Representatives of major lineages of Yip Man Wing Chun, the author, and guests.
Representatives of six major lineages of Yip Man Wing Chun school and guests from the martial arts community gathered on August 7th at Hong Kong Shue Yan University to commemorate the publication of a new book, < Oral History of Yip Man Wing Chun>. The event took place with limited seats due to the Covid-19 anti-epidemic measures.
The author Dr. Lee Ka Man, the head of the Department of Media and Journalism at Shue Yan University, led a round-table talk. Amongst guests were the successors of the most senior student of Grandmaster Yip Man, Leung Sheung, Lok Yiu, Wong Shun Leung, Chu Shong Tin, and the two sons Yip Chun, and the late Yip Ching.
To begin with, Dr. Lee introduced the overviews of the book, which contains some rare photos of newspaper articles that reported the challenge match between a Wing Chun master against practitioners of various other martial arts. Challenge match which was popular in the 1960s and 70s, often took place on rooftops of skyscrapers. Now ubiquitous smartphones or video games were not available back then, and it was a popular pastime activity among “hot-blooded youth”, including Bruce Lee.
Representatives of six lineages shared their efforts on how they overcame challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. “We organized an online Wing Chun form (Toulo) competition with video technology. Because many overseas students could not fly to Hong Kong to train with their local masters.”, said the president of Ving Tsun Athletic Association, Mr. Dennis Lee.
Some report that popular video apps like ZOOM help yoga instructors teach students as the movements are more static and inappropriate postures can be spotted quickly. However, it may not be as effective in martial arts training because the instructor and a student need to touch hands to harness techniques properly.
After the Hong Kong government ordered all sports facilities to suspend operation for months, the retention rate of students dropped sharply, one master told. Due to the uncertainty of future pandemics and the rising property market, school operators will likely face continued difficulties.
The project to preserve Hong Kong Yip Man Wing Chun initiated by Dr. Lee Kam Man received support from the government and a private organization, 1.18 million and 0.4 million Hong Kong Dollars (USD 200,000) respectively. Dr. Lee plans to publish a picture book using Artificial Intelligence and hold Wing Chun workshops by notable masters of Yip Man Wing Chun .