Breaking the Chains
Page 36
While living on the Yunnan/Szechwan border Ving Tsun met the woman who taught her to fight. Most Ving Tsun traditions assert that the woman was a Buddhist Abbess named Ng Mui. It is said Ng Mui had escaped the burning of the Shao-lin temple. The Shao-lin temple was in Honan province. Dorgon pacified Honan within a year of establishing the Ch'ing dynasty. Honan ceased to be a Ming stronghold after 1644. The year in which the Shao-lin temple was burnt down is not known. After her escape Mg Mui left Honan for the Yunnan/Szechwan border. Her place of refuge was the 'White Crane Temple'.
Honan, in north central China, is the second most populous province in China. The province can be divided into two parts: the western highlands and the eastern plain. About one sixth of Honan lies north of the Huang Ho, and about five-sixths lies south of the Huang Ho. Honan means 'South of the River'. Winters are very cold in the province, while summers are hot and humid. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy of Honan. Wheat is the most important food crop grown in the province. Most of the people of the province are Han (although there are a few Hui.) Mongol and Manchu invaders were absorbed - Jews, who were an important part of the community in the 12th century, were absorbed after the 19th century. Water transport is difficult in Honan. The first modern roads in the province date from 1920/21. It was in 1920 that Johan Gunnar Andersson found in Honan the first evidence of Neolithic culture (Yang-shao) in China. Andersson also predicted the finding of fossilized man in China; Peking man was found in 1927.
Ng Mui discovered that a local man was harassing Ving Tsun. She offered to teach Ving Tsun self-defence. Ving Tsun accepted the offer made by Ng Mui. The Buddhist nun then took Ving Tsun up into the mountains and trained her night and day until she had mastered various techniques.
Important mountains in the area are the Ta-lou, Ta-hsueh, Wu, Tsinling, Kunlun, Ai-lao, Yun-lin, Nu, and Kao-li-kung. Szechwan has mountains in the south and a plateau in the north - part of the Plateau of Tibet. The Ta-hsueh Mountains contain the highest peak in Szechwan (Mount Kung-k'a: 24 790 feet). The Ta-hsueh (great snow) Mountains are also known as the Szechwanese Alps. Forests of aspen, birch, hemlock, and poplar, occur below 8200 feet. Forests of spruce and fir occur between 8200 and 13 000 feet. Above 13 000 feet Alpine pasture and grasslands occur. In the south the slanting mountains of eastern Tibet and western Yunnan reach an average height of between 9000 and 10 000 feet. A series of high mountain chains fan out to the southeast across the province of Yunnan. The mountains are highest in the north (18 000 feet above sea level). In the south the mountains are considerably lower, with open valleys and upland plains. High mountains and deep valleys generate vertical climatic zones: freezing winds occur at the mountaintops, between 6000 and 11 000 feet a temperate zone is found, while at the bottom of the valleys sultry heat and high humidity dominate.
When Ving Tsun was ready she returned home. She defeated her unwanted suitor. Leung Bok Chau and Ving Tsun married. Leung Bok Chau became Ving Tsun's student. Leung Lan Kwai became Leung Bok Chau's student. Wong Wah Bo became Leung Lan Kwai's student. Wong Wah Bo was a member of the Red Junk opera troupe. Wong Wah Bo and Leung Yee Tei (who also worked on the Red Junk) shared their martial arts knowledge with each other.
Ving Tsun became waterborne with Wong Wah Bo and Leung Yee Tei. Important waterways of China are the Huang Ho River, Pearl River, Yangtze River, and Ta Yun-ho (Grand Canal). The Huang Ho rises on the Plateau of Tibet and flows eastward across China to the Yellow Sea. At 3395 miles long it is the second longest river in China. The Pearl River (Chu Chiang), which begins a little above canton, empties into the South China Sea. The junction of the Hsi (West), Pei (North), and Tung (East) Rivers form the Pearl River Delta - the Pearl River is the name given to the Hsi beyond the confluence. The Hsi is considered to be the most important commercial waterway of South China; it links Hong Kong, Canton, and Macau with the interior. It flows mostly eastward for 1216 miles from the Yunnan highlands to the South China Sea. China's longest river, the Yangtze, rises on the Plateau of Tibet. It is also called Ch'ang Chiang (Long River), and Ta Chiang (Great River). At 3915 miles long it is the third longest river in the world. The Yangtze, which is China's most important waterway, empties into the East China Sea. Near the city of Chen-chiang the Grand Canal crosses the Yangtze. The Grand Canal (Ta Yun-ho) is the world's longest manmade waterway. It is 1085 miles long. Emperor K'ang-hsi had the Grand Canal repaired, to facilitate the movement of rice from south to north, when he had the Huang Ho dredged - between 1677 and 1683. The Grand Canal connects the Huang Ho with the lower Yangtze.
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