Wing Chun a documentary

undefined

Product Description ------------------- Cutting through the hype and the myths to explore Wing Chun in the schools of Hong Kong and ask is this the most effective martial art in the world? For the first time, a unique and practical documentary that takes you on a guided tour of Hong Kong to experience the best of Wing Chun training in it's most authentic setting. Wing Chun has seen explosive growth, fueled by a blockbuster movie and a legion of new followers who regard it as the most effective fighting art there is. We have seen heat waves before and not just because of Bruce Lee says Ip Ching, son of Grandmaster Ip Man. Experience Wing Chun in its most authentic setting as we take you on a guided tour of many of Hong Kong s top schools. Although there is only one Wing Chun it has evolved into many styles... from Ip Man Wing Chun to those that continue to develop the martial art as it spreads worldwide. Even Ip Man modified his kungfu from his practice so we cannot stick to the word genuine anymore says master Sam Lau, a direct student of Ip Man. Sifu Keung says simply No matter which branch no one can say their Wing Chun is 100 percent perfect as each have their own way of practicing and if theirs is useless it will disappear. The only way to understand a martial art is to experience first hand the class training with the teachers and students. In this 75 minute documentary you will get as close as possible to this experience without leaving your home! Watch, listen and learn as teachers and students share their knowledge and experience of the principles, training and practical fighting aspects of Wing Chun. Now widely accepted as one of the most efficient and practical martial arts for both men and women in the world. As we explore each part of Hong Kong and step into the Wing Chun schools you will see that this documentary is unique in many ways part Hong Kong travel guide for Wing Chun enthusiasts and part lesson and learning class with some of Hong Kong s best Wing Chun instructors. Sifu Ip Ching, Sifu Sam Lau, Sifu Donald Mak and Sifu Keung and many more teachers open up their classes and to let you experience Wing Chun training in Hong Kong as it should be, without the hype, without the politics just real Wing Chun. DVD includes bonus extra scenes of demonstrations and interviews. Review ------ Empty Mind Films has produced some of the highest quality and most engaging martial arts documentaries seen anywhere in the last few years. They are a small organization, and as a result they are selective about the projects they take on. Luckily we seem to be on the same wave length. They have also devoted substantial time and effort to documenting the Chinese martial arts. It has been my personal experience (from traveling in Asia) that it is relatively easy to find interesting martial arts in Japan and they have some good stuff there. China presents an entirely different set of challenges, and this is where they really shine. Their film on the Chen village and Chen style taiji is a classic. It is mandatory viewing for anyone interested in Chinese martial studies or the state of Taiji today. I would not hesitate to use that film in a university level classroom. I think they may have come close to the same level of excellence with their most recent martial arts themed release Wing Chun: A Documentary. While filmed exclusively in Hong Kong and Foshan this study of the modern hand combat system sought to explore the diversity of thought and practice arising from the teachings of Ip Man. He was an active instructor in Hong Kong from the early 1950s until his death in 1972. All of the individuals who were interviewed for this film were associated with the Ip Man Wing Chun clan, either as direct descendants, students or grand-students. In a very real way Ip Man set the terms for the global discussion of Wing Chun that is still unfolding. He codified the values, set the standards and decided which aspects of China s complex martial heritage were best adapted to a modern, urban, middle class market. Ip Man single handedly trained an entire generation of exceptionally talented martial artist that would bring his art to North America, Europe and even back to mainland China. Without his innovations in Hong Kong in the 1950s, and the rise of Bruce Lee to superstardom in the 1970s, it is exceedingly unlikely that anyone would be interested in seeking out any of the non-Ip Man lineages that seem to be so valuable today. In a very real sense they exist only because he existed first, and they define themselves in reference to the model he established. So yes, the story of Wing Chun after 1949 really is the story of the social community that Ip Man gathered around himself in Hong Kong and its subsequent explosion on the world stage. The director was not afraid to let the individual masters he interviewed tell their own stories on their own terms. A majority of the screen time was dedicated to simply watching class room mechanics and instructions in a number of different schools throughout Hong Kong. I am sure that this material will surprise a lot of martial artists used to more regimented and formal decorum of Korean or Japanese schools. The exploration of modern Wing Chun starts off with a visit to the VTAA headquarters in Kowloon and includes interviews with both Ip Ching (the younger son of Ip Man) and James Jar (current Chair of the VTAA). All of this information is very interesting. Next they visited the school of Donald Mak (a student of Chow Tze Chuen) who discusses his own understanding of why Wing Chun is a principal based art. --Kung Fu Tea Article at chinesemartialstudies.com