It’s surprising how unknown non-Yip Man style Wing Chun lineages really are. It’s not really argued that Yip Man broke Wing Chun to the public at large, so the fact that most styles originate from his lineage does follow. Considering I’m currently studying a non-Yip Man lineage, though, I was especially interested in details of the other styles. Yet, very little is typically known about other styles outside of Yip Man. That’s where Complete Wing Chun comes into play.

Robert Chu, Rene Ritchie, and Y. Wu, the authors, each were working on just that, when they realized they were all doing similar work at the same time. Through collaboration on the phone and the Internet, they produced this book, which is perhaps the most definitive guide to the different styles and histories of Wing Chun.

This book takes a fascinating look at a variety of different lineages — Yip Man lineages are just one chapter here. I can certainly appreciate the chapter on Gu Lao style, as well as the brief write-up of Pien San style, from which my training descends. If you’ve ever asked the question, “are there non-Yip Man lineages, and what are they?” this book will provide the answer.

The book stops short of making any definitive statements about the “true” history, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. I can appreciate this, with as much controversy as there is surrounding the histories each style presents. Was Yim Wing Chun a real person, or was she a creation to hide radicals? In the end, it’s left up to the reader to decide how they want to answer that question, or decide if it’s important to answer at all.

At times, this book can be repetitive, but that’s to be expected, because they treat each lineage separately. Since Wing Chun shares a common background, albeit passed in differently by different teachers, there’s bound to be a lot of crossover when it comes to the history. However, it’s the differences that really make for fascinating reading. Regardless of the early history, the later history (which seems to be reasonably accurate) also provides an interesting look at the main figures and events of other styles.

Yet, the title seems somehow misleading. While this is perhaps the most extensive and complete compendium of information on different styles, it also brings up the point that it’s probably impossible to provide a truly complete resource. How many other lineages are still to be found in mainland China? How many lineages just died off altogether?

This book provides the best descriptive and historical research available on Wing Chun, and is highly recommended to anyone curious about other styles. No holier than thou attitudes here; just good, honest research and a wealth of information.