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In a series of movies called Ip Man 1 and 2, based in WW2, a Wing Chun martial arts master called Ip Man fought with a Japanese general and a western boxer named Twister. Did these events actually happen?

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It's hard to tell what is being asked here. Would you mind clarifying? – Luke Nov 25 '12 at 1:24
yip or ip man he is konfu wing chung fighter,i ve seen his movies named "ip man" he appeared as hero of china,he fought two fighters and win,am asking is that true? – md nth Nov 25 '12 at 1:27
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Asking about the historical accuracy of action movies usually ends up in the realm of fiction, this might need to be moved. – MichaelF Nov 26 '12 at 13:17
@MichaelF - you mean a Scientologist western warrior didn't really have that much influence in historical events after 1876 in Japan? Whdathunkit! – DVK Nov 27 '12 at 18:41

2 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

Yip man was real (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). He was a famous student of Wing Chun. My guess is that you're referring to the 2008 movie, Ip Man. However, it was not historically accurate. Quoting its Wikipedia page:

Film4's review detailed the departures from history: "The real Ip Man was never, despite the film's assertions to the contrary, forced from bourgeois idleness into work by the hardships of the Second Sino-Japanese War, nor was he ever employed as a coolie in a colliery – rather he chose of his own accord to work as a policeman (a profession lightly ridiculed within the film) before the Japanese invasion, and he continued in this line for several years after the war until Communist disapproval of his wealth and political affiliations drove him into voluntary exile in Hong Kong (an inconvenient truth that the film elides as tactfully as Ip Man mitigates the impact of his own victories). While, during the war, Ip Man did indeed refuse to teach his martial arts to the military police of the occupying Japanese – a decision which eventually forced him to flee Foshan – he certainly never had a duel with a Japanese general."

So, although the film had inaccuracies, Yip Man was as real as any other human.

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Luke, he was referring to both movies, Ip man 1 and 2 as the General is in movie one and Twister is in movie two. Other than that, a great answer. – Russell Nov 25 '12 at 2:11
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Note that the main bad guy (often a Japanese commander/governor of some kind) being a really great hand-to-hand fighter and taking on the hero in the denouement is a standard Kung-Fu theater trope. I'd be shocked if I was watching such a movie and found it that such a thing had happened. – T.E.D.♦ Mar 20 at 18:56
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Actually, they were real,all incidents in this story might not be true,cause its a movie, but the fights were real of course,But, what ive heard from different people is that last fight(ip man vs twister) had some modifications in it.Actually it was quite longer,Extra scenes were added, actually ip man defeated Twister quickly same as Gen.Miura, but see since ive already mentioned its a movie, so extras will be added,otherwise it would be boring,and it would make people think that ip mans victory would be inevitable,

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Source? Citation? Details? – Mark C. Wallace Mar 19 at 18:45
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we need references to support your claims – md nth Mar 20 at 1:30

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