Ng Mui
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Ng Mui (五梅大師; pinyin: Wǔ Méi Dà Shī; Yale Cantonese: Ng5 Mui4 Daai6 Si1) is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders — survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Temple by the Qing Dynasty.
She is said to have been a master variously of the Shaolin martial arts, the Wudang martial arts, and Yuejiaquan, the family style of Yue Fei.
She is also credited as the founder of the martial arts Wǔ Méi Pài (Ng Mui style), Wing Chun Kuen, Dragon style, White Crane, and Five-Pattern Hung Kuen.
She has been associated with various locations, including the Shaolin Temple in either Henan or Fujian, the Wudang Mountains in Hubei, Mount Emei in Sichuan, a supposed White Crane Temple, the Daliang Mountains on the border between Sichuan and Yunnan, and additional locations in Guangxi and Guangdong.
According to one folk story, she was the daughter of a Ming general.
[edit] Ng Mui in the traditions of Wing Chun
According to the Wing Chun master Yip Man, Ng Mui was Abbess at the Henan Shaolin Monastery and managed to survive its destruction by Qing forces during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor (1662–1722). She fled to the White Crane Temple, which this account locates in the distant Daliang mountains on the border between Yunnan and Sichuan, where she met a girl of fifteen named Yim Wing-Chun whom a local bandit was trying to force into marriage. Ng Mui agreed to teach Wing-Chun how to defend herself and distilled her knowledge of Shaolin martial arts into a system that Wing-Chun would be able to learn quickly, which the girl used to fend off the bandit once and for all.
It is unlikely that the Henan Shaolin Monastery was destroyed by the Kangxi Emperor, who expressed his favor for the temple with the calligraphic inscription that, to this day, still hangs over its main gate. With regard to the details of the temple's destruction, this account by and large concurs with that of the Yip Man and Jiu Wan branchs of Wing Chun.
[edit] Ng Mui in the traditions of Five-Pattern Hung Kuen
It is believed that the Five-Pattern System was jointly created by the Buddhist Mistress Ng Mui, and Miu Hin, an unshaved disciple of the Siu Lam Monastery. Through careful observation, and imagination, these two kung fu experts imitated the movements of the creatures — how they jump, how they paw, and how they use their wings, beaks, jaws, or claws, how they coil up, how they rush forward and retreat, and finally they created this kung fu system consisting of movements modified from those of the named creatures, and adjusted the techniques to suit human limbs. (Leung, 1980)
[edit] Ng Mui in the traditions of Dragon style
Modern Dragon style historians relate that Shaolin nun Ng Mui, who is said to have originated the Dragon style, was one of the last members of the temple before its first destruction, which they date to 1570 (Chow & Spangler, 1982). The Shaolin Gung Fu Institute of the Pacific Northwest agrees with the date of 1570 for a destruction of the temple and states explicitly that Dragon style was created at the Henan Shaolin Temple c. 1565.
[edit] Ng Mui in the traditions of Wǔ Méi Pài
As the daughter of a general in the Ming imperial court, Ng Mui enjoyed not only the education that a young lady of her social standing could expect, but the finest martial art training available. The personal style she developed was geared toward combat rather than performance, as befits the daughter of a soldier. Ng Mui was traveling in the countryside when her parents were killed in the Manchu capture of the Ming capital. She took refuge in the White Crane Temple, which this legend locates in Kwangsi Province, where she became a leader in the anti-Qing rebellion. She led raids on Manchu palaces and, on one occasion, even assassinated the Manchu prince. To keep it away from the prying eyes of Manchu spies, she taught her style only within the confines of the White Crane Temple. Her method was fully developed in the Ming Imperial palace before she entered the Monastery. She is noted to have invented the Plum Flower Posts, 3 inch wooden posts driven into the ground at various heights to train balance and leg strength. While in the White Crane Shaolin Temple, Wu Mei (Ng Mui) in Cantonese dialect, learned Bodhidharma's Form of Longevity, and Bodhidharma's Sinew Change Classic, adding Chi Gung [Qi Gong] (Pin Yin), to her method. This internal training advanced her form of martial art to "Internal" status, allowing her to produce the "Five Treasures": "Tung Tiu Yiu" Flexible Reed Spine, "Bak Fu Bui" White Tiger Back, "Mo Yin Kuen" Formless Movements,"Tiet Tsien Lien Wan" Iron Wire continuous Return, "Ji Dong Lik" Automatic Force, and the "Five Breath Transformations": "Hung Hei" Atmosphere, "Hei" Breath, "Hei Gung" [Qi Gong] (Pin Yin) Breath Work, "Dien Gung" Electrical Effort, "Shen Gung" Force of Spirit. Wu Mei used no animal forms but understood the Ten Small Creatures: Beetle, Spider, Butterfly, Dragonfly, Mantis, Gnat, Sparrow, Swallow, Rooster, Rat, and the Ten Great Creatures: Mythical Dragon, Mythical Horned Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Elephant, Snake, Monkey, Eagle, Crane, Horse. Self development follows the metaphysical Five Stage Cosmic Involution: "Mo Ying" Formlessness, "Tai Chi" Ultimate Void, "Leurng Yi" Ying Yang Duality, "Sei Fong" Four Great Directions (Form), "Ba Gua" the Eight Trigrams of the I Ching. Fighting Strategy is based on the interaction of the Five Elements (Xing Yi) and the directions of the Eight Trigrams "Ba Gua". [1]
[edit] Ng Mui in the traditions of Tibetan White Crane
According to the genealogy of Tibetan White Crane, "Ng Mui" is the Chinese name of the Tibetan monk Jikboloktoto, who was the last generation of transmission before Sing Lung, who brought the art to Guangdong. This account is most different from the others, with a male Ng Mui, the absence of a Manchu menace to flee from and, given the dating of Sing Lung's relocation to Guangdong to 1865, a 19th century setting.
[edit] Popular culture references
In Michelle Yeoh's 1994 movie Wing Chun, the main character's teacher was based on the legends of Ng Mui.
[edit] Notes
| Chinese | Pinyin | Yale Cantonese | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ^ Yuejiaquan | 岳家拳 | Yùejiāquán | ||
| ^ Wu Mei Pai | 五枚派 | Wǔ Méi Pài | Ng5 Mui4 Paai1 | Ng Mui style |
| ^ Daliang Mountains | 大涼山 | Dàliángshān |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Chow, David; & Spangler, Richard (1982). Kung Fu: History, Philosophy and Technique. Burbank: Unique Publications. ISBN 0-86568-011-6.
- Chu, Robert; Ritchie, Rene; & Wu, Y. (1998). Complete Wing Chun: The Definitive Guide to Wing Chun's History and Traditions. Boston: Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0-8048-3141-6.
- Leung Ting (1980). Five-Pattern Hung Kuen, Part I. Hong Kong: Leung's Publications. ISBN 962-7284-09-2.
- Riding the Wind: Dragon Style Kung Fu. Retrieved on August 26, 2005.
- ^ Sifu Ken Lo, Seventh Generation World Wide Head of Wu Mei Pai http://www.wumei.com
