By Liang Hongda

The Stories between Ip Man and Bruce Lee

By Liang Hongda

A round 1950,Ip Man moved to Hong Kong. Without any skills to make a living other than practicing martial arts,he opened a martial arts school.

The way that Ip Man taught students was different from that of others.He knew how to explain his martial arts with geometric and mechanical principles.For example, straight punches are often used in Wing Chun,1but what is the reason? Straight lines,he explained,are the shortest distance between two points.He always explained with modern scientific knowledge.

Later,Bruce Lee honored him as his master—after he lost a fight with some local gangsters,he wanted to practice his martial arts skill and seek guidance from a master. He was told that Ip Man was a great master,and that was why he became his student.

However,Bruce quit learning after only a few days,as he thought the style of Wing Chun was unsightly and designed for women.Soon afterwards,he got in another fight in the streets.This time,he adopted the little Wing Chun he learned and won the fight with just a few cuffs and kicks.

Bruce realized the power of Ip Man’s martial arts,and went back to Ip man.Ip Man,who didn’t care about Bruce’s half-heartedness,accepted him as his student once again.Later,Bruce Lee went to America,and set up Jeet Kune Do.2He proclaimed that this was his own martial art—namely Lee’s Jeet Kune Do—and never mentioned who his teacher was.

Ip Man(1893-1972),also known as Yip Man,or Yip Kai-man,was a Chinese martial artist,and a master teacher of Wing Chun.He had several students who later became martial arts masters in their own right,including Wong Shun Leung and Bruce Lee.

After this became known to the disciples of the Wing Chun School, they said,“You were once a pupil of the Wing Chun School,how come you set up Jeet Kune Do and never mentioned your teacher in front of others?Also,some moves of your Jeet Kune Do originate from Wing Chun.”Later,Ip Man was told that Bruce was a disloyal pupil who had disrespected his School and master teacher,and never propagated the School,but instead self-promoted.Bruce Lee once thought that Ip Man would definitely turn against him.

Later,after Bruce Lee came back to Hong Kong from the US,he gave Ip Man a call,asking cautiously,“Master,would you still regard me as your student?”Ip Man replied with something quite meaningful,“If you regard me as your teacher, then you are my student accordingly.”

However,the teacher and the pupil fell out later over a simple matter.

When Ip Man practiced Wing Chun,he would often use a wooden post,known as the wooden dummy, but Bruce Lee didn’t master all the wooden dummy moves.After Bruce rose to fame,he thought that he needed to make up for this,so he planned to negotiate with his master.At that time,Bruce was much more well-off than Ip Man,and was also a bit arrogant.He said to his master,“I’ve got a busy schedule, so I can’t learn the moves in person.I’ll give you a video recorder and some video tapes,and you can just record how you practice Wing Chun on the wooden dummy.I won’t let you do this for free;instead,I’ll give you a condo.”Unexpectedly,Ip Man was so irritated by Bruce’s offer that he drove Bruce away.

Why was Ip Man furious?The reason was that Ip Man had high moral integrity.If a student wanted to learn something,Ip Man would teach them,step by step,carefully, which was not a problem at all. However,if the student just wanted to trade with him,even if it was offered with a condominium,it would be out of the question.It was not a matter of money or condo,but an act of disrespect,which offended Ip Man’s dignity as a grand master.

In terms of martial arts,and kung fu in particular,it is be fine to learn from a master while being his student,but one should never consider buying it with money,as this is offensive in the eyes of many masters. Because of this offense,a rift appeared between Ip Man and Bruce Lee.

Fortunately,their relationship turned over a new leaf before long: Ip Man reaccepted Bruce Lee as one of his outstanding students,and Bruce Lee,in turn,acknowledged Ip Man as his master whenever he was interviewed.From Bruce Lee,more people got to know Ip Man.

Of course,Ip Man had a reputation in Hong Kong.He even took down a group of attacking gangsters when he was 60,which earned him the title of“Honorary Citizen of Hong Kong.”Ip Man died of illness at the age of 79 in 1972,in Hong Kong.Ip Man carried forward the martial art of Wing Chun nearly all by himself.These days,thanks to Ip Man,there are around 2 million people practicing Wing Chun all around the world.

(FromMr.Liang’s History Talks,Beijing Institute Technology Press. Translation:Zhu Yaguang.)

Note:

1.Wing Chun is a concept-based Chinese martial art and form of self-defence utilizing both striking and grappling while specializing in close-range combat.

2.Jeet Kune Do is an eclectic and hybrid style fighting art.Unlike more traditional martial arts,Jeet Kune Do is not fixed or patterned, but a philosophy with guiding thoughts.It was named for the Wing Chun concept of interception or attacking while one’s opponent is about to attack.

Bruce Lee(1940-1973)was a Hong Kong American martial artist,action film actor,martial arts instructor,philosopher,filmmaker, and the founder of Jeet Kune Do.