip Man Wing Chun.

The reporter learned that Tu Tengyao became attached to the Civil Aviation College.And eventually became the head coach of Wing Chun, originated from a traditional apprenticeship meeting in 2014.

In the apprenticeship meeting, Tu Tengyao and 15 disciples held an exhibition match at Chengdu Southwest Aviation College. After the match, the school announced that Wing Chun will be included in the school’s compulsory course, and Tu Tengyao has become the master of more than 20,000 students in the school, which means that he will start a new Wing Chun road.

  • “I often fly to various places to observe and study, I am a veritable “air pilot”. (Chinese Expression / joke)
  • “Although I fly a lot, I didn’t know much about civil aviation before I became the Academy’s Distinguished Instructor.”

Tu Tengyao said that after becoming the head coach of the academy, he created “18 unique counter-terrorism tactics” in combination with the working environment of civil aviation

  • ‘The 18-style is not only easy to learn, but also more targeted. It is a boxing system suitable for actual combat.
  • Among them, there are moves suitable for the narrow space of the cabin, moves suitable for relatively open spaces such as security inspection majors, and moves suitable for conventional situations.”

Tu Tengyao said that the combination of Wing Chun and civil aviation is also reflected in the influence of traditional culture on the cultivation and traditional wisdom of future civil aviation people

  • “Every move of Wing Chun will not give people a sense of recklessness and vulgarity, and its elegant demeanor is more in line with the professional temperament of civil aviation people.”
  • “I also attach great importance to the dissemination and guidance of Wing Chun ideology and culture, relying on traditional Chinese culture, using martial arts into literature, so that students and teachers who practice boxing can better understand traditional Chinese wisdom and thinking”

Tu Tengyao likes the Chinese-style way of life in his spare time. In addition to Chinese-style clothing and dressing, making a good pot of tea, trimming bonsai and playing with strange stones is also a part of Tu Tengyao’s life.

"With the increasingly international life, many young people forget the preciousness of Chinese traditional culture... Just like Wing Chun, it is the essence of traditional culture, the crystallization of the wisdom of predecessors, and the understanding and perception of life by predecessors"
Tea Session With Master Tu Tengyao

Tu Tengyao said that some people think that hitting stakes is the essence of Wing Chun.

  • “In fact, a stake is just a form. Think of it as a virtual opponent, and life often requires us to overcome ourselves. So, instead of saying that you are a virtual enemy, it is better to say that you are a stake, break yourself, and the next future is at hand.”

Chongqing Morning News reporter Qu Hongrui

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3 comments

M. Arjunan May 24 2023 - 11h15

I want very much to learn Wing Chun from master Tu Teng Yao

Reply
Himanshu August 12 2023 - 6h51

i want to learn kungfu from master

Reply
Andtei September 14 2023 - 20h18

Great skilled master ,all respect master To Teng Yao.

Reply

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