Yip Man

Yip Man, although young, worked very hard and became very good. He had relatives by the name of Leung who lived in another corner of the city. Leung was rich because at one time he had caught a thief and let the thief go. The thief later became very wealthy and in gratitude gave a vast amount of money to Yipâs relative.

Leung had daughters about the same age as Yip Man and Yip would visit them often. When he visited, Yip asked his cousins to go on a walk with him to the Monkey King Temple. Every August 16th, many people came to the temple to burn incense. It was festival time, and strong young men were moving statues around and local martial arts groups were doing Lion Dancing.

Yip Manâs cousins were not usually allowed outside on their own, lest they be accosted by rude men, but since it was festival time, and Yip was there to protect them, they all went out to have a look. Yip was wearing very fine white clothing and carried a fan in his hand. Yipâs cousins also wore white with black flower trim. Their hair was braided and they wore a little blush. The three cousins walked ahead, with Yip following just behind.

While they were walking, they passed a small group of men. The men turned and started walking back towards them, following Yip Man. Yip was aware of what was transpiring, but he stayed very quiet. When they sped up or slowed down, the men stayed just behind. At one point, Yip overheard them saying it was very crowded at the festival and even the "Little Rice Fish" had come out. Yip knew they were talking about his clothing. They increased their pace, but the men hurried after them. The men then said "Four rice fish, but one wags itâs tail."

Yip Man stopped, knowing the men were again talking about him. Yip called the men brothers and told them that if they played with fire, they would more than likely get burned by the flame. Yip appeared very gentle and well dressed; the men had no idea he knew how to fight. They called him a little kid and responded that they liked playing with fire and asked if there was anything he cared to do about it. They said if the ladies did not want their attention, they should never have come outside.

Yip Man got angry and chided that just because they were many and he was one, they thought they could get away with such bad behavior. The men answered that he was small and would not dare do anything to stop them. In front of the temple the area was quite large and many people watched the gentle young man in white stand up to the rude men.

Yip Man asked them if they thought he had no power to fight and began removing his long robe, handing his fan to his cousin to hold. The four men smiled at this. Since they knew martial arts, they thought he was bluffing and were sure they could beat him with one punch. Yip told them they may all attack at once if they liked. Because many people were watching, they could not back down and had to fight.

Since his skills were good, Yip Man was confident. Using his Wing Chun, with just a few techniques he put two of the men to the ground. When the strongest of the four attacked, Yip knew he could not hold back so he struck with a Phoenix Eye Fist to the manâs hip. The man screamed and collapsed, and the others dared not come again. Yip asked them why they had stopped. He said they were all strong men and he could not believe they could not beat one young scholar. Yip scolded that they liked to harass young ladies, and knew a bit of martial arts. With only a few techniques they considered themselves highly skilled, so they made problems everywhere. Yip had been forced to hit them. He informed the large one that he had harmed him internally, and if it was not taken care of it would be very bad - maybe even kill him. He told the man to go see Chan Wah for treatment but warned that if they thought it was an accident, they were more then welcome to find him again.

Many people heard that Yip Man was Chan Wahâs student and thought Wing Chun must be a very good martial art. The men realized where Yip had learned his skills and knew they dared not try him again. Yip took back his robe and fan and went home. Later he found out the men were clothing makers who had learned a little martial arts. They had gone to the festival to bother young ladies. The four men were too concerned about their reputations to go to Chan Wah for treatment and a few days later the large one began to cough. Day by day it got worse and he died shortly thereafter.

Wing Chun had become quite famous in Foshan. Chan Wahâs school had many students, including Wahâs son, Chan Yiu-Kam. Yiu-Kam learned alongside Wahâs other students. Even though he was Wahâs son, his skill had not yet reached the level of Ng Chun-So, since Yiu-Kam had begun later.

After Chan Wah passed away, Lui Yiu-Jai, Ng Chun-So, Chan Yiu-Kam, and other students continued to spread Wing Chun. Yiu-Jai opened a school on Sa-Tang Street. Yiu-Kam opened a school on Sai Street. Chun-So and Yuen "The Fifth" taught privately at local businesses at night. Many others had gained good skills from "Grandfather" Wah as well, like Lai Hip-Fu and Yip Man, and after Wah died they got Chun-So to continue their lessons. They did not teach however, and thus were not as famous as Chun-So.

These stories were translated by Rene Ritchie, and have been included here with his permission. Visit the Yuen Kay-San Wing Chun home page to see the originals.