Yip Man
Encyclopedia
Yip Man also spelled as Ip Man, and also known as Yip Kai-Man, was a Chinese martial artist. He had several students who later became martial arts teachers in their own right, including Bruce Lee
.
, Guangdong
, and received a traditional Chinese education. His older brother was Yip Kai-gak, his older sister was Yip Wan-mei and his younger sister was Yip Wan-hum.
Kai-man started learning Wing Chun
from Chan Wah-shun
when he was 13. Since Chan was 70 at the time, he was Chan's last student. Due to his teacher's age, Kai-man learned most of his skills and techniques from Chan's second oldest disciple: Ng Chung-sok. Chan died three years after Kai-man's training started and one of his dying wishes was to have Ng continue teaching Kai-man.
At the age of 15, he moved to Hong Kong
with help from his relative Leung Fut-ting. One year later, he attended school at St. Stephen's College -- a secondary school for wealthy families and foreigners living in Hong Kong. During Kai-man's time at St. Stephen's, he saw a foreign police officer beating a woman and he intervened. The officer attempted to attack him, but Kai-man struck him down and ran to school with his classmate. His classmate later told an older man who lived in his apartment block. The man met with Kai-man and asked what martial art he practiced. The man told him that his forms were "not too great". The man challenged Kai-man's Wing Chun against the man in chi sao (a form of training that involves controlled attack and defense). Kai-man saw this as an opportunity to prove that his abilities were good, but was defeated by the man after a few strikes. His opponent revealed himself to be Leung Bik, Chan Wah-shun's senior and son of Chan's teacher, Leung Jan
. After that encounter, Kai-man continued learning from Leung Bik.
Yip Kai-man returned to Foshan when he was 24 and became a policeman. He taught Wing Chun to several of his subordinates, friends and relatives, but did not officially run a martial arts school. Some of his better known informal students were Lok Yiu
, Chow Kwong-yue (周光裕), Kwok Fu (郭富), Lun Kah (倫佳), Chan Chi-sun (陳志新) and Lui Ying (呂應). Among them, Chow Kwong-yue was said to be the best, but he eventually went into commerce and stopped practicing martial arts. Kwok Fu and Lun Kah went on to teach students of their own and they passed down art of Wing Chun in the Foshan and Guangdong region. Chan Chi-sun and Lui Ying went to Hong Kong later but neither of them accepted any students. Kai-mam went to live with Kwok Fu during the Second Sino-Japanese War
and only returned to Foshan after the war, where he continued his career as a police officer. He left Foshan for Hong Kong in 1949 after the Chinese Communist Party
established the People's Republic of China
on the Chinese mainland.
and then to Lee Tat Street (利達街) in Yau Ma Tei
. By then, some of his students had attained proficiency in Wing Chun and they were able to start their own schools. Some of his students and descendants sparred with other martial artists to compare their skills and their victories helped to increase Yip's reputation. In 1967, Yip and some of his students established the Hong Kong Wing Chun Athletic Association (香港詠春拳體育會).
Yip's legacy is the global practice of Wing Chun. Some of his notable students include: Leung Sheung
, Lok Yiu
, Leung Ting
, Chu Shong-tin
, Wong Shun Leung
, Wong Kiu (王喬), Yip Bo-ching (葉步青), William Cheung
, Hawkins Cheung, Bruce Lee
(李小龍), Wong Long, Wong Chok, Law Bing, Lee Shing, Ho Kam-ming, Moy Yat
, Duncan Leung, Derek Fung Ping-bor (馮平波), Chris Chan Shing (陳成), Victor Kan Wah Chit
(簡華捷), Stanley Chan, Chow Sze-chuen, Tam Lai, Lee Che-kong, Kang Sin-sin, Simon Lau, his nephew Lo Man-kam, and his sons Ip Ching
and Ip Chun
.
Yip also left behind a written history of Wing Chun. Many artifacts of his life are on display in the "Yip Man Tong" museum in Foshan, China.
, a film loosely based on the life of Yip Man, was released in theaters in 2008 and starred Donnie Yen
as the martial artist. The film takes a number of liberties with Yip's life, often for dramatic effect. Yip's oldest son Ip Chun
appears in the film and served as a consultant for the film. The film focuses on Yip's life during the 1930s to the 1940s during the Second Sino-Japanese War
. The film is the first to be based on the life of Yip. The sequel to the film
focuses on Yip's beginnings in Hong Kong and his disciples—including Bruce Lee
.
Another film based on Yip Man's biography called The Legend is Born – Ip Man
was released in theaters in June 2010. Herman Yau
directed the film and it starred Dennis To as Yip Man. Ip Chun makes a special appearance in the film as Leung Bik.
Wong Kar-wai
's The Grandmasters
, a film starring Tony Leung as Yip Man, is scheduled to be released in late 2011.
Amid a surge of Yip Man-related film projects in production, Donnie Yen told the Chinese media in March 2010 that after Ip Man 2, he will no longer play the Wing Chun master anymore. He stated, "I would never ever touch any films related to Ip Man. This will be my final film (Ip Man 2) on the subject. Whenever something becomes a success, everyone would jump on the bandwagon, this is very frightening. Did you know how many Ip Man films are in production? Under such condition, we would not progress, it'd only lead to over-saturation of the subject matter."
Yu Chenghui
played Yip Man in The Legend of Bruce Lee
, a 2008 television series based on the life story of Bruce Lee
, who was one of Yip's students.
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
.
Early life
Yip Kai-man was born to Yip Oi-dor and Ng Shui, and was the third of four children. He grew up in a wealthy family in FoshanFoshan
Foshan is a city in central Guangdong province in southern China. The prefectural area under the city's jurisdiction over an area of about 3,840 km² and a population of 5.4 million of which 1.1 million reside in the city proper ....
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, and received a traditional Chinese education. His older brother was Yip Kai-gak, his older sister was Yip Wan-mei and his younger sister was Yip Wan-hum.
Kai-man started learning Wing Chun
Wing Chun
Wing Chun , also romanised as Ving Tsun or Wing Tsun, ; ; is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defense utilizing both striking and grappling while specializing in close-range combat.The alternative characters 永春 "eternal spring" are also...
from Chan Wah-shun
Chan Wah-shun
Chan Wah-shun , nicknamed 'Money Changer Wah' , was a student of the wing chun grandmaster Leung Jan . He is best known today for being the martial arts teacher of Yip Man, himself best known for being the teacher of Bruce Lee....
when he was 13. Since Chan was 70 at the time, he was Chan's last student. Due to his teacher's age, Kai-man learned most of his skills and techniques from Chan's second oldest disciple: Ng Chung-sok. Chan died three years after Kai-man's training started and one of his dying wishes was to have Ng continue teaching Kai-man.
At the age of 15, he moved to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
with help from his relative Leung Fut-ting. One year later, he attended school at St. Stephen's College -- a secondary school for wealthy families and foreigners living in Hong Kong. During Kai-man's time at St. Stephen's, he saw a foreign police officer beating a woman and he intervened. The officer attempted to attack him, but Kai-man struck him down and ran to school with his classmate. His classmate later told an older man who lived in his apartment block. The man met with Kai-man and asked what martial art he practiced. The man told him that his forms were "not too great". The man challenged Kai-man's Wing Chun against the man in chi sao (a form of training that involves controlled attack and defense). Kai-man saw this as an opportunity to prove that his abilities were good, but was defeated by the man after a few strikes. His opponent revealed himself to be Leung Bik, Chan Wah-shun's senior and son of Chan's teacher, Leung Jan
Leung Jan
Leung Jan was a Wing Chun practitioner. Leung was a Chinese herbal doctor in Foshan. His name became well-known due to his wins in competitive bouts. He was called Mr...
. After that encounter, Kai-man continued learning from Leung Bik.
Yip Kai-man returned to Foshan when he was 24 and became a policeman. He taught Wing Chun to several of his subordinates, friends and relatives, but did not officially run a martial arts school. Some of his better known informal students were Lok Yiu
Lok Yiu
Lok Yiu was a disciple of Yip Man in the discipline of Wing Chun. Lok Yiu Fun was born in 1922 and died in February 2006 at the age of 83 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong after a short battle with an illness....
, Chow Kwong-yue (周光裕), Kwok Fu (郭富), Lun Kah (倫佳), Chan Chi-sun (陳志新) and Lui Ying (呂應). Among them, Chow Kwong-yue was said to be the best, but he eventually went into commerce and stopped practicing martial arts. Kwok Fu and Lun Kah went on to teach students of their own and they passed down art of Wing Chun in the Foshan and Guangdong region. Chan Chi-sun and Lui Ying went to Hong Kong later but neither of them accepted any students. Kai-mam went to live with Kwok Fu during the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
and only returned to Foshan after the war, where he continued his career as a police officer. He left Foshan for Hong Kong in 1949 after the Chinese Communist Party
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
established the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
on the Chinese mainland.
Life in Hong Kong
Initially, Yip Man's teaching business was poor because Yip's students typically stayed for only a couple of months. He moved his school twice: first to Castle Peak Road in Sham Shui PoSham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po, or Shamshuipo, is an area of Sham Shui Po District, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei. Sham Shui Po is known for its street market for electronic devices.-History:Sham Shui Po...
and then to Lee Tat Street (利達街) in Yau Ma Tei
Yau Ma Tei
Yau Ma Tei, also known as Waterloo , is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District in the south of the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong.-Name:Yau Ma Tei is a phonetic transliteration of the name 油麻地 in Cantonese...
. By then, some of his students had attained proficiency in Wing Chun and they were able to start their own schools. Some of his students and descendants sparred with other martial artists to compare their skills and their victories helped to increase Yip's reputation. In 1967, Yip and some of his students established the Hong Kong Wing Chun Athletic Association (香港詠春拳體育會).
Death and legacy
Yip died on 2 December 1972, from throat cancer.Yip's legacy is the global practice of Wing Chun. Some of his notable students include: Leung Sheung
Leung Sheung
Leung Sheung was a Chinese martial artist who studied Wing Chun Kung Fu who is known as the senior-most student of Yip Man in Hong Kong...
, Lok Yiu
Lok Yiu
Lok Yiu was a disciple of Yip Man in the discipline of Wing Chun. Lok Yiu Fun was born in 1922 and died in February 2006 at the age of 83 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong after a short battle with an illness....
, Leung Ting
Leung Ting
Leung Ting is the founder and permanent president of the International WingTsun Association.Leung chose the spelling of WingTsun to differentiate his teachings from those of other Wing Chun schools, and to keep them from passing off their style as his own...
, Chu Shong-tin
Chu Shong-tin
Chu Shong-tin was the third student of martial arts teacher Yip Man in the discipline of Wing Chun, and remained at Yip Man's school to become his senior instructor....
, Wong Shun Leung
Wong Shun Leung
Wong Shun Leung was a Chinese martial artist from Hong Kong who studied wing chun kung fu under Yip Man and is credited with training Bruce Lee. Wong reportedly won at least 60, and perhaps over 100, street fights against martial artists of various styles. Due to his reputation, he came to be...
, Wong Kiu (王喬), Yip Bo-ching (葉步青), William Cheung
William Cheung
William Cheung or Cheung Cheuk Hing , born ? October, 1940, is a Chinese Wing Chun kung fu practitioner and currently the Grandmaster of his lineage of Wing Chun, entitled Traditional Wing Chun...
, Hawkins Cheung, Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
(李小龍), Wong Long, Wong Chok, Law Bing, Lee Shing, Ho Kam-ming, Moy Yat
Moy Yat
Moy Yat was a Chinese martial artist, painter, seal maker, teacher and author. He was a student of the legendary Ving Tsun Kung-Fu teacher Yip Man from 1957 until Yip Man’s death in 1972...
, Duncan Leung, Derek Fung Ping-bor (馮平波), Chris Chan Shing (陳成), Victor Kan Wah Chit
Victor Kan Wah Chit
Victor Kan is a student of the late Yip Man and began his Ving Tsun instruction at the age of 13 years in Hong Kong. He was with Yip Man for 7 years and in that time during which he became known as the 'King of Chi Sao' or 'The Untouchable'. By the late 1950s he assisted Yip Man until he left for...
(簡華捷), Stanley Chan, Chow Sze-chuen, Tam Lai, Lee Che-kong, Kang Sin-sin, Simon Lau, his nephew Lo Man-kam, and his sons Ip Ching
Ip ching
Ip Ching is a Grandmaster of the Chinese Martial Art Wing Chun, one of five still living Grandmasters of the Ip Man family of Wing Chun Gung Fu.- Biography :...
and Ip Chun
Ip Chun
Ip Chun , also spelled as Yip Chun or Yip Jun, is a Chinese Wing Chun martial artist. He is the oldest son of Yip Man .-Biography:Ip began studying Wing Chun with his father when he was seven years old...
.
Yip also left behind a written history of Wing Chun. Many artifacts of his life are on display in the "Yip Man Tong" museum in Foshan, China.
In popular culture
Ip ManIp Man (film)
Ip Man is a 2008 Hong Kong semi biographical martial arts film very loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and master of Bruce Lee. The film focuses on events in Ip's life that supposedly took place in the city of Foshan during the Second Sino-Japanese War...
, a film loosely based on the life of Yip Man, was released in theaters in 2008 and starred Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist...
as the martial artist. The film takes a number of liberties with Yip's life, often for dramatic effect. Yip's oldest son Ip Chun
Ip Chun
Ip Chun , also spelled as Yip Chun or Yip Jun, is a Chinese Wing Chun martial artist. He is the oldest son of Yip Man .-Biography:Ip began studying Wing Chun with his father when he was seven years old...
appears in the film and served as a consultant for the film. The film focuses on Yip's life during the 1930s to the 1940s during the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
. The film is the first to be based on the life of Yip. The sequel to the film
Ip Man 2
Ip Man 2 is a 2010 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film loosely based on the life of Ip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun. A sequel to the 2008 film Ip Man, the film was directed by Wilson Yip, and stars Donnie Yen, who reprises the leading role...
focuses on Yip's beginnings in Hong Kong and his disciples—including Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
.
Another film based on Yip Man's biography called The Legend is Born – Ip Man
The Legend is Born – Ip Man
The Legend is Born – Ip Man is a 2010 Hong Kong semi-biographical martial arts film based on the events in the early life of Wing Chun master Yip Man . The film's story is not related to Wilson Yip's Ip Man starring Donnie Yen; however both Sammo Hung and Fan Siu-wong are featured in the film, but...
was released in theaters in June 2010. Herman Yau
Herman Yau
Herman Yau Lai-To , born 1961 in Hong Kong is a film director, actor, cinematographer, scriptwriter and film producer.-Background:A Chiuchow by origin, Yau studied film at The Department of Communications, Hong Kong Baptist College from 1981 to 1984 where he spent much of his early days hanging out...
directed the film and it starred Dennis To as Yip Man. Ip Chun makes a special appearance in the film as Leung Bik.
Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai
Wong Kar-wai BBS is a Hong Kong Second Wave filmmaker, internationally renowned as an auteur for his visually unique, highly stylized, emotionally resonant work, including Days of Being Wild , Ashes of Time , Chungking Express , Fallen Angels , Happy Together and 2046...
's The Grandmasters
The Grandmasters
The Grandmasters is an upcoming Hong Kong action drama film based on the life story of Wing Chun grandmaster Yip Man. The film is directed and written by Wong Kar-wai and stars Tony Leung as Yip Man.-Cast:* Tony Leung as Yip Man* Zhang Ziyi...
, a film starring Tony Leung as Yip Man, is scheduled to be released in late 2011.
Amid a surge of Yip Man-related film projects in production, Donnie Yen told the Chinese media in March 2010 that after Ip Man 2, he will no longer play the Wing Chun master anymore. He stated, "I would never ever touch any films related to Ip Man. This will be my final film (Ip Man 2) on the subject. Whenever something becomes a success, everyone would jump on the bandwagon, this is very frightening. Did you know how many Ip Man films are in production? Under such condition, we would not progress, it'd only lead to over-saturation of the subject matter."
Yu Chenghui
Yu Chenghui
Yu Chenghui , sometimes credited as Yue Sing-wai, is a Chinese actor, action director and martial artist.-Martial arts career:...
played Yip Man in The Legend of Bruce Lee
The Legend of Bruce Lee
The Legend of Bruce Lee is a Chinese biographic television series based on the life story of martial artist and actor Bruce Lee. The 50 episodes long series was produced and broadcast by CCTV and had been aired since 12 October 2008. It starred Hong Kong actor Danny Chan as Bruce Lee and American...
, a 2008 television series based on the life story of Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
, who was one of Yip's students.
Martial arts lineage
Wing Chun Lineage according to Yip Man| Ng Mui Ng Mui Ng Mui is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders — survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Temple by the Qing Dynasty.... (one of the Five Elders Five Elders In Southern Chinese folklore, the Five Elders of Shaolin are survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Monastery by the Qing Dynasty, variously said to have taken place in 1647, in 1674 or in 1732.-The Kung Fu Five Elders:... of Shaolin Monastery) |
| Yim Wing-chun Yim Wing-chun Yim Wing-chun is a Chinese legendary character, often cited in Wing Chun legends as the first master of the martial art bearing her name. Wing-chun, though a person's name in Chinese language, literally means "spring chant" or "forever spring", or may be substituted with the character for "eternal... (taught Wing Chun by Ng for self-defence) |
| Leung Bok-chau (Yim's husband) |
| Leung Lan-kwai |
| Wong Wah-bo (taught the pole form by Leung Yee-tai) |
| Leung Yee-tai Leung Yee-tai Leung Yee-tai was a Wing Chun master.He was a strong boatman who steered riverboat by pushing a long pole against the river bottom.A Shaolin monk Chi Sin saw that he was a natural successor to the Shaolin pole fighting skill called six and a half point long pole.He taught Wong Wah-bo his pole... (added his pole form to the system he learned from Wong) |
| Leung Jan Leung Jan Leung Jan was a Wing Chun practitioner. Leung was a Chinese herbal doctor in Foshan. His name became well-known due to his wins in competitive bouts. He was called Mr... (also taught his son Leung Bik) |
| Chan Wah-shun Chan Wah-shun Chan Wah-shun , nicknamed 'Money Changer Wah' , was a student of the wing chun grandmaster Leung Jan . He is best known today for being the martial arts teacher of Yip Man, himself best known for being the teacher of Bruce Lee.... |
| Yip Man (also learned from Ng Chung-sok and Leung Bik) |
| Known students: See Branches of Wing Chun Branches of Wing Chun The different branches of the Chinese martial art Wing Chun can be thought of as describing both the differing traditions and interpretations of Wing Chun, and the teacher-student relationships which perpetuate them.... |