Ip Chun maintains a demanding schedule for a man of 84, even if he is a wing chun grand master. It took a lot of energy to serve as consultant on Ip Man, last year's hit biopic about his father, starring Donnie Yen Ji-dan. This year promises to be even busier for Ip as the movie's success revives interest in the Chinese martial art his father modernised and introduced to Hong Kong.
'After Ip Man was released, many people came to us to learn wing chun,' says Ip, symbolic leader of the Ving Tsun Athletic Association, which links clubs teaching the technique. 'The impact of the movie has exceeded my expectations. All wing chun schools are now packed.'
That's why the kung fu master, who was in Foshan earlier this month to help filmmaker Wong Kar-wai with research on his version of the Ip Man story, recently sealed a deal with a mainland television station to lend his expertise to a 40-episode series about wing chun.
'I agreed to serve as a consultant because I want to promote wing chun. Now not only people in Hong Kong but many people on the mainland are showing an interest in wing chun,' Ip says. 'These movie jobs can be a bit tiring, but I see [promoting] wing chun as my responsibility. Keeping that in mind, any weariness is easily overcome.
'And with more movies about wing chun in the pipeline, I believe interest in the art will continue.'
A visit to the association's headquarters in Mong Kok, where Ip still supervises classes, bears out his observation. At 11am, the gymnasium is a hive of activity as a couple of dozen enthusiasts practise their moves under his watchful eye.
