Famous People

The Legend of Man

International action superstar, Donnie Yen, who portrays the celebrated kung fu master Yip Man in this biopic set in 1930s Foshan at the height of the Sino-Japanese invasion. He also marks Donnie Yen’s fourth collaboration with director Wilson Yip (after SPL, Dragon Tiger Gate and Flash Point) and his reunion with SPL co-stars Simon Yam and Sammo Hung (who also serves as action choreographer). 

There is a brief biography of the legend of the Man- Ip Man:His Humble Beginnings Ip Gai-Man was born in Foshan City, Guangdong Province.For the first time he began learning Wing Chun in 1906 under the tutelage of Chan Wah-Shun, pupil of renowned Wing Chun master Leung Chun. Due to old age, Wah soon passed away and Ip Man continued his training under Wah’s pupil Ng Chung-sok. At the age of sixteen, Ip Man attended St. Stephen’s College in Hong Kong which was in Hong Kong and where he met Leung Bik, the son of former master Wah’s sifu, Leung Chun. 

Legend has it that when Ip Man first met Leung Bik, he did not know who Leung Bik was and arrogantly demonstrated his kung fu. When Leung Bik was less than impressed, Ip Man was unhappy and challenged Leung Bik to a duel. Ip Man was however easily defeated. Discouraged, he stormed out- only to return the next day when his classmate told him who Leung Bik was. Ip Man trained under Leung Bik for the next five to six years and acquired a complete mastery of the skill of Wing Chun. 

He returned to Foshan at the age of 24. Back at Foshan He became a police officer and taught to several subordinates, friends and relatives. His connections with wushu practitioners and occasional combats in the city however made him a well known figure in Foshan. When Foshan fell to the Japanese during the War, Ip Man remained faithful to his country and refused to join the Japanese militia. Instead, he started teaching Wing Chun in his good friend Chow Ching-yuen’s cotton mill factory. 

Return to Hong Kong Ip Man returned to Hong Kong at the end of 1949 and opened his first martial arts school teaching the art of Wing Chun. Some of famous pupils during this time include Wong Shun-Leung, Chu Shong-Tin and of course Bruce Lee, perhaps his most well known disciple who trained under him from 1954 to 1957. 

One of the unique ways of Ip Man’s style of teaching was his use of sport combats, or “hand talk”. He believed that such friendly sport combats could better help his pupils hone their martial arts expertise. It was through these public displays of “hand talk” that Wing Chun and Ip Man’s school grew in popularity and numbers. Throughout his years of teaching, Ip Man was always humble about his skills and was instrumental in advancing Wing Chun. Many of his accomplished pupils have also established schools overseas, enabling Wing Chun to flourish in other parts of the world. Today it is a martial arts form that has millions of followers, and Ip Man is widely regarded as one of the grates. (Rini Ritti)

 

Tsai Lun 

Written communication has been the center of civilization for centuries and our important records are on paper. Although writing has been around for a long time, paper has not.

Actually putting thoughts down in written form was not always easy or practical. The ancients  discovered simple drawings on th

e walls of caves. The Sumerians did around 4000 B.C. but it still was not practical because of its weight.

The word "paper" is came from the word "papyrus," which a plant was found in Egypt along the lower Nile River. About 5,000 years ago, Egyptians created "sheets" of papyrus by harvesting, peeling and slicing the plant into strips. The strips were then layered, pounded together and smoothed to make a flat, uniform sheet.

For about 3,000 years no changes in writing materials. Ts'ai Lun, a Chinese man who had invented paper. He lived and served as an official at the Chinese Imperial Court at the Han Dynasty in China at about 1800 years ago. In or about the year 105 A.D., he presented Emperor Han Ho Ti with samples of paper.

He took the inner bark of a mulberry tree and bamboo fibers, mixed them with water, and pounded them with a wooden tool. Then he poured this mixture onto a flat piece of coarsely woven cloth and let the water drain through, leaving only the fibers on the cloth. Once dry, Ts'ai Lun discovered that he had created a quality writing surface that was relatively easy to make and lightweight. This knowledge of papermaking was used in China before word was passed along to Korea, Samarkand, Baghdad, and Damascus.

Tsai, Lun was a eunuch. Because he was an officer, he had the access to lots of resources, including money and human resources, for papermaking research. He was promoted by the Emperor for his invention and became wealthy. Later he got involved in palace intrigue, which led to his downfall. Finally he ended his life drinking poison.

It's hard to imagine how the world be like without paper. Today, paper is the most commonly used materials in human life, not just as a medium of communication. Tsai, Lun's contribution to civilization is priceless. (Rini Ritti)

The Biography of Bruce Lee

Birth Name

Bruce Lee Jun Fan Yuen Kam

Date of Birth

27 November 1940, San Francisco, California, USA

Date of Death

20 July 1973, Hong Kong (cerebral edema)

Height

5' 7½" (1.71 m)

 

Trivia

Died of brain edema in Hong Kong at age 32.

He is considered the greatest martial artist of the 20th century.

Personal Quotes

·      Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own.

·      Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

·      A teacher is never a giver of truth - he is a guide, a pointer to the truth that each student must find for himself. A good teacher is merely a catalyst.

·      When an opportunity in a fight presents itself, "I" don't hit, "it" hits all by itself.

·      Empty your mind. Become formless and shapeless like water. When water is poured into a cup, it becomes the cup. When water is poured into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Be water, my friend. (Winda)