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  Grandmaster
Yip Man spent his whole life as champion of the cause of Wing Chun Kung Fu. He
was responsible for advancing Wing Chun Kung Fu to its' eminence today. Wing
Chun is now the most influential martial art to emerge from 20th century China.
He was born in Foshan (China) in 1893 to a wealthy merchant family and lived
to the age of 79, passing away at his home in Hong Kong in December 1972.
During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Wing Chun, like other martial arts,
was banned in China and survived only through the persistence of practitioners
like Yip Man. He later stirred media interest as the teacher of martial arts
movie star Bruce Lee, who later took the art to Hong Kong.
 Chan
Wah Shun was Yip Man's first teacher. Unfortunately Chan
Wah Shun died at a young age . At the age of fifteen he
travelled to Hong Kong to study at St Stephen's College
Catholic School in Hong Kong. It was during this time
that Yip Man met Leung Bik who was the son of Leung Jon.
Yip Man challenged Leung Bik and was beaten. When Yip
Man found out who Leung Bik was, Yip Man asked to become
one of Leung Bik's students. Leung Bik, being a small
man, did not use muscles. His style was not as hard as
that of Chan Wah Shun. Yip Man was able to learn both
the hard and soft elements and therfore complete mastery
of the Wing Chun system.
After Yip Man's schooling in Hong Kong, he went back to China, his home town,
worked as a an army recruit. He was later involved in several bouts with other
martial artists. He fled the Communist government in China and lost all
his possessions. When he got to Hong Kong he only had his skills in Wing Chun
with which to make a living. This is where he accepted his first batch of
disciples in Hong Kong on a professional basis. As time passed and his knack for
teaching developed, Yip Man's skills continued to improve.
His 'closed door' student, Great Grandmaster Tsui Seung Tin, in turn became
the teacher of Grandmaster Jim Fung, principal of Australia's International Wing
Chun Academy. Grandmaster Fung can now trace his martial arts lineage back
through eight generations of number one students to Ng Mei.
 Grandmaster
Yip Man shows his chi sau prowess
 Grandmaster
Yip Man and a young Bruce Lee practice lap sau
Grandmaster
Yip Man practices Sil Lum Tao
Grandmaster
Yip Man preparing for the reverse hook kick from the Chum Kiu form.
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