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The 葉問‧IpMan movie website has been released.
Founded by Yim Wing-chun; took root in the hands of Leung Chun; blossomed under Ip Man…’
Ip Man is adapted from the life story of Ip Man, the grand master of the Wing Chun style of kung fu and sifu (master) of legendary kung fu superstar Bruce Lee. Wing Chun has a history of more than 200 years. It was founded by Yim Wing Chun, took root in the hands of Leung Chun, and prospered with Ip Man. The art of Wing Chun has now become very popular with martial arts enthusiasts, especially overseas. It is a traditional Chinese martial art with a formidable reputation internationally.
Wing Chun Kuen is characterised by close body combat, requiring practitioners to show speed and power. Its Chi Sao or “sticking hands” is more similar to modern day combat skills and has a rich feel of genuine strikes. This is also why Ip Man differs from the dazzingly romantic and purely fictional style of previous martial art movies. Its explosive punches and aggressive close-range combat offer a new thrill never experienced by modern day audiences.
The story of Wing Chun began in the 1920s and 30s, in wartorn China. Ip Man was martial art’s unyielding follower, devoted whole-heartedly to the free learning of wushu. The fight to be top between the Wushu schools in the southern and northern regions of China had not stopped him having goodwill matches with other practitioners. Nationalistic bad feelings and racial hatred had not lessened his respect for Japanese kung fu warriors. In this great era of hatreds and tragedies, Ip focused only on wushu. His enthusiasm for martial arts saw him having devastating street fights with various elite practitioners.
To date, there have neither been movies nor publications about Ip Man. This movie will be the first important record of the master’s life. Ip’s persistent devotion to Wing Chun is a classic example of the love and respect shown to wushu and the freedom and spirit it represents. This movie will see the making of a modern wushu master representative of Chinese people worldwide. Ip Man is a concept, a spirit, a way of thinking – and it represents a new peak in Hong Kong’s wushu movies.
The website can be found at http://www.ipman-movie.com
© Wing Chun News - wingchunnews.com
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Ip Man Movie Website Released
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Wing Chun Magazine Announces New Issue To Be Release in Early 2009
San Clemente, CA, USA - Wing Chun Magazine announced that a new issue is in production for release in early 2009. After a hiatus from new issue releases, Wing Chun practitioners can finally look forward to a new publication release.
According to Adam Williss, founder and editor-in-chief of the publication, Wing Chun Magazine will be moving away from offering the publication for free. There will be a subscription fee when the new issue is released in order to sustain its continued publication.
Wing Chun Magazine is the online magazine dedicated to Wing Chun in all its forms, names, lineages and derivatives. This includes Wing Chun, WingTsun, Ving Tsun, Wing Tzun, Weng Chun and many more.
For more information, visit the Wing Chun Magazine website at wingchunmagazine.com.
© Wing Chun News - wingchunnews.com
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saturday, September 6, 2008
WVTAA 2008 Hall of Fame Inductees
The World Ving Tsun Athletic Association proudly announced its inductees for the 2008 Hall of Fame. Each year, the WVTAA inducts two new members into its Hall of Fame for unselfish hard work in propagating the art of Ving Tsun / Wing Chun.
Taking this year's 2008 Grandmaster of the Year is Ip Chun (also known as Yip Chun).
Ip Chun is the eldest son of the late Grandmaster Yip Man.
Sifu of the year is Wan Kam Leung.
Wan Kam Leung is a senior student of the late Grandmaster Wong Shun Leung.
For more information on the World Ving Tsun Athletic Association, please visit vingtsun.cc.
© Wing Chun News - wingchunnews.com
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Yip Man Movie's First Trailer
Here is the first trailer we could find on the upcoming Yip Man movie. From 29 seconds on, music replaces the Chinese voice.
© Wing Chun News - wingchunnews.com
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Yip Man Movie Hong Kong Release Date: December 18th, 2008
According to The Internet Movie Database, the long awaited Yip Man movie is set to be released in Hong Kong on December 18th, 2008.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
'Yip Man' Biopics Settle Title Dispute
By Mark Pollard
It was recently reported that conflict had broken out between the camps surrounding two upcoming biopics of Wing Chun Grandmaster Yip Man. The issue concerned the film title, “GRANDMASTER YIP MAN,” first claimed by director Wong Kar-wai after announcing his plans to make the movie back in 2002. Investors for director Wilson Yip’s film also claimed that title for their movie, which stars Donnie Yen, but its producer Raymond Wong has since announced that Yip’s film will stick to its original title.
“All along, we had called our film YIP MAN but our investors said that Yip Man was a great master of our times,” said Raymond Wong. “So we changed our title to GRANDMASTER YIP MAN out of respect for him. Yet this brought about a series of debates over the title. To settle this matter amicably, after discussions with our various investors, movie consultant Yip Chun [and] director Wilson Yip we changed back to our original title.”
The biopics will not be different in name only. While assuring the public that Wong Kar-wai’s version, long in development limo is being made, its expectant star Tony Leung Chiu-wai pointed out the differences between the two films. “Our film will still be produced. I think Donnie Yen’s version will be more focused on martial arts, of younger age, but the Yip Man I am playing will be more drama-oriented. It deals mainly with the latter half of his life. The two are completely different works.”
All this kafuffle over the Hong Kong title for Wilson Yip’s film will likely mean little to international audiences. While kung fu movies in Hong Kong are traditionally given titles bearing the names of a prominent kung fu style or historical character in the film, their international titles are almost always changed to something less specific. For example, the complete and original Romanized title for Tsui Hark’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA is “WONG FEI HUNG,” the character portrayed by Jet Li. Likewise, Jet Li’s FEARLESS was originally titled HUO YUAN JIA, again the name of the historical character that Li portrayed onscreen.
Donnie Yen’s YIP MAN has completed shooting in Shanghai and is expected to be released at the end of the year. It features the action direction of Sammo Hung and also stars Simon Yam (FATAL MOVE), Fan Siu-wong (SHAOLIN VS. EVIL DEAD), Gordon Lam (THE SPARROW), and Xing Yu (KUNG FU HUSTLE).
Friday, May 30, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wing Chun Shines in New Kung Fu Biopics
Kung Fu Cinema by Mark Pollard
With Tony Leung and Donnie Yen both portraying famous Wing Chun master Yip Man in upcoming biopics and the recent U.S. DVD release of Universe’s highly successful 2007 WING CHUN TV series starring Yuen Biao and Nicholas Tse, the fighting art that gave Bruce Lee his foundation is enjoying a resurgence of popularity.
Donnie Yen in a sneak peak at a promo shot for Wilson Yip’s biopic of Wing Chun Grandmaster YIP MAN, coming in 2009.
Of late, I have been furiously working my way through all 40 episodes of WING CHUN (YONG CHUN, 葉問傳) an excellent martial arts TV drama that premiered last summer. In it, kung fu actor Yuen Biao stars as Leung Jan, the sixth student in direct succession to Wing Chun’s founder, a Shaolin nun named Ng Man. For Yuen, it is a return to a role he first portrayed in Sammo Hung’s kung fu classic THE PRODIGAL SON (1981).
One of the series’ central themes is the slow evolution of conservative martial tradition in a rapidly changing world. Those familiar with the legendary history of Wing Chun know that it was once a closed art passed on to only a very few select students. In the TV series, the initial reasoning for this secrecy is that Ng Man, a survivor of the Manchu purge of China’s southern Shaolin Temple, feared that the Qing government might use the knowledge of confiscated Shaolin kung fu manuals against practitioners. Ng began to develop Wing Chun to counter other Shaolin techniques in the event that future generations might have to battle government forces trained in Shaolin kung fu. She passed this new art on to a female student, Yim Wing-chun, and it was further developed to counter the superior strength of male attackers, a more plausible explanation for its development.
As Leung Jan, Yuen Biao is wary about who to name as his successor, in part because of his determination to follow tradition and have only one student as instructed by his teacher Wong Wah-bo (Sammo Hung). Yet all around him, China is undergoing great change. The Qing government has passed away and modernization is encroaching on old traditions. To give the story some added dramatic muscle, Jan is at odds with his son Bik (Nicholas Tse) and initially refuses to teach him for fear that the art will be misused, He instead takes on another student, Chan Wah-shun. In real life, Chan would eventually have a few more students, none more famous than Yip Man, the man who first taught the art openly and who has become the subject of Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen’s latest collaboration.
In YIP MAN, a production of Mandarin Films, Donnie Yen portrays the title character while Sammo Hung provides action direction and Yip Man’s son acts as consultant. Hung has been Wing Chun’s most famous advocate in the filmmaking arena ever since he set about directing a pair of Wing Chun films beginning with WARRIORS TWO in 1978 and ending with THE PRODIGAL SON. Although originally a student of Chinese opera, Hung was a huge fan of Bruce Lee and had become fascinated with Lee’s foundation in Wing Chun. Among Yip Man’s many students was Lee, who went on to defy Chinese kung fu traditions entirely and openly teach foreigners.
It is unusual these days for Yen to turn over action direction to someone else. Like cooks in the kitchen, action directors accustomed to calling the shots during action sequences do not always mix well. Such was the case for the shooting of DRUNKEN MASTER 2 when Lau Kar-leung walked off the production, according to rumor, after having a dispute with Jackie Chan over the finale. However, Hung and Yen apparently struck an amicable working relationship during the shooting of KILL ZONE (aka SPL) when Yen was in charge. As his work in THE PRODIGAL SON and the WING CHUN TV series show, it’s undeniable that Sammo is the right man for the job and Donnie’s performance will undoubtedly benefit from it.
Wilson Yip’s YIP MAN began production in March and is expected to wrap in June. Based on his previous work with Yen, it’s more than likely that his film will be more action-oriented than another Yip Man biopic still in development by filmmaker Wong Kar-wai. Tony Leung, a talented dramatic actor not known for fighting roles has long been attached to play the title role and reportedly has being undergoing Wing Chun training in preparation. In comparing the two films, Wong recently told Chinese media that his film would focus more on a dramatic love story, an element the filmmaker is quite familiar with.
Not a whole lot is known about the real Yip Man in the West apart from his public life. He was born October 1st, 1893 in Foshan as Ki Man and began his training in Wing Chun at the age of 13, largely under the tutelage of Chan Wah-shun’s student Ng Chung-sok. After Chan’s death, he also trained under Leung Bik (played by Nicholas Tse in WING CHUN). He attended school in Hong Kong and later became a police officer in Foshan. While there, he informally taught co-workers, friends and relatives. During the Japanese occupation Yip was approached to train Japanese soldiers but refused. In 1949, Yip fled Communist China (no doubt a sensitive issue that both films will try to sidestep) and settled in Hong Kong where he opened his first martial arts school. It was during this time that a young Bruce Lee received three years of training under Yip. In 1967, he and several students established the Hong Kong Ving Tsun Athletic Association. Yip Man died in 1972 from throat cancer.
A report on Wilson Yip’s film at Wenweipo.com suggests that YIP MAN will be another international prestige picture, like FEARLESS, that promotes wushu, or Chinese martial arts and celebrates Chinese patriotism and pride. The timing is right considering the wave of nationalism that has been spreading worldwide in the wake of pro-Tibet protests that have appeared ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
Read more...
© Wing Chun News - wingchunnews.com
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
New Wing Chun International Chi Sao Open Announced
The all new International Chi Sau Open will be held in April at London's SENI08 combat sports show. The SENI Show has grown and grown over the years and is now the premier martial arts show in Europe. The International Wing Chun Chi Sau Open, sponsored by Pagoda, showcases Wing Chun Kung Fu to Europe’s biggest martial arts stage. The event aims at bringing the Wing Chun community together in a new way.
For more information, click here.
© Wing Chun News - wingchunnews.com
Friday, January 25, 2008
Legend of Yip Man
Legend of Yip Man, produced by Mandarin Films, will begin production in late February 2008. Wilson Yip is directing, with the main production behind SPL being involved as well. Apart from Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung will also be joining the cast. And for maximum impact, they'll be performing their own stunts in this action oriented feature. Ngai Sing and a few martial artists are also being considered. Raymond Wong says that they are gathering information on the life of Yip Man, and have even been to Hall of Yip Man in Foshan as part of the research. The movie has full support from Yip Man's son, Ip Chun, who's agreed to be the consultant. Raymond Wong says that the film will take on a similar look and feel as SPL.
Courtesy of Shanghai News Times
© Wing Chun News - wingchunnews.com
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Ving Tsun Athletic Association's Letter to "World Kung Fu Master Magazine"
This is a public notice and English translation of the complaint letter (Chinese) sent to the editorial director of "The World Kung Fu Master Magazine"
Dear Mr. Lau,
I am writing to complain about the article entitled ”The Ving Tsun Athletic Association Certification Incident” posted by your magazine (1st periodical 2007). The article questioned and criticized our Association’s procedure in issuing the Instructor Certificate without careful verification. The Association's chairman and the Board of Directors are very disappointed towards this, and are here to clarify the procedure in issuing the Instructor Certificate.
First, our Association guaranteed that since our operation in 1985, the requirement of qualified instructors and the procedure laid down for issuing the Instructor Certificate have been determined by Board of Directors and been followed by the new Board of Directors every year. Such a procedure has been carrying out very well. The requirements for issuing Instructor Certificate of our Association are as follows:
For any Practitioners under the Ip Man Ving Tsun linage aged 21 or above and wants to apply the Instructor Certificate, he or she has to be a certified member of the Association, has to practice Ving Tsun for five years or above, has to finish learning the three sets of Ving Tsun Kufu practice, wooden dummy practice and sticking hands practice, and has the recommendation from applicant’s own instructor (Sifu);
The applicant’s instructor (Sifu) has to be a certified member of Association, and holds a valid Instructor Certificate issued by the Association;
If the applicant’s instructor (Sifu) has deceased, the applicant has to receive the recommendations of at least any two students of the deceased Sifu who are also certified members of the Association and are holding Instructor Certificates issued by the Association;
If the Board of Directors has any inquiries towards any application, the Board reserves the right to interview the applicant for further assessment.
If there is any special circumstance that deviates from the above criteria, the concerned application shall be determined by the Board of Directors of the Association.
Besides the article has also mentioned about the unreasonable rejection of the application of Mr. Henry Araneda Rayes. From the record of our Association, Mr. Henry Araneda has applied for the Association’s membership and the Instructor Certificate( Application Receipts No. 0109) , and the application forms have been given to another member of our Association for submission on 17th December 2006. However, it is written on Mr. Henry Araneda’s application form that he receives training from a Mr. Duncan’X’, instead of a Mr. Lee Hong Kee as mentioned in the article, and the form bears the signature of Mr. Duncan ‘X’. After the verification of our Association, Mr. Duncan ‘X’ is not a certified member of our Association and therefore he does not have the authority to recommend his student to apply for our Association’s Instructor Certificate. This well explains the reason for rejecting Mr. Henry Araneda’s application, and I believe it is the most common way of handling applications, which is as well fair and reasonable. Lastly, the Association has informed the member who helped submit Mr. Henry Araneda’s application the reason for rejection, and that member has collected the returned application form and cheque by himself. As you can see, the procedure of handling such an application is undoubtedly reasonable and without a flaw.
From the above, I believe you have understood the unreality of your magazine’s report. As part of the media, your magazine should have the professional spirit and attitude. As a result, our Association reserves all ground to pursue your responsibility towards the misreported article, and hopes your magazine can immediately clarify the unjust report. If there is any other report about our Association in the future, please first inquire our Association’s Board of Directors for verification to avoid misleading the mass audience.
Yours sincerely,
Siu Yuk Men
Chairman, the Board of Directors,
Ving Tsun Athletic Association Ltd.
Source: http://www.vingtsun.org.hk
© Wing Chun News - wingchunnews.com
Saturday, November 3, 2007
HUMAN WEAPON: Kung Fu Episode
For those that haven't seen The History Channel show, HUMAN WEAPON, it goes around the world with hosts Jason Chambers – mixed-martial-artist and professional fighter – and Bill Duff – former professional football player and wrestler, showcasing how each individual location gave birth to its distinct form of combat and with a study of their form of martial art.
Jason Chambers and Bill Duff will put their bodies through training and challenges to prepare for a battle against a professional fighting master in the area's martial art.
The Kung Fu episode just aired featuring Wing Chun as well as other Chinese Martial Arts such as Shuai Jiao, Baji, Tong Bei, Ba Gua and Sanda. Wang Zhi Peng, a student of Li Heng-Chang from the Wong Shun Leung lineage, demonstrated Wing Chun on the Great Wall of China.
HUMAN WEAPON airs Friday's at 10pm/9c. For more info, go to History.com.
© Wing Chun News
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Hong Kong Movie Firm Plans to Make Yip Man Movie
A Hong Kong movie company says it plans to make a biographical movie about Bruce Lee's late kung fu master Yip Man, announcing a project similar to a film planned by famed art-house director Wong Kar-wai.
Carmen Cheng, a publicist for Mandarin Films, said the company is still negotiating the rights to make the film and that the cast and budget haven't been decided. She also said it wasn't clear when the movie will start shooting.
Wong had earlier announced a similar project, casting veteran Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, but there is no sign that he has started shooting the movie.
He also has another outstanding project, Lady from Shanghai, starring Nicole Kidman.
Wong recently shot his English-language debut, My Blueberry Nights, which stars Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz and Norah Jones.
Hong Kong's Next magazine reported last week that Wong's five-year rights to make the Yip Man biopic had expired and that Mandarin Films had stepped in.
A spokeswoman for Wong's production company, Jettone Films, didn't immediately return a call. A man who answered the phone at a studio where Yip's eldest son, Yip Chun, teaches kung fu, said Yip Chun wasn't in.
Bruce Lee grew up in Hong Kong, where he studied martial arts from age 13 with Yip Man, before moving to the US While there, he got married and won the part of Kato in the Green Hornet TV series. He later returned to Hong Kong to make movies.
Lee died in 1973 in Hong Kong from swelling of the brain at age 32.
© Wing Chun News courtesy of AAP
Saturday, October 13, 2007
World Ving Tsun Athletic Association 2007 Hall of Fame Inductees
The World Ving Tsun Athletic Association recently announced the induction of the 2007 Hall of Fame. Each year, the WVTAA inducts two new members into its Hall of Fame for unselfish hard work in propagating the art of Ving Tsun / Wing Chun. The awards are given for Grandmaster of the Year as well as Sifu of the Year.
The 2007 Grandmaster of the Year has been awarded to Wang Kiu. Recently, Wang Kiu was featured in the latest issue of Wing Chun Magazine.
The Sifu of the Year was awarded to Rene Ritchie. Rene Ritchie's work as an author as well as publisher of wingchunkuen.com continues to promote the art of Ving Tsun / Wing Chun.
© Wing Chun News
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Upcoming Nino Bernardo Wing Chun Seminar - 17th & 18th of November 2007
The latest Nino Bernardo Wing Chun Seminar will be Sat 17th & Sun 18th November 2007. It will be at the London Buddhist Arts Centre, Eastbourne House, Bullards Place, Bethnal Green, London E2 0PT.
The cost of the event is £80 for both days and the times will be from 10am to 4pm.
The seminar will be about the hidden secrets of Wing Chun.
Seminar promotions detail the following...
"There is a deceptive simplicity to Wing Chun. It has one of the smallest syllabuses in the martial arts and teaches a few fundamental concepts rather than an armoury of flashy techniques. But this apparent simplicity is beguiling - it is also a system of enormous subtlety and sophistication. Consequently there is a wide variety of interpretations and applications. This is seen in the wide range of Wing Chun flavours available around the world today. But what is a ‘correct’ interpretation?"
For the serious student the clues are all there in the system to be discovered. The seminar is a chance to hear Nino Bernardo’s interpretation of these clues based on his many years of research.
As Nino says: ‘Grandmasters and beginners are both studying the same movements; the only difference is the depth of their understanding’.
For more details, contact 07867 550539.
© Wing Chun News
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
England's Upcoming Multi Style Wing Chun Day to Take Place November 11th, 2007
The next Wing Chun Day seminar will take place in Leicester, England on Sunday 11 November. There will be two instructors presenting at the seminar; Alan Orr of Chu Sau Lei Wing Chun & Andreas Hoffmann of Weng Chun Kuen. Feedback from the last event was very positive and demonstrated people's interest in other lineages, so I am really excited to have Andreas on board. Full details are on the website: wingchunday.co.uk
© Wing Chun News
Wing Chun Magazine's Latest 2007 Issue is Now Available
Wing Chun Magazine introduced its latest issue in September. Its the first issue following the name change from Wing Chun Teahouse. Article contributions in the issue include authors Simone Sebastiani, John Ryckewaert Sr. & Jr., Armando Sainz, Marc Debus, John Broster and Mario Hostios. These articles include highlights and ideas from Wing Chun leaders such as Chow Tze Cheun, Donald Mak, Wang Kiu, Karl Godwin, Lo Man Kam, Alan Orr, Shawn Rawcliffe (Yip Chun), Alan Gibson (Wong Shun Leung), Paul Smith (Samuel Kwok) and more.
Wing Chun Magazine is the online magazine of Wing Chun. Wing Chun Magazine is dedicated to promoting the martial art of Wing Chun in all its forms, spellings, lineages, traditions, innovations and modifications. These names and spellings include but are not limited to Wing Chun, Wing Tsun, WingTsun, Ving Tsun, Weng Chun, Wing Tzun, Jun Fan Gung Fu, Wing Chun Do, Jeet Kune Do, JKD, etc. Distributed to subscribers via email in Adobe Reader format as well as available online at wingchunmagazine.com, Wing Chun Magazine brings community-contributed articles to eleven different countries world-wide.
References:
1. http://www.wingchunmagazine.com
2. http://news.bigg.net/n80317-Wing_Chun_Teahouse_Changes_Name_to_Wing_Chun_Magazine.html
© Wing Chun News
Wing Chun Teahouse Changes Name to Wing Chun Magazine
Wing Chun Teahouse announced last month that it has changed its name to Wing Chun Magazine to better represent the publication with it's expanded commitment to reaching new readers world-wide.
The martial art of Wing Chun, occasionally romanized as Ving Tsun or Wing Tsun, is a southern Chinese fighting system that specializes in aggressive close-range combat. Core concepts of Wing Chun include practicality, efficiency and economy of movement. Its most famous practitioner was actor Bruce Lee.
For more information, please visit the Wing Chun Magazine official web site at wingchunmagazine.com.
References:
1. http://www.wingchunmagazine.com
2. http://news.bigg.net/n80317-Wing_Chun_Teahouse_Changes_Name_to_Wing_Chun_Magazine.html
© Wing Chun News
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