Book List

Wing Chun Kung Fu develops the trinity of the body, mind, and spirit. The Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy encourages students to supplement their in-class training through reading books, watching videos, and engaging peers in discussion. By discovering, understanding, and refining new ideas and concepts, students will be able to develop a better understanding and intuition of not only Wing Chun Kung Fu, but also aspects of themselves and their lives. Listed below is the required reading list for students during their course of training Wing Chun Kung Fu.

Books

[amazon_link id=”9881774225″ ]Wing Chun Warrior[/amazon_link] by Ken Ing. This book recounts events in the life of our SiGung, SiFu Duncan Leung, and lessons and stories passed to him by SiTaiGung Yip Man. This book transmits many insights and depth of personal experience pivotal to understanding Wing Chun Kung Fu, that can be missed in typical books that discuss history, technique, and philosophy.

[amazon_link id=”0195014766″ ]Art of War[/amazon_link] by Sun Tzu (translated by Samuel B. Griffith and B. H. Liddell Hart). Considered in China to be the most influential and significant book regarding warfare. An essential for every Wing Chun enthusiast.

[amazon_link id=”1556434162″] Steal My Art: The Life and Times of T’ai Chi Master, T.T. Liang[/amazon_link] by Stuart Alve Olson. This is a biography regarding one of the modern era’s Tai Chi masters. T. T. Liang lived to 102, and cultivated the five excellences of chinese culture. This book discusses his life, teachings, and the subtleties and complexities of learning and excelling in martial arts.

[amazon_link id=”0804813574″ ]The Dao of Taijiquan[/amazon_link] by Tsung Hwa Jou. Wing Chun is the culmination of Shaolin martial arts, and adheres to all of its core principles, including the concept of Yin, Yang, and Tai Chi (“supreme ultimate”). The Dao of Taijiquan provides an in-depth discussion Tai Chi theory, that can provide insight in your training.

[amazon_link id=”087011851X” ]The Unfettered Mind: Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman[/amazon_link] by Takuan Soho

[amazon_link id=”0804831416″ ]Complete Wing Chun[/amazon_link] by Robert Chu, Rene Ritchie and Y. Wu. While the majority of us know Wing Chun from Bruce Lee and his SiFu, Yip Man, the Wing Chun family is much larger, and encompasses a wide diversity in style and techniques— even while espousing the same core concepts and beliefs. Its important for students to understand the limitless possibilities of Wing Chun, and where a concept-based training in Wing Chun can take them.

[amazon_link id=”0804834881″ ]Secret Tactics: Lessons from the Great Masters of Martial Arts[/amazon_link] by Kazumi Tabata

[amazon_link id=”157062660X” ]Thunder in the Sky: Secrets on the Acquisition and Exercise of Power[/amazon_link] by Thomas Cleary

[amazon_link id=”1573922390″ ]How To Think Straight[/amazon_link] by Anthony Flew

[amazon_link id=”0060916095″ ]Think on These Things[/amazon_link] by Jiddu Krishnamurti

Movies

[amazon_link id=”B003INBOEM” ]Ip Man [Blue Ray][/amazon_link] [amazon_link id=”B003INBOEC” ](2008) [DVD][/amazon_link] Directed by Wilson Yip. Ip Man is a Hong Kong semi biographical martial arts film very loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and master of Bruce Lee. The film focuses on events in Ip’s life that supposedly took place in the city of Foshan during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The film stars Donnie Yen as Ip Man, with martial arts choreography by Sammo Hung. The supporting cast includes Simon Yam, Lynn Hung, Lam Ka-tung, Xing Yu and Hiroyuki Ikeuchi.

[amazon_link id=”B004I11VZA” ]Ip Man 2 – Legend of The Grandmaster [Blue Ray][/amazon_link] [amazon_link id=”B004I1AGTM” ](2010) [DVD][/amazon_link] Directed by Wilson Yip. Ip Man 2 is a Hong Kong biographical martial arts film loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun. A sequel to the 2008 film Ip Man, the film stars Donnie Yen, who reprises the leading role. Continuing after the events of the earlier film, the sequel centers on Ip’s movements in Hong Kong, which is under British colonial rule. He attempts to propagate his discipline of Wing Chun, but faces rivalry from other practitioners, including the local master of Hung Ga martial arts.

[amazon_link id=”B0030A6ID0″ ]Red Cliff – International Version [Blue Ray][/amazon_link] [amazon_link id=”B0030A6ICG” ][DVD][/amazon_link] Directed by John Woo. Red Cliff is a Chinese epic war film based on the Battle of Red Cliffs (208-209 AD) and events during the end of the Han Dynasty and immediately prior to the Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. The film stars Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen, Hu Jun, Lin Chi-ling and Zhao Wei.

[amazon_link id=”B002DYKPA6″ ]The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi [Blue Ray][/amazon_link] [amazon_link id=”B0002W4TOO” ](2003) [DVD][/amazon_link] Directed Takeshi Kitano. Zatōichi is a Japanese samurai drama and action film, directed, written, co-edited, and starring Takeshi Kitano (“Beat” Takeshi) as his eleventh film. Kitano plays the role of the blind swordsman. The film is a revival of the classic Zatōichi series of samurai film and television dramas.