GoKunming Forums

Learning kungfu

Bunny505Bunny505 (1 post) • 0

I really want to learn kung fu for self defense...Can any one tell me where i can learn kung fu in kunming....

JivenWail (2 posts) • +2

I can't really give you advice on where to learn kung fu (which itself is a very broad term, you may want to figure out what specifically you want to learn), but in terms of self defense I just want to point out that simple boxing/kickboxing or even BJJ/grappling will be more useful than most styles of kung fu.

Peter99 (1246 posts) • -2

Maybe worth mentioning. There are a few 'secret' places in Yunnan - not in Kunming though - where traditions of martial arts with long roots, going back in history and some to secret societies, have survived. This is partly due to the fact that during Chinese history some of these societies and traditions have had to escape the central plains, and go hiding into Yunnan mountains. During end of Qing many martial arts were strictly forbidden. Stuff like this most modern 'dumb laowais' arent really familiar with. And anyway its a bit like the music orchestra in Lijiang, small parts survived the cultural revolution, what we see today is lucky as they got it together again. Or, say, opium and 'opium chicken' and stuff like that, its still around but you need connections to get inside and taste the forbidden fruit. One of those martial art places that survived is Wu Wei a stone throw from Dali. This is worth mentioning as its known among some foreigners, and they are accepted there if they can behave to some degree.

Just to connect to the historical roots of Yunnan martial arts, with a real master, is more 'cool' than any kickboxing course in Kunming, if u got the chance to get to any of the mountains, go for that instead.

PS. Bruce Lees 'Wing Chun' has techniques developed on Yunnan Daliangshan Mts. after Shaolin masters fled Qing troops there. More on this in history of Wing Chun.

Dazzer (2813 posts) • +1

been to shaolin temple and the place is an absolute sham. they are still doing basic conjouring tricks to amaze the simple folk (well they aint amazed anymore). shaolin seems to be steeped in more myth than mystic. chinese way of learning is drill and drill, if you cant keep up you are just left behind. if you cant put up with the years of relentless drills you aint gonna learn anything useable. you will be much better off with bjj, despite its detractors they do teach things that can be used almost immediatly. there is a bjj and mma scene growing in kunming amoung expats as well as locals. you will find someone who is willing to explain and teach, rather than just drill and kill. bruce lees wing chun???

there is wing chun, as it has always been. the thing of bruce lee is jeet kune do.

Peter99 (1246 posts) • 0

@Daz

Concerning Wing Chun. Even wikipedia got it under Bruce Lee. Then if you go digging in Wing Chun theres plenty stuff in Wing Chun, that has been invented or developed on them misty mountains in Yunnan. Some Yunnan hermits that observed animals fighting and such also influenced techniques.

I get the point, Bruce Lee developed his own styles, but we do have the shadow of Yunnan there. Particularly the shadows from the 'Cool Mountains', that were black spots on Chinese maps well into 20th C, and where rumor says, the Yi also had a yankee as a slave.

Heres wiki: "The largest influence on Lee's martial arts development was his study of Wing Chun. Lee began training in Wing Chun when he was 16 years old under the Wing Chun teacher Yip Man in 1957, after losing several fights with rival gang members."

Dazzer (2813 posts) • +1

anyone can read wiki, but not everyone can write. when you write bruce lees wing chun it implies that bruce lee invented a branch of it. or that there is a special branch of wing chun that bruce lee followed. wing chun is bigger than that.

Related forum threads

Login to post