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