| Ip Man was the second son of a wealthy and | | | | school on behalf of the Hong Kong Restaurant |
| influential family. His early years were set | | | | Workers Association. At that time Wing Chun |
| against a backdrop of civil unrest and | | | | was an obscure style of kung fu practiced by |
| conflict. A bloody conflict with Japan was | | | | a minority. However as his school grew and |
| lost and China was forced to cede territory | | | | his pupils took part in and usually won the |
| and money to Japan A coup d'etat followed | | | | many illegal rooftop fighting competitions of |
| three years later and for the following few | | | | the day, Ip Man's reputation grew across the |
| years the country was thrown in to further | | | | island, and students flocked to his school. |
| turmoil by the "Boxer rebellion" (a bloody | | | | He never advertised , feeling that this would |
| uprising of martial artists against foreign | | | | not give him the option of turning away |
| influence in China). By the time he was 12 | | | | potential students that he thought would be |
| the uprising had long since been quelled and | | | | unsuitable, but as a result of the fighting |
| the remaining martial artists who hadn't been | | | | prowess of his students he was never short of |
| put to death were maintaining a very low | | | | people who wanted to train with him.Ip Man |
| profile.It was at this time that Ip Man | | | | made a point of teaching Wing Chun to each |
| started to take an interest in Wing Chun, | | | | student in a way that was adapted to their |
| after watching classes run in the Ip family | | | | personality, profession, education and body |
| clan hall by Chun Wa Shun. Although Ip Man | | | | build. One example that he gave was when he |
| was only able to train for three years before | | | | taught a professional hairdresser, because of |
| Chan passed away. At 15 Ip Man moved to Hong | | | | her job she found it very difficult to keep |
| Kong to attend high school. Ip Man described | | | | he elbows in, spending her entire working |
| himself as an arrogant youngster quick to get | | | | life with her elbows pushed out. So rather |
| into fights. After a fight with a policeman | | | | than try to correct this, he taught her |
| he found beating a Chinese woman, during | | | | techniques to compensate for this poor elbow |
| which he impressed those around by | | | | position.It was this constant adaptation and |
| dispatching the much larger and older man | | | | variation in teaching that led to many |
| armed with a baton, he came to the attention | | | | disputes following his death about the |
| of Leung Bik a student of Chun Wa Shun's own | | | | "correct" way to perform particular |
| teacher.Their first meeting went very badly. | | | | techniques. In one case one of his students |
| He was unaware of why he had been summoned to | | | | claimed that he was the only person Ip Man |
| meet Leung Bik, but turned up as requested, | | | | had ever taught the "true wing chun" to. Not |
| as the tradition in those days was that young | | | | surprisingly most of these squables and |
| people were expected to respect the wishes of | | | | grandiosed claims came after Ip Man's so that |
| their elders. Leung Bik asked Ip Man to | | | | he couldnt' refute them.It was during this |
| demonstrate his Wing Chun, which Ip Man was | | | | period in the fifties and sixties that Ip Man |
| initially happy to do and then pointed out a | | | | trained some of his most famous students. |
| number of deficiencies in his skills. Ip Man | | | | Amongst these was the young child actor and |
| was enraged and when he was finally asked to | | | | son of an opera star Bruce Junfan Lee. Bruce |
| practice Chi Sau (a form of sparring used in | | | | aged twelve had been beaten up by a local |
| Wing Chun training) thinking that he now had | | | | gang and wanted to learn how to defend |
| an opportunity to teach the old man a lesson, | | | | himself. Initially Ip Man was reluctant to |
| Ip Man immediately threw a punch which was | | | | take the young boy on, and only agreed as a |
| blocked, with Ip Man thrown effortlessly to | | | | result of his persistance, a character trait |
| one side, two more attempts both left Ip Man | | | | that he was legendary for having in |
| lying on the floor wondering what had just | | | | abundance. Bruce Lee studied with Ip Man for |
| happened. Ip Man was furious and stormed out, | | | | two years before moving back to his country |
| it was only the next day when he had calmed | | | | of birth the united states only having |
| down and asked who Leung Bik was that he | | | | learned a small part of the Wing Chun system. |
| realised that he had a lot to learn from this | | | | As there was nobody in the US qualified to |
| man. He went back to see Leung Bik, | | | | further his training he took an interest in |
| apologised and asked him to take him on as a | | | | Karate and taekwondo to supplement his |
| student. For the next four years, until his | | | | trainning. Eventually he merged all these |
| death, Ip Man refined his Wing Chun skills | | | | systems into his own hybrid system called |
| under Leung Bik's guidance.In 1912 Ip Man | | | | Jeet Kune Do.The story of Bruce Lee's rise to |
| returned to Foshan, being from a priveleged | | | | stardom is well known, within a few years of |
| and wealthy background he didn't need to work | | | | making his first martial arts film, he had |
| and was able to devote the next few years to | | | | become a household name in the West. The fact |
| refining his Wing Chun skills and passing | | | | that Lee had learned Kung Fu from Ip Man |
| them on to others. Challenge matches between | | | | created a demand for Ip Man's students to |
| kung fu schools were an everyday reality of | | | | teach wherever they went. As a result schools |
| Chinese Martial Arts culture and Ip Man | | | | quickly sprang up across Europe and the |
| quickly acquired a reputation that made him | | | | United States.As is the tradition in Chinese |
| the target for many of these challenges. He | | | | Martial Arts schools senior students (Si |
| was however, able to despatch all his | | | | Hing's) are expected to take an active role |
| challengers. One of these more famous | | | | in teaching their younger "kung fu brothers" |
| encounters involved a master of Praying | | | | (Si Dais). The temptation to distort this to |
| Mantis, who, when laying down the challenge | | | | a claim that they had taught kung fu to Bruce |
| smashed his fist through a brick wall. The | | | | Lee and gain a lot of kudos with his army of |
| fight was held on a stage and watched | | | | fans, proved too much for many of Ip Man's |
| excitedly by the whole town expecting an | | | | students. Hence today there are many |
| evenings entertainment, their evening was cut | | | | conflicting claims about who Bruce Lee's |
| short as Ip Man managed to finish the fight | | | | instructor was, although non dispute the fact |
| within a few seconds of it starting by | | | | that he studied under Ip Man during his time |
| throwing his opponent off the stage and | | | | in Hong Kong. This more than any other |
| breaking three of his ribs in the process.In | | | | disagreement has been a significant factor in |
| 1937 following the invasion of China by the | | | | the many splits and political divisions that |
| Japanese Empire, Ip Man's fortunes changed | | | | have occurred between the schools of the Ip |
| radically. The family wealth was confiscated | | | | Man lineage.Ip Man died of throat cancer in |
| and Ip Man was obliged to find a job to | | | | 1972, almost certainly as a result of the 20 |
| support himself. As a result of his | | | | camel cigarretes a day that he famously |
| reputation not only for martial skills, but | | | | smoked, sometimes whilst stood at the side of |
| for his honour and honesty, Ip Man was | | | | his classes watching his students train. Ip |
| offered the job of police chief for Foshan. | | | | Man's two sons maintain the family tradition |
| He carried out this job dilligently using | | | | to this day and head up his "Hong Kong Ving |
| much of his spare time to teach wing chun, | | | | Tsun Association" with satellite schools in |
| until the communists took power in China in | | | | every country in the world, maintaining Ip |
| 1949. He joined the exodus of nearly a | | | | Man's no-nonsense approach to teaching a |
| million Chinese to Hong Kong, to escape the | | | | fighting system based on simplicity, speed |
| forced reformation of Chinese culture.Ip Man | | | | and efficiency.Daniel Land is a student of |
| spent the rest of his life teaching in Hong | | | | Wing Chun Kung Fu and an editor of the |
| Kong. He arrived in Hong Kong without a penny | | | | Martial Arts Open Directory. |
| to his name, so to support himself ran a | | | | |