Although Chinese Kung Fu has risen in popularity since the time of Bruce Lee, few people know the inside story of Bruce Lee’s Master - Yip Man, the leader of the Wing Chun Kung Fu style. The author of this article, Lo Man Kam, is the maternal nephew of Grandmaster Yip Man, and also the elder kung fu brother of Bruce Lee. He is presently the Grand Master of the Wing Chun style in Taiwan. As a youth, Master Lo Man Kam, spent much time living with Master Yip Man in the Fut San district in Canton Province. Later, as a young man in Hong Kong, he was among the first of Master Yip’s students. and studied there with him for many years. Thus, his knowledge of the Wing Chun Kung Fu and his uncle Yip Man is extremely extensive. In this article Lo Man Kam gives us a chance to share in some of the adventures and events which occurred in the life of his uncle, Grandmaster Yip Man.

My Uncle Yip Man by Lo Man Kam

Yip Man’s real name was Ki Man. He was a native of Fo Shan in Kwangtung. He was the second child born in the family, living on Fook Yin Road in the Mulberry Gardens of Fo Shan. His is a well-known family in that area. Next door to his house is a famous tea room of Fo Shan, Tou Yun Gue. Also next door is a famous bakery, Gow Hing Long. The houses of Mulberry Gardens are very big, and Mulberry Gardens itself is very large and well known in Fo Shan.

I (Lo Man Kam) was born in Hong Kong and grew up there. My mother was Yip Man’s sister. During World War II and the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, I went to Fo Shan to live with my uncle in Mulberry Gardens. At that time, I met and studied with my uncle every day. My mother regularly told me stories of Uncle Yip’s great boxing accomplishments. As a youth, this inspired me, especially in view of the difficult time in which we were living. At the age of seven, my uncle became one of the students of Master Chan Wah Shun. Master Chan was old at the time and rarely taught students himself. Yip Man was his last student. Since Yip became Master Chan’s closed door disciple, Master Chan developed a great liking for him. Yip Man’s elder fellow students, Ng Choun Su, Lar Ru Chi, and Chan Ru Man, all took care of the young Yip Man.

The tuition of Master Chan was very high: each student had to pay a few ounces of silver. The common man at the time could not afford such a cost, so Master Chan’s students only numbered in the teens. This is also why Wing Chun is known as the rich person’s kung fu.

Six years later, Master Chan was near death. Before he died, he ordered his student Ng Choun Su to teach his younger students. Master Yip Man followed the elder fellow-student for three years. At the age of sixteen, Master Yip went to Hong Kong to study English at St. Steven’s College. There he was introduced by a classmate to the second son of Mr. Leong Jan, Leung Bik. The two studied together for three years and perfected the art of Wing Chun.

Among his fellow students, Yip Man got along best with Mr. Yun Ke Shan, who is the student of Mr. Ng Choun Su. Both Yip and Yun are the same age and often spent time together. While at Yip Man’s house, Mr. Yun met Yip’s son, Yip Chun. Mr. Yun was very impressed by Yip Chun, so he taught him the first form of Wing Chun, “Siu Nan Tao.”

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