The Moy Yat Family continues to present and re-release in digital format another of their first-generation copy of Sifu Moy Yat’s videos that were originally never intended for commercial release, but solely for relative lineage practitioners from what are candid moments to organised ones. With the domestic release of another volume of archived video, Wing Chun aficionados will enjoy the captured footage of the late Sifu’s moments both in instruction and as a community leader, hoping to continue to inspire and offer context to history and cultural significance to the roots of the system.
The video views like a Wing Chun tourism guide with a historical destination flow from point to point with an opportunity for the audience to share those steps with Sifu Moy Yat as a personal tour guide. Over the proceeding 90 minutes of screen time, in a window of time in 1994, the viewer will be accompanying the late Sifu through Hong Kong and Foshan, in exploration and discovery in this second instalment of A Trace of Ving Tsun Roots (Part 1 was reviewed in Issue No. 34).
The first stop on the journey is, respectfully so, to the late Grandmaster Ip Man’s tomb site as a rite of passage for most Wing Chun practitioners visiting Hong Kong, which is accompanied by one of the patriarch’s sons Ip Ching. From there, to the Ving Tsun Athletic Association extending the service of respect for the enduring legacy the celebrated master of the system and acquainting with other renowned Sifus of the system such as Wong Shun Leung, Siu Yuk Man and Ip Chun while training is going on within the hallowed walls. Sifu Moy Yat takes his place in this segment in a slideshow of shared personal photos in which he narrates every frame throughout.
From the streets of Hong Kong, the journey continues to Foshan. Historical landmarks of where the celebrated system found its footholds in the small Southern China town within closed walls and a closed student base of the Grandmaster’s origins. Then, walking through the ancient town immersing the audience within the temples of worship frequented by Grandmaster Ip Man, while taking in the incredible marriages of art and architecture that seem omnipresent no matter where one turns their head.
Throughout the presentation, the revered narratives of the unnamed narrator are broken up with the voice of Sifu Moy Yat. Nostalgia, reflection, and that same reverence shared by the narrator invites one’s attention to celebrate in Chinese culture, heritage, and practices installing the vast richness that Wing Chun provides beyond its practice as a celebrated Chinese martial art around the world. Indiscriminant and welcoming of all to not only share in but to partake in its immense value. The parable of “walking a mile in another man’s shoes” allows the audience to walk hundreds of miles in and with others from the comfort of home with a renowned ambassador as host.
Moy Yat – A Trace of Ving Tsun Roots 2
Preview this video on Everything Wing Chun Instant Access
Language: English
Running Time: Approx. 1 hour 26 mins.
Format: Digital Download
Availability: Everything Wing Chun Instant Access
Review by: Dwight Hennings
