Cheung wing sing death valley

Cheung Wing-sing (張永成; c. Before the 32-year-old’s tragic death in 1973, he had starred in 5 completed movies and popularized the ancient form of Wing Chun.

A traditional Chinese education was given to Ip man, his eldest sister Ip wan mei, his older brother Ip kai gak, and his youngest sibling Ip wan hum Instilling the disciplines and self-sufficiency of Wing Chun were of utmost importance for Ip man’s parents Ip Oi-dor and Ng Shui As they were living in southern China, they resided in the birthplace of the art which was developed more than 300 years ago.

When Chan Wah Shun gave Ip Man his first lesson, he was either nine or thirteen depending on the source.

After getting beaten by Bik twice in a row, the feeling of defeat compelled Ip Man to take a vow to never speak of kung fu again. Chan was a disciple of grandmaster Leung Jan and had only recently begun to teach his pupils. He was very grateful for the shelter given to him by the Restaurant Workers’ Union Hall.

1897 – 1960) was the first wife of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man, with whom she had four surviving children, and a member of a family connected to Qing dynasty officialdom.^[1][2]Born in Foshan, Guangdong province, she was a descendant relative of diplomat Zhang Yinhuan (1837–1900), who served in late Qing reform efforts.^[1] She married Ip Man around 1916 and bore him two sons, Ip Chun (born 1924) and Ip Ching (born 1936), and two daughters, Ip Nga-chui and Ip Wai-chun, though three other pregnancies ended in loss.^[3][2]During the Japanese invasion of China (1937–1945), the family endured severe hardships, including poverty after Ip Man left Foshan for work, leaving Cheung to manage amid wartime disruptions to their farm and resources.^[4] Following the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, Ip Man fled to Hong Kong in 1950 with some children, but Cheung remained in Foshan with at least one daughter, unable to join due to political restrictions.^[4]The couple never reunited; Cheung died of cancer in Foshan in 1960, while Ip Man, who had taken a second partner by 1954, continued teaching Wing Chun in Hong Kong until his own death in 1972.^[4] Her life reflects the personal toll of 20th-century upheavals on elite Chinese families, marked by separation rather than the supportive partnership later dramatized in films.^[2]

Early Life

Birth and Family Origins

Cheung Wing-sing, also known as Zhang Yongcheng (張永成), was born around 1897 in Foshan, Guangdong province, within the Qing Dynasty's territory.^[3] Historical records provide no precise birth date or detailed accounts of her infancy and early years, reflecting the limited documentation typical of personal histories from that era in rural southern China.^[3]She descended from a family connected to Qing official Zhang Yinhuan (1837–1900), a diplomat and scholar who served in high capacities under the imperial court, suggesting ties to an educated, upper-strata lineage that afforded relative social and economic stability prior to her adulthood.^[1]Foshan itself, her birthplace, functioned as a regional commercial and cultural center in Guangdong, fostering traditions in craftsmanship, commerce, and local customs amid the dynasty's waning years.^[3]

Marriage and Family

Union with Ip Man

Cheung Wing-sing married Ip Man in 1916 in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China.^[3][5]Ip Man, born on October 1, 1893, was 23 years old at the time, situated in his early adulthood following education in Hong Kong, while Cheung, born circa 1897, was about 19 and entering early adulthood herself.^[6][3] The union formed during a period when Ip Man's family, affluent landowners in the region, adhered to social customs typical of Guangdong's gentry class, including family-mediated partnerships prevalent in early 20th-century rural China amid the late Qing and early Republican eras.^[7]The couple established their initial household in Foshan, where Ip Man, upon returning from his studies, began engaging more deeply with Wing Chun practice and informal instruction among associates, laying groundwork for his later reputation.^[8] Cheung Wing-sing maintained the domestic sphere in support of these pursuits, consistent with traditional gender roles in such families, as Ip Man took up roles including police work that extended his public commitments.^[9] This partnership endured through the couple's early married life in Foshan until broader historical disruptions, providing stability amid Ip Man's evolving martial arts involvement.^[2]

Children and Household

Cheung Wing-sing bore four children with Ip Man: sons Ip Chun, born in 1924, and Ip Ching, born in 1936, along with daughters Ip Nga-sum and Ip Nga-wun.^[10][1] Some accounts suggest the couple experienced up to seven pregnancies, with three ending in miscarriage, consistent with elevated infant mortality and maternal risks prevalent in early 20th-century rural China.^[2]In Foshan, Cheung managed the household, handling domestic responsibilities in accordance with prevailing Confucian-influenced gender norms, where women typically oversaw family sustenance and child-rearing.^[2] This complemented Ip Man's pursuits, as his role as a police officer provided primary but inconsistent employment, supplemented by selective private Wing Chun lessons to relatives and acquaintances rather than broad public instruction for fees.^[9][11] The arrangement sustained the family amid the economic volatility of the Republican era, including Ip's reliance on ancestral wealth that diminished due to regional instability.^[7]

Martial Arts Involvement

Training and Personal Practice

Cheung Wing-sing contributed to Ip Man's Wing Chun activities by managing the household in Foshan, which served as an informal venue for his private lessons and personal training sessions during the 1930s.^[2] Amid economic strains, including Ip Man's fluctuating employment in police and customs roles that prioritized martial arts over stable income, she helped sustain the family, enabling his continued focus on the art despite financial hardships post-Japanese occupation.^[6] No primary historical records or Ip family accounts document her undergoing formal Wing Chun training, achieving practitioner proficiency, or conducting independent practice; claims of such involvement appear in unsubstantiated oral traditions and social media discussions within Wing Chun communities, often amplified by fictionalized films like Ip Man: The Final Fight (2013), but lack verification from credible sources such as peer-reviewed martial arts histories or direct testimonies from Ip Chun or Ip Ching.^[12] This absence highlights potential embellishments in popular narratives, prioritizing Ip Man's fame over empirical evidence of spousal skill.

Her documented efforts instead reflect collaborative preservation of the tradition through domestic stability amid wartime and postwar disruptions, without evidence of public demonstrations or teaching roles.^[6]

Life Challenges and Relocation

Wartime Hardships

During the Japanese occupation of Foshan from late 1937 to 1945, Cheung Wing-sing and her family experienced severe economic deprivation after the invaders confiscated assets and disrupted local commerce, reducing their previously affluent circumstances to reliance on limited privateincome sources.^[13] Resource shortages, including food and essentials, were rampant as the occupation imposed strict controls and requisitioning, forcing households like the Ips to adapt through frugal living and informal networks for sustenance.

His student Bruce Lee’s fame helped Ip Man gain more clients and found the Wing Chun Athletic Association gym in 1967. He was the third out of four children and was raised by wealthy parents. This is where Ip Man met Leung Bik, a kung-fu prodigy unbeknownst to Ip Man. Being undefeated and an overconfident teenager, Ip Man challenged Bik to a fight.

He soon met his wife Cheung Wing-sing and had 4 children. Reignited, Bik taught Ip Man until 1916.