YIP MAN
From 1914 to 1937, Yip Man works hardly in the Army and in the Police. He gets married with Cheung Wing Sing, whose family comes from Cheung Yum Ham, one of the last ministers of the Qing dinasty. Yip Man and his wife have 4 sons, the males Yip Hok Chun and Yip Hok Ching, and the females Ar Sum and Ar Wun. When not working, Yip Man is training with other martial artists. In his garden he exchanges many ideas on the Wing Chun style. In one corner of the room there is a dummy for training. In that period, he trains with Yuen Kai Shan, Lai Hip Chi, Yiu Choi, Yip Chung Hong, Tong Kai and others...
In 1937, Japaneses invade the South of China, and for eight years Yip Man opposes to them: Fatshan, where now he lives, is invaded and totaly controlled by the Japaneses. Yip Man rejects to deal with them, so he becomes very poor; time by time, luckily, his friend Chow Cheng Chung helps him giving him some food.. Yip Man, to thank him, will take Chow Cheng Chung as a student.From 1941 to 1943 he teaches Wing Chun in the cotton mill at Wing On. At this time his students are Chow Kong Yiu, the famous Lun Kai, Chau Sai Kong, Leu Pak, Chan So, Ying, Kwok Fu, Chan Chi Sun, Ng Ying, Chow Sai and others: this is the first generation of students who take lessons from Yip Man.
Lun Kai says to us that Yip Man never taught, at that time, any forms of double knives, but for sure he taught the Long Pole technique. We also know that at that time, the Wooden Dummy form was quite different from the last version we have, and it consisted - as told by Sifu Sergio Iadarola - of only 67 movements and there wasn't in it any footwork (in other cases Yip Man taught 146 movements on Wooden Dummy, in some other cases 108, up to reach at the last stage to the 'classical' 116 movements).
Of course, it also depends how you do count the movements.
In 1945, Japan loose the II World War. Until 1948, Yip Man is extremely busy with his work, and even if he loves Wing Chun, he cannot practise it so much. Only in 1948, his good friend Tong Kai introduces to him Pan Nam, and asks Yip Man to give him some lessons, which will be given in the Athletic Association Cheung Yee, in Fatshan.
In November 1949, communists, under Mao's leadership, consolidate their power. Yip Man is wanted and he is forced to escape to Hong Kong, having just a stop for 2 weeks in Macao and hosted by some friends, and he is also obliged to leave in Fatshan all his goods.
In July 1950 in Hong Kong, Yip Man starts teaching Wing Chun, up to that moment an almost secret art, to the public. In a very first moment, he is very reluctant to do so, since he thinks that it's to Master Ng Chun So to pass on the system. But under the pressure of his friend Lee Man, and also pushed by economical reasons, he starts his career as a professional teacher.
(continues...)
