Pui Yee

The Quest Of The Woman Warrior

- Kleber Battaglia

AS ONE OF only a few female Sifus in the Wing Chun world, Sifu Pui Yee’s journey hasn’t been an easy one—confronted with a cultural and sexual disparity in a male-oriented field where force can easily overcome weakness. She had to prove herself on many occasions but finally became one of the main instructors at the Wan Kam Leung Practical Wing Chun HQ in Hong Kong, and a Guinness World Record holder for the largest class ever taught in martial arts. Only a woman with a warrior’s spirit could make it through this journey.

How did you get interested in Chinese Kung Fu?

I’m Chinese, born in Vietnam after the war and grew up in Denmark, but I’ve always considered myself to be a product of both cultures. I became interested in Chinese culture, especially martial arts, from an early age. It was due to the many Chinese martial arts dramas and movies I watched at home with my family. I was fascinated by the Kung Fu skills that the characters in the movies possessed and the heroic deeds that they did. Ever since, I wished I could learn martial arts, but it was only when I entered my teens that I had my first encounter with martial arts, which happened to be Wing Chun.

My first teacher was Sifu Morten Ibsen, who I deeply respect and am very thankful to for bringing me onto the path of Wing Chun. It was, of course, completely different from any of the dramas or movies I watched about Kung Fu—it was based on logic and science!