Ng Mu and the Crane versus the Wild Cat
During the Qing Dynasty, the government was unhappy with the existence of the Shaolin Temple, as its inhabitants were quite skilled in the martial arts. Though an attack on the Shaolin Temple by an army sent by the government proved unsuccessful, the temple was burnt down and destroyed by a traitor monk anyway. As a result, most of the monks, skilled in martial arts, perished in the blaze. While only 6 people escaped, of these 6 people, 5 were monks and 1 was the nun, Ng Mu (also known as Ng Moy). They were all martial artists.
Ng Mu fled, going deeper into the southwestern part of China, where she sought refuge at another monastery called White Crane Temple. It is commonly believed that Ng Mu carried with her the knowledge of a martial art created in the Shaolin Temple, but not yet finished. This style of martial art would have perished in the blaze at Shaolin Temple, like the many other styles if she hadn’t escaped.
It is believed that further development of the unfinished style of martial art occurred when Ng Mu witnessed an incident between a crane and wild cat while on an excursion into the mountains near the White Crane Temple.
The crane was fighting against the wild cat, avoiding falling prey to it. While the wild cat attacked a number of times, violently and viciously, the crane managed to evade it by remaining calm and composed. Again and again, the wild cat leaped and snarled, baring its teeth and claws to no avail. Eventually, it grew tired, exhausted by its fruitless attempts to kill the crane for food. Finally, the wild cat gave up, and ran away. The crane was left unharmed.
The effectiveness of the crane’s defence helped Ng Mu further develop the unfinished style, which she then taught to her first student, Wing Chun.