back

Yip Man

Born in 1894 in China, he began his Wing Chun training under the 5th Generation Grand Master Chan Wah Sun and completed his training under Master Leung Bik the son of the 4th Generation Wing Chun Grand Master Leung Jan.
In 1949 at the age of 55 Master Yip Man began to teach Wing Chun.

At the time in Hong Kong there were many famous Chinese Martial Arts like Hung Kuen, Choy Lee Fut, Tai Chi, Lung Ying, etc. And it didn't take long until challenge matches took place between schools, these matches where called Gong Sao.

Many of Yip Man's students took place in these Gong Sao matches defeating their opponents making Wing Chun and Yip Man very famous.
This was one of the main reasons why a young Bruce Lee became involved and began to learn Wing Chun under Master Yip Man, soon after that he introduced Duncan Leung to Yip Man and he was accepted as a formal disciple by the Old Man.
Grandmaster Yip Man established the Hong Kong Ving Tsun Athletic Association in 1967.

Yip Man disliked 5 things during his life:
- He disliked waring suits.
- He disliked saying that a student was wrong.
- He disliked teaching foreigners.
- He disliked pictures taken of him.
- He disliked teaching kicking techniques.

In 1967 he established the Hong Kong Ving Tsun Athletic Association.
Grandmaster Yip Man died of cancer on the 2nd of December 1972.

Links to other biographies:

Duncan Leung

Li Hon Ki

Henry Araneda