Female Martial Artists Fighting in Male-Dominated Field

By Jingyi Yu 
HKU Journalism and Media Studies Centre

HONG KONG – Every week for the past eight years, Chan Pui Yee has been coming to a martial art academy in Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong for training with her master Chan Man Tak and other students. 

Chan Pui Yee, 57, is usually the only woman in the class.

“Sometimes male students refuse to do the sparring practice with me because they believe I definitely can’t defeat them, and on the other hand, they think physical contact with women is a little bit embarrassing,” she said. “But there are more male students in the martial arts school, so I basically don’t have the opportunity to practice sparring with women.” 

The form of kung fu Chan practices is Wing Chun, which originated in southern China and was spread to Hong Kong by Ip Man, the master of Hollywood martial arts film icon Bruce Lee.

“One of the reasons I came to learn Wing Chun was because I was inspired by the story of Ip Man,” she said. “Ip Man had a petite physique, but he could still defeat people who were taller and stronger than him with Wing Chun.”

But after many years practicing Wing Chun, Chan believes that sexism exists in Hong Kong’s martial arts community. She said some male students would ridicule women and underestimate them, believing that they are no match for them.

Despite Hong Kong’s reputation for its martial arts, and the popularity of its kung fu movie heroines, the sport is not always welcoming towards women. This is posing a challenge to the city’s martial arts training industry as women continue to make up a significant proportion of kung fu practitioners and students, with many learning the sport either for self defense or because of genuine interest.

“Ten years ago, the proportion of women learning martial arts in Hong Kong was only one-third, and this ratio hasn’t changed significantly to this day,” said Sheila Chan, a Wing Chun coach who is primarily responsible for instructing and mentoring children.

But, even in the face of gender barriers, the city’s female Wing Chun practitioners persist in their dedication to martial arts, continually honing their skills.  

Tracing Wing Chun’s origins

There are many legends about the origin of Wing Chun. According to some legends,  it was created by a woman over 300 years ago. One of the most common legends is that Wing Chun was created by Ng Mui, also known as Zhu Hongmei, from the Southern Shaolin Temple in Quanzhou, Fujian. 

According to the International Wing Chun Academy, one of Australia’s oldest and largest academies, Ng drew inspiration from the battles between storks and large rodents, where storks were able to use their wings and legs simultaneously to defend against and counterattack the rodents’ attacks. 

Other legends circulating in China claim that the name Wing Chun (詠春 or 咏春 which means “Praise of Spring” or “Praise of Vitality”) was invented by Ng and reflects her insights. The strokes of the right half of the Chinese character “咏” (Wing), which are “dot, horizontal, fold, vertical, hook, pick, left-falling, right-falling,” closely resemble the techniques of Wing Chun movements.

Another story is that Wing Chun got its name from Yim Wing Chun, a female disciple of the Fifth Master of Southern Shaolin temple. Characterized by its fluid and graceful movements, Wing Chun has many of the same characteristics as feminine body postures, according to this theory For example, the move “Kwan Sau,” which literally means spinning the hand involves rotating the forearm outward to defend against attacks from the side. This movement is often compared to the graceful movement of a swan.

According to this version of the story, the legendary lineage of Wing Chun was transferred from Yim to her husband Leung Bok Chau, who then passed on the knowledge to other disciples. Two of these disciples are credited with teaching Ip, who was immortalised in the “Ip Man” film series and inspired many modern day students like Chan Pui Yee. In 1949, Master Ip relocated to Hong Kong where he introduced Wing Chun to the local population and taught a young Lee who went on to become a Hollywood legend.

What makes Wing Chun different from other martial arts is the discipline’s standards of movement. According to the Ving Tsun Martial Arts Institute, unlike other martial arts that rely on force and strength, Wing Chun focuses on efficiency, simplicity, and tactics of movement. This principle is designed to be practical and effective in dealing with actual combat situations, emphasizing close combat and rapid, simultaneous attack and defence.

Wing Chun’s attributes are displayed to full effect in the hundreds of wuxia or kung fu films made in mainland China and Hong Kong.

Defying gender stereotypes

Female kung fu practitioners in Hong Kong find it ironic that parts of the industry still have strong sexist elements when kung fu films often include strong wuxia heroines.

In the Hong Kong film industry, the list of influential martial arts actresses is long. One of the popular martial arts actresses is Michelle Yeoh. She gained widespread acclaim for her martial arts skills displayed in dozens of films, including the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Kara Hui has also earned immense respect over the decades for her versatile roles and martial arts performances in wuxia movies such as My Young Auntie and Wu Xia.

Another member of the esteemed older generation of martial arts actresses is Cheng Pei-pei, known as “the queen of the sword”, who immigrated to Hong Kong from Shanghai. Considered the biggest female martial artist of the 1960s, Cheng was a prominent character in Golden Swallow, The Jade Raksha, and The Flying Dagger, and also portrayed the character of Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Sheila Chan, 35, said during her childhood, she watched several martial arts films and developed a deep admiration for Yeoh. She recognized Yeoh’s potential to be a leading protagonist and was in awe of her remarkable power.

However, Sheila Chan said: “There are always many gaps between ideals and reality. Not every woman can be as successful as her; especially many women simply believe that martial arts is not something they are naturally inclined towards or capable of.”

She also said that while she has encountered numerous female students throughout her career, few of them continue their training in the long run. 

“Perhaps it’s because martial arts isn’t the first thing that comes to mind for women when they initially think about learning something,” she said.

But Sheila Chan and other Wing Chun instructors, such as Chan Man Tak, attribute this drop-off to several other factors.

Limited support

Chan Man Tak, 71, is the chair of the Sunrise Ving Tsun Athletic Association. A former police officer who has been practising martial arts for decades, he is now a full-time Wing Chun coach. Like Sheila Chan, he said that not much has changed for women over the years. 

“Compared to the past, there are still very few female masters, because most women learn martial arts for self-defence. Many of the female instructors in public spaces like parks or squares lack professionalism,” he said.

He also said that the government’s provision of resources for women interested in pursuing professional martial arts is insufficient. Women lack the necessary funds to practice full-time and many individuals can only train after work. Unless one is an exceptional talent, he explained, the government does not allocate additional resources to help women train and coach on a full-time basis, which limits their opportunities to compete or perform.

According to the Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Office, Wing Chun was listed as a protected heritage item in 2014.

In 2018, the Hong Kong government allocated HK$300 million to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) to establish the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Funding Scheme” (ICH Funding Scheme), to encourage and promote community participation in the protection of intangible cultural heritage. The plan has funded over 90 projects, including traditional festivals, music and craft making, and kung fu exhibitions. Since its inception, the scheme has funded several projects focusing on martial arts, but none devoted solely to Wing Chun and/or women in martial arts.

The Hong Kong Heritage Museum also launched the exhibition “300 Years of Hakka Kung Fu: Digital Vision of its Legacy and Future” in 2016, to effectively preserve and display martial arts information while promoting traditional Chinese martial arts.

Further challenges

Despite the financial support from the government for martial arts over the last decade, the participation of women in this field is still relatively low.

“Only those whom the masters truly recognize get the opportunity to perform on stage, and women only make up about 20 percent of the total number (of performers),” Sheila Chan said. “Among people who practice Wing Chun, there are not many female students who truly excel at it.”

Even if a female Wing Chun practitioner could rise to the level of coach or master, she might still face difficulties.

Sheila Chan described a situation where a couple came with their child to learn martial arts, but they weren’t happy that she was the only instructor. The father believed that martial arts should only be taught by men, while the mother remained silent throughout.

Although this incident occurred only once, she said it left a lasting impression on her.

Chan Man Tak said there are certain martial arts schools that adhere to traditional customs and only allow men to pass down their teachings, excluding women. This has become an established practice within the community, he said. 

Adding to the difficulties is Hong Kong’s limited space and high rental costs, which have put pressure on even male-run martial arts businesses. In the current economic situation, Chan Man Tak said, it is challenging to earn money by teaching Wing Chun.

“Especially for women, marriage and family are their main priorities. They don’t have as much energy to invest in running a martial arts gym,” he said.

Promoting women’s participation 

In spite of the many obstacles, Sheila Chan said she still believes in the power of martial arts for women, adding that if a woman were to mention that she practices martial arts today, it would be seen as something impressive.

In December 2023, the school she teaches at, Sam Lau Wing Chun Academy, collaborated with The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) to launch a low-cost women’s Wing Chun self-defence course. 

The course aims to equip female participants with basic self-defence skills and teach them how to defend themselves when they are in danger. It costs HK$950 for eight lessons and includes training in Wing Chun forms, techniques, power, speed, as well as psychological preparation.

Sheila Chan said that some women have developed a genuine interest in martial arts through this course, leading them to join the academy for long-term traditional training.

As for Chan Pui Yee, she has also dedicating herself to training. 

“Frankly speaking, I want to become a Wing Chun master and teach students, but right now, it’s just a dream,” she said. “Perhaps for now, I should focus on being a good student and continue to learn and grow in my own practice.”

Her persistence led to a breakthrough when she defeated a male student in her class. She said intelligence and strategic thinking are more important than brute force.

“What I love most about Wing Chun is that it’s not about winning with strength, but rather thinking and skill,” Chan Pui Yee said. “How women win over a man is through the wisdom in their brains.”

Advisor: Jennifer Deayton