CHAN CHEE MAN IS ONE OF GRANDMASTER IP MAN’S SENIOR STUDENTS. CURRENTLY, 76 YEARS OLD, HE STARTED IN WING CHUN IN 1954 AND IS STILL ACTIVE AS AN INSTRUCTOR. CHAN CHEE MAN CAN ALWAYS BE FOUND TALKING PASSIONATELY ABOUT WING CHUN WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE—WHICH WE WILL SEE IS HIS SECRET TO MAKING HIS WING CHUN SO EFFECTIVE.
Please tell me how you came to start in Wing Chun.
When I was young, I started to learn Wing Chun from Ip Man and it was a precious time. Looking back, I chose Wing Chun because I had met many people who practised it, which piqued my interest. At the time, the Restaurant Union was in Shan Shui Po district on Wong Chuk Street, and my home was near there. I went up there to learn Wing Chun—sometimes four or five days per week, training early in the morning and every night until about 9:30pm.