During the Ching Dynasty (1662-1722), the emperor K'anghsi felt that the Shaolin temple could resist the rule of the Ching government. He ordered its destruction. Ng Mui, the head nun at an affiliate Temple, was one of the few people that escaped the massacre. She retreated to the White Crane Temple on Mt. Tai Leung (also known as Mt. Chai Har). Her knowledge and skills of the martial arts was legendary.

She is said to have been a master variously of the Shaolin martial arts, the Wudang martial arts, and Yuejiaquan,the family style of Yue Fei. She is also credited as the founder of the martial arts Wu Mei Pai (Ng Mui style), Wing Chun Kuen, Dragon style, White Crane, and Five-Pattern Hung Kuen. She has been associated with various locations, including the Shaolin Temple in either Henan or Fujian, the Wudang Mountains in Hubei, Mount Emei in Sichuan, a supposed White Crane Temple, the Daliang Mountains on the border between Sichuan and Yunnan, and additional locations in Guangxi and Guangdong. According to one folk story, she was the daughter of a Ming general.