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Ip Man

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Martial Artist

The Resume

    (October 1, 1893-December 2, 1972)
    Born in Fatshan, Kwangtung, Qing Dynasty, China
    Instructor of Wing Chun kung fu
    Portrayed in the eponymous film series by Donnie Yen (1, 3, and 4)
    Died of laryngeal cancer at the age of 79

Why he might be annoying:

    He was born wealthy (the third of four).
    In the Western naming convention – used in other profiles – he’d be named Man / Men - Ip / Jip / Yip.
    Thanks to old age and a stroke, he trained only three years under his first (70-something!) master.
    He challenged a schoolmate’s kung fu master to a sparring match — and made the mistake of bragging about his spotless record.
    He became addicted to opium — which affected both his health and his finances.
    He had an illegitimate son with a mistress.

Why he might not be annoying:

    That kung fu master that overtook him so easily (and in a rematch)? The son of his original master, who would train the young Man thereafter.
    His first recorded use of his craft came when assisting a poor woman battered by a wealthy foreign cop. (He would become a cop himself.)
    His star student? One Bruce Lee.
    He believed in small, intimate, personal-level classes rather than factory-level masses.
    To deal with his monetary issues, other students encouraged him to establish the Wing Chun Athletic Association.
    In addition to his writings on the history of Wing Chun, the Yip Man Tong museum displays many artifacts of his life.

Credit: Cool It All Right?


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying