It is from this student that Wing Chun is named. Ip was Chan Wah-shun’s 16th and final student before a mild stroke forced the old man to retire. Not quite as skillful in the art after just three years of training, Ip still succeeded in accumulating quite the impressive streak of victories until Leung Bik, the son of Leung Jan (Chan Wah-shun’s master) defeated him so soundly that Ip became too embarrassed to even call himself a martial artist in public.
Eventually pursuing further training under Leung Jan, Ip went on to become the world’s foremost practitioner of Wing Chun, with Bruce Lee being his most renowned student (on a side note, Robert Downey Jr practices Wing Chun).
Ip died in 1972 from throat cancer. The first notable project to chronicle his life was Ip Man in 2008. Two more sequels and a spin-off followed. Now Ip Man 4 is set to close out the franchise.
The movie came out in December 2019, though it is only hitting cinemas in Uganda this week. The final chapter in what has become a legendary martial arts film franchise, Ip Man 4 explores the last leg of Ip Kai-man’s life.
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