甄子丹 饰 叶问
池內博之 饰 三蒲将军
熊黛林 饰 张永成
仁达华 饰 周清泉
樊少皇 饰 金山找
黄又南 饰 沙胆袁
林家栋 饰 李钊

The martial arts master of Bruce Lee. Perhaps that is what most people know of Ip Man, (that was afterall the strategy adopted to penetrate the market). In fact, that was probably what most people only knew about Ip Man before watching the show, aside from the fact that he practises the martial arts form known as Wing Chun (咏春).

Well, Ip Man was in fact a Grandmaster of Wing Chun, and the man who popularized it. Prior to his open teachings, Wing Chun was primarily taught only to blood relatives or extremely rich people, and rarely to other outsiders. (Those who had watched the show would have realised how rich Ip Man was at the start) Most Wing Chun practitioners today can trace their lineage back to Ip Man. So how good was Ip Man? And indeed, how good was Wing Chun compared to other martial arts? In the show, his level of skill was so proficient that he literally dominates his opponents, even against multiple oppositions, even against masters of other martial arts forms. So you can judge for yourself. Going further back 2 generations, the Grand-Master of Ip Man, Leung Jan, supposedly never lost in over 300 challenges with his Wing Chun skills.

Back to the show, the portrayal of Ip Man as a martial arts addict (before the turning point) but being compassionate, humble and non-competitive would probably be spot on. It is alot about inner cultivation than seeking to win, and you can see this a few times in the show. Though when the need arises, you can witness the raw power of the deadly chain punches. Speaking of that, the action scenes were very well done, and near the start of the show, the uber portrayal of Ip Man makes people think when will he suffer a hit. Well, watch and find out.

For me, I enjoyed this show. And once again, it left me truly in awe of Wing Chun. In the hands of a devoted practitioner with the right spirit and physique, it is just so… pwnage! Afterall, it is a combination of the strengths of hard styles and soft styles  to combat hard styles and soft styles… Until next time, expecting a sequel to the show which will touch on the relation between Ip Man and Bruce Lee.