Ip Man: Portrait of a Kung Fu Master
“If wealth and honor do not dissipate you, poverty and low status do not make you move from your principles, authority and might do not distort you, then you can be called a great man.”
Ip Man: Portrait of a Kung Fu Master
By Ip Ching and Ron Heimberger
Translated by Eric Lee
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Published on January 2001
ISBN-13: 9781555175160
116 pages
When I first saw the Ip Man movie billboard starring Donnie Yen, I was intrigued by the title, which is the name of the legendary Wing Chun grandmaster. I must admit I was attracted to the fact that Donnie Yen (my favourite martial arts star) is playing the role of the grandmaster. I decided I must read the grandmaster’s life story before I watch the movie to appreciate it better.
I did some research and found this book, Ip Man: Portrait of a Kung Fu Master, written by his son, Ip Ching, who is now the grandmaster. The book is co-written with Ip Ching’s disciple, Ron Heimberger. I also decided to write this review only after I watch the movie. The book offers stories of the great Wing Chun Master’s life. It also provides a set of fifteen principles as a guide to mastery but none of the actual Wing Chun moves.
From my reading, I can see that Ip Man is indeed an honorable man. He never exploited the art of Wing Chun nor take advantage of his students. He demonstrated the principles of loyalty and love: [...] loyalty gives rise to loyalty and love to love. If one desires loyalty, he must be loyal. (p. 83)
Ip Man was first taught by Chan Wa Shun who he called his ‘sifu’ (or kung fu master). He later perfected Wing Chun through Leung Bik, his ‘si pak’ (or kung fu uncle) after the death of Chan Wa Shun. Although Leung Bik was the one who actually taught him the most, he never addressed him as sifu. For Ip Man, Chan Wa Shun will always be his sifu. Through this, he demonstrated his unwavering loyalty to his master and earned the respect from the martial arts community. His students gained the spirit of Wing Chun’s selfless service, complete loyalty and unfailing courage.
Another thing that resonated with me in the book is this: True mastery, true competition is a matter of the self. (p. 68) I agree with the thought that one faces competition with himself alone and should always try to be better. To be contented is fine, but we must not be lazy and complacent with our current successes.
The short chapter on “What’s In A Name?” sheds light on the romanization of Chinese writing and how it affected the spelling of the grandmaster’s name. The correct spelling is Ip Man and not Yip Man as many people spelled it. It is an important protocol because to change a proper name is to change the person himself. Hence, the book advises that when dealing with Chinese art, literature, and culture, one cannot and should not assume readily no matter what.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the grandmaster’s life in Foshan and Hong Kong, and viewing the many photos in the book. Perhaps the most striking thing to me is how he came to learn the art of Wing Chun and ultimately perfecting it. As the book says, without Ip Man, Wing Chun would be lost today (p. 91). He has touched many lives especially the lives of his students. He understood the tradition and honor in Wing Chun. He is also Bruce Lee’s only kung fu teacher.
Note: While the movie Ip Man is about the grandmaster, it is not based on this book. Donnie Yen, whose martial arts background began from the day he could walk, is fabulous for the role. The movie is a must-watch!
“Some are born with the knowledge of their duties; some know them by study; and some acquire the knowledge after a painful feeling of their ignorance.”
