Thank you!
Yes, "foundation" - it's more correct. Regarding Chan Hwa Shun lineage.. I would like to provide below a history of Wing Chun that exists in Chan's lineage. Probably it can be interesting. My Sifu's name is Chan Guotzi (he's a great grandson of Chan Wah Shun).
I guess, and the history I provided below confirms, that all these forms (and also footwork) came from Lian Zhan.
Chi Shan
This version of the story of a variation of Wing Chun is passed on by master Chen Huashun, who names the Shaolin monk Chi Shan as creator of the style. The Shaolin Temple located on Mount Tszyulyanshan, was founded during the Ming Dynasty. It is one of many such monasteries, established in Henan Province. Martial arts were practiced within the walls of the temple. Since many of the monks wished to restore the Ming Dynasty, Tzian Lon (the sixth Chinese emperor of the Ting Dynasty, who ruled China for the period of 1736-1795) at the end of his reign ordered his troops to destroy the monastery. In an unequal battle with the imperial troops and subsequent fire most of the monks, who had been masters of the martial arts, and their students perished. However, some of them managed to escape. Among them were the monk Chi Shan and his students Kun Huang and Hun Hsikuan.
Interestingly, according to one legend, Hun Hsikuan is the founder of another, no less famous southern Chinese style, that of Hung Gar. The history of this style mentions Chi Shan, as the best fighter in the Southern Shaolin Monastery of Fujian Province, whose student was Hun Hsikuan, and a girl named Fan Yinchuan that mastered the martial arts, and even developed her own style based on the movements of the crane. After becoming the wife of Hun Hsikuan Fan Yinchuan taught her husband the "Crane" techniques. Combining this knowledge with tiger style techniques, he synthesized a new form of martial arts, which later came to bear his name. This is one of the legends of the Hung Gar style.
But back to Chi Shan. According to legend, during the attack on the monastery and fire, Chi Shan and two students were traveling to the provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi. After learning about the incident, they decided to split up, and scattered to different corners of Guangdong, where they promoted the styles of Shaolin Wushu. The monk Chi Shan at 70 years of age changed his name to Van Zhenchan, which means "kindness and longevity." He secretly lived with the family of his student in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. The residents respectfully called him "Uncle Kindness." Every morning, he trained and studied calligraphy, further developing a number of hieroglyphic writing styles. After many years of in-depth study of the various techniques of Shaolin boxing, he created a unique style of Wushu and with its help defeated several martial arts masters. One of Chi Shan`s students was a girl named Su Sanmey. She was born in the Huizhou area of Guangdong Province and from childhood grew up in an acting troupe. She had a remarkable acting talent and deep knowledge of Wushu. For several years, Chi Shan passed all his knowledge of the martial arts to Su Sanmey, and did so free of charge. Chi Shan still did not have a name for his new style. Only after he learned that the legendary Hall of the Shaolin temple, Yong Chun Dian (or Wing Chun Tong in the Guangdong dialect), where he studied martial arts, had for the most part survived the fire, as opposed to the other buildings, did he decide to call his unique style "Yunchuntsyuan" (which means "Eternal Spring"), to honor the memory of Yong Chun Dian (Wing Chun Tong) and his native Shaolin.
In developing this style, Su Sanmey took the best of Chi Shan`s Shaolin boxing techniques, practicing them in real combat duels and eliminating all the techniques which were, in her opinion, inefficient. So she enriched and developed Yunchuntsyuan, improving its revitalizing effect and combat capabilities. Su Sanmey`s husband, a man named Yan Futsyu, was one of the leading experts of the Bayhetsyuan style ("White Crane"). During practice of Wushu, there was an exchange of knowledge, and this fact explains the presence of "White Crane" techniques in the Yong Chun style (Wing Chun) and Yong Chun techniques in the Bayhe style.
In all three versions of the early history of the style, as mentioned previously, the art was passed on from generation to generation. Even the actors of the Chinese “Red Junk “opera were masters of the art of Wing Chun. Since that time one can be more or less certain in talking about the future development of the style, how it split it into different variations, as well as to trace the lineage of each of the variations.
Chen Hua Shun
Next to Lian Zhan`s pharmacy was a money-changers. Its owner was Chen Huashun, known by the nickname "Moneychanger Hua." Chen became a student of Lian Zhan and due to his outstanding physical condition became famous as a very formidable fighter. He was tall and had great physical strength. In the beginning one of Lian Zhan`s students, Li Hua, or “Hua Wooden Man” taught Chen Huashun. He received the nickname because his forearms were so strong that during training, he often broke the "arm" of the wooden dummy. A year later, Li Hua died. Lian Zhan began to teach Chen Huashun Yunchuntsyuan (Wing Chun) himself, based on the anatomical and physiological features of his pupil. Chen Huashun learned all the techniques of unarmed combat in the style of Yunchuntsyuan: "Little Idea" (Syaolentoy), "Search for the Bridge " (Syuntsyao), "Mark of the fingers" (Byaochzhi), "Fist of taming the tiger" (Fuhutsyuan), "Fist of the flower" (Huaquan) two sets, "Palm of the Buddha" (Fochzhan), "Red Sand Hand" (Hunshashou), "Fist of the reflection in the mirror" (Sannyantsyuan); "Pole mounted Knuckle" (Chzhuantsyuan), practicing methods of work on the wooden dummy, "Five Thunders" (Uleytsyuan). He practiced six sets with short and long poles: the first - "six points" (Lyudyanpeygun) ; and the second - "Stick" (Yuynyuytsimeygun); the third - (Shisantaybaogun); the fourth - (Shibatszyangun); the fifth - "Three points of the tiger`s tail" (Sandyanhuveygun); the sixth - "Six and a half point staff" (Lyudyanbangun) and the fifth is connected to the sixth by "Six and a half point’s tiger tail". Also, he practiced Yunchuntsyuan techniques using different types of cold steel weapons: "Double Lock Tao" short double swords (Shuantsyandao), is also known as "Visit to the woods with Dao" (Zhulindao), "Single Dao" (Dandao), also known as "Leave the forest with Dao" (Chulindao). After having mastered these techniques, Chen Huashun became Lian Zhan`s chief student and having left his native village, opened a school, where he began teaching Yunchuntsyuan. He passed his knowledge to his son Chen Zhumyan and daughter in law, Lee Myaosyan. He had only nine students: Lei Zhutszi, Chen Shihoy, I Junsu, I Xiaoli, Li Houpey, He Jian, Chen Kunda, He Hanlyuy and E Ven. E Ven was the youngest among all the students. He lived and grew up in a wealthy family involved in trade. At the age of thirteen, the boy began to study Yunchuntsyuan with master Chen Huashun. Because in this period master Chen was already of an advanced age and suffered from hypertension, the year after E Ven arrived at the school he stopped teaching. His son Jong Zhumyan started teaching E Ven and other students. After studying for two years, E Ven moved to Hong Kong to continue his education.
During his life, E Ven trained a large number of students, the most famous of which is Bruce Lee (Li Xiaolong), who continued the work of his teacher and helped spread Yunchuntsyuan worldwide.
Chen Huashun passed all his knowledge to his son Jong Zhumyan, who after some time opened the "Chinese Kung Fu Yunchun club” in Foshan. His fellow student brothers Zhutszi Lei, Chen Shiho, E Ven and others gave him a beautiful handmade wooden frame for painting as a souvenir, which is now preserved in Chen Huashun`s old house. During the war against the Japanese invaders and subsequent civil war, Chen Zhumyan opened the Wushu Association in Guangxi Province in southern China. In later years Chen Zhumyan and his wife lived in his hometown of Shunde, where he taught his style to everyone and practiced medicine. Among his students the best known sons are Chen Jiaxin, Chen Jiaqi, Chen Tszyalyan and students Chiu Chao and Gan Shaotsey.
Yunchuntsyuan was the most popular style in Shunde, and thus, most of the methods and techniques have been preserved. The grandson of Chen Huashun, Chen Tszyalyan taught the Yunchuntsyuan style to his sons: Chen Guoxiang, Chen Guoji,
Chen Gotchao, Chen Guoliang and also students Liang Ziyan, Chen Pei, Chen Sun, Huan Zhenchzhi, Lian Chzhantsyan,
Tan Huanbyao, Chen Jie and others. They and their followers founded their own variation of the Yunchuntsyuan style, named after the founder Chen Zhumyan.
Chen Guotzi, the great grandson of master Chen Huashun is the present main representative and bearer of the tradition of the Yunchuntsyuan martial art. Since his childhood, he has studied Wushu under his father Chen Tszyalyan and, thanks to his natural talent, quickly reached a significant level in the family martial arts.
And I caught your phoenix reference, so I am guessing you know the first instructor in the US under that certain WT founder. I know have met many of the high ranking guys from the US under that system, and even some who have left because of the political mess, and I really enjoy training with the ones that left because they teach many things which seem to have become taboo subjects since early last year.
