persons

Yip Man, whose name was actually Gai Man, was born on October 14th, 1893 in Foshan, Guangdong Province in China.
He grew up with a brother and two sisters. From 1899 to 1905, Yip Man studied with Chan Wah Shun in Foshan. At the age of 15 he attended St. Stephen College in Hong Kong. Through a classmate he met Leung Bik, the son of Leung Jans, in 1909. He was his student until 1912. Between 1914 and 1937, Yip Man worked in the army and police.  

Thanks to his skills, he soon made a name for himself in the entire martial arts scene in southern China.

In 1945, when China became communist, Yip Man left Foshan and returned to Hong Kong. The first Ving Tsun group was formed there in 1950.

Among the most famous students of Yip Man 's were Wong Shun Leung and the future film actor Bruce Lee. He learned Ving Tsun in Hong Kong for about four years before emigrating to the USA. 
Yip Man died on December 2, 1972  at the age of 79 in HK.

Wong Shun Leung was born in Hong Kong on June 8, 1935. Between the ages of 15 and 16, he tried different styles of kung fu and also practiced western boxing for a while. At the age of 17 he met Yip Man and became his student.  

Wong Shun Leung was a short man (167 cm) and weighed only around 53 kilograms at the time. But he accepted every opponent and emerged victorious from all battles. Between the ages of 18 and 20, Wong fought over 60 fights. Ving Tsun became a topic of conversation in Hong Kong.

It is also known that a majority of Wong Shun Leung was responsible for the education of Bruce Lee, whose mentor and close friend he remained until the end of his life.

Wong Shun Leung started out as a talented fighter and studied the physical and psychological aspects of Ving Tsun and thus became one of the most outstanding representatives of the style. On January 28, 1997, Sifu Wong Shun Leung died of a stroke in HK.

Philipp Bayer,  born on February 5, 1956, felt attracted to Far Eastern martial arts at an early age. In 1979 he started with Ving Tsun in Germany. A serious accident that resulted in the loss of his left hand dramatically changed his life. His coaches at the time were unable to continue teaching him with this disability. So he left for Hong Kong in 1982 to learn Ving Tsun at the source. After visiting various Ving Tsun teachers, in January 1983 he finally found Wong Shun Leung, probably the most respected Ving Tsun master in Hong Kong.

The logic, directness and effectiveness of the system as conveyed by Wong Shun Leung brought Philipp Bayer previously unattainable skills within reach and he became an outstanding master of Ving Tsun despite his handicap.  

Back in Germany, he founded the Ving Tsun Kung Fu Association Europe (VTKFAE) and since then has worked tirelessly to spread the traditional Ving Tsun in Europe.