Jan

Ip Man KungFu Movie and The Anti Japanese Sentiment

January 12th, 2009 | Category: Politics and Social Issues

ip man kung fu wing chun japanese karate

Ip Man Movie (Pronounce as Yip Mang in Cantonese, a southern Chinese/Hong Kong dialect), is a must watch movie for KungFu fans, normally I dislike watching Chinese Kungfu movies due to its poor storyline and horrible cinematography. However, Ip Man is surprisingly good. The storyline is somewhat predictable – good guy fights evil guy, good guy lost, good guy came back from nowhere and kick ass, but what makes it a good KungFu movie apart from its good cinematography scenes is due to the fact that it is a true story, and not to mention the awesome chain punching technique of Wing Chun KungFu, do you happened to know that Yip Man is Bruce Lee’s master?

To say it attracts lots of moviegoers because it is a true story is simply wrong, I hate to admit it but it could be the anti-Japanese sentiment in the movie that captured the Chinese audience’s sentiment, it plays with the audience feeling and sentiment. As shown in the movie, the only time a Chinese can beat a Japanese is none other than in KungFu, be it in a movie or real world.

Anyway, I had a housemate from Nanjing, when I asked him about his view on the Japanese, his first reaction was: “I hate the Japanese”, and he proceeds: “China should go to war with Japan and not Taiwan.”

During my visit to Shanghai, I talked to a taxi driver, half way through our conversation; I asked him the same question on Japanese. The response? Same, he replied: “I hate the Japanese and we (China) should bomb them when the time is right.”

Being an overseas Chinese, third generation and never experience the brutality of the Japanese Imperial Army, it is hard for me to hate the Japanese. After all, I do own quite a number of Japanese gadgets. The older generation has this hatred towards the Japanese, especially China and the communist government, which uses this anti Japanese sentiment to their advantage while instill nationalism by publishing tons of articles on the brutality of the Japanese during world war two, one of the all time favorites is none other than the Nanking Massacre, commonly known as the Rape of Nanking.

The whole point of this conversation is not about the Imperial Japan’s past, but why do they refused to apologize sincerely? Their history textbook says little about their own past. I seriously doubt the younger generation (Chinese) has the same amount of hatred towards the Japanese, like I said before; they’ve never experience the brutality of the Japanese directly. What pissed the younger generation is the systematic distortion of the historical record propagated in the Japanese educational system.

“In August 1937, two Japanese soldiers, one an officer, were shot to death in Shanghai (the hub of foreign interests). After this incident, the hostilities between Japan and China escalated. Japanese military officials thought Chiang Kai-shek would surrender if they captured Nanking, the Nationalist capital; they occupied that city in December. *But Chiang Kai-shek had moved his capital to the remote city of Chongqing. The conflict continued. Note *At this time, many Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded by Japanese troops (the Nanking Incident). Documentary evidence has raised doubts about the actual number of victims claimed by the incident. The debate continues even today” – Japanese History Textbook 2005 version. Source: Wikipedia

Is it that hard to own up? To tell the truth? As time goes by, the younger Japanese are brought up to believe that their forefathers and nation committed no crime, therefore they should not apologize, to a certain extent, the younger generation refuses to apologize because they claimed that it is their grandfather’s fault, not theirs.

I don’t hate the Japanese, but I fear for them. If both sides continue to exchange hot words, it is a matter of time before China together with the North Koreans and possibly South Korea and Taiwan invades Japans, because if we forget the past, history will repeat itself.

Watch Ip Man vs 10 Black Belts – one word – Awesome!

The Japanese General is giving out white rice to any Chinese person who defeats the Japanese fighters at a ratio of 1 bag per 1 defeated fighter. Mandarin Dubbed + Original Japanese Speech. The General kills Ip Man’s friend in a 1(General)vs 3(Chinese men) duel. Right before the scene shown in this video, Ip Man witnesses Sifu Liu getting shot to death by the Colonel for losing a duel with 3 Japanese fighters and still dare to pick up the bag of rice he won earlier, though not by the orders of the General. Ip Man gets real pissed off, so he demands a fight with 10 of the black belts. Upon his victory, he refuses to take his reward (10 bags of rice) and the General tells him “again”; Ip Man replies “I did not come here for the rice”. The interpreter tells the General that he will come again. The General asks for his name and Ip Man replies “I am just a Chinese”. The interpreter tells the General, “He is Ip Man”.

8 Comments

David Atkinson
on January 12th, 2009
1
Waited years for this movie to come out on grand master Yip Man. As young man growing up I heard so many stories about Yip Man.
I will be contacting uncle in Hong Kong about his thought’s on this movie. There is going to be so many difference’s of opinion when this movie as done the full global circuit.
I predict the next Wing Chun movie will be about Sifu Wong Shun Long also teacher to Bruce Lee.
Wong was famous for the roof top battles in Hong Kong.
Great post.
nancy
on April 22nd, 2010
2
As shown in the movie, the only time a Chinese can beat a Japanese is none other than in KungFu, be it in a movie or real world.–I strongly disagree unless you were talking about military wise at that period of time
admin
on April 25th, 2010
3
@nancy
IP Man the movie is more fictional than real. Most of the plots are spiced up, so was Jet Li’s Fearless. Unless someone organize a competition to determine the best martial arts between the koreans, japs and chinese. nobody will know for sure. Who know, it could be the Thai’s Muay Tai?
Sean
on October 23rd, 2010
4
Re: your comments on Japan, China, etc.
The fascist nation that was Japan is long gone. They are today a democracy and one that has produced wonderful things which have touched all of our lives. From technology to mascots to food to anime.
No man is responsible for the acts of another and therefore whether you are German, Italian or Japanese, you are not responsible for the actions of the Axis powers in WW2 nor should you apologize for them. Nor should you apologize on behalf of anyone who is not you, and has nothing to do with you. This is both logical and just. Every man in life must stand on his own ideas and actions.
I happen to love China and Japan both. But I have no problem is saying that China is still today a Communist dictatorship and free speech, individualism, a free market, democracy, the concepts of a Republic, etc. are all disallowed.
As to the film itself, I enjoyed it but it plays out as too much propaganda. Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun or Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence are much better representations of history, WW2, etc. than this film.
Incidentally, according to Harvard Marxist researchers, who certainly have nothing to gain by slandering their favorite subject, 75-80 million people have died under Chinese communism. Either killed by the Government or indirectly through Mao’s insane policies. If you ask me, they’re the ones who owe the world and their own people an apology.
chong lee
on June 27th, 2011
5
“North Koreans and possibly South Korea and Taiwan invades Japans, because if we forget the past, history will repeat itself”
… whatever your smoking pass it along…. those 3 country uniting to invade japan, is like ….. jesus the sceneraio is so retarded its hard to imagine a comparison.
Japan as a nation apolised on other matters with both korean and china when it was politically suited them, at this point its just theater on world stage for vanity sake and trade concessions.
On the other hand I do find Chinese mentality on revenge war bit troubling, last major country that felt it must build its military to avenge its humilation from a privious war was Germany…. People in China openly feel they must goto war with Japan…
Pablo
on September 16th, 2011
6
I agree with Sean and Chong Lee here, I have been living in China for a year already, with my Chinese girlfriend. The propaganda and brainwashing of “you must hate the Japanese or you are not patriotic” sentiment is so exaggerated that many (not enough in my opinion) young and educated Chinese don’t buy into it that easily anymore.
But many of the older and/or uneducated Chinese folk still believe what they see in movies and TV as real facts. TV which is very much: “Mao and his Communist party were great and full of benevolence, the Japanese and the KMT were evil yadda yadda yadda…”.
Well, Ip man was a great Kung Fu master, but he never fought the Japanese and furthermore… he was KMT, and left China for Hong Kong to escape from the Communists, not because of the Japanese, wonder why that wasn’t told like that in the movie mmmhhh???
If you can read Chinese, then you can read Chinese comments and get an idea of how they think on their own version of Youtube (Youku):
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTQ4NTIzNzYw.html
Yeah, because Youtube and Facebook is BANNED in China.
I even had to listen to them calling the Japanese, “Japanese Devils” (日本鬼子) in a business meeting! (obviously to a Chinese crowd, I am Asian therefore disguised), from a company that sells mainly to Japan, it was so uncomfortable to me.
Mao killed, tortured and caused the deaths of many MANY more Chinese people than the Japanese, why isn’t he demonized at all but instead hold up as a National hero?
“He cared for us and won the hearts of the Chinese people” I keep being told over here, but from what I’ve read from accounts of the closest people to Mao, he only cared about making the country strong and powerful, regardless of how many Chinese lives it would cost.”
I apologize for ranting.
Kirk
on September 22nd, 2011
7
I agree with your points. But i have no idea why China wants to fight japan.
Why
1. Japan has no standing army or navy under there constitution (which is based on the US Constitution) Essentially the United States is their only protection from foreign aggression. -http://www.usfj.mil/
2.United States did this for a reason, so japan would never be allowed to rise arms against us. Basically no one seems to realize this, but japan is part of the united states commonwealth, just like the virgin islands and puerto Rico.
3. So if the chinese decide to attack japan anytime soon, they will have the US and their allies against them (entangling alliances again, WW1 all over…)
So my suggestion to the chines is , live and let live. Its the past.. its done. Heck my grandfather fought the Japanese on peleliu during the island hoping campaign. Does that make me hate the Japanese? No. Those who were involved are dead and gone. Also its not even the same country anymore…. The government has been rebuilt from the ground up its different now.
filc
on December 18th, 2011
8
What kind of drivel is this?
A) ” two Japanese soldiers,”
You want an entire nation to apologize over two idiots? I’m sure we could dig up at least that of the CHinese or US government.
B) You want new generations to apologize for previous generations? Over matters with which they had no involvement in what so ever? What kind of stupid fucking retarded non-sensical intentional neglect of logic is this?
Fucking learn to think logically. Jesus fucking #()$* its no wonder why we live in a world where people perpetuate the stupidity in their own local governments. So sick of the counter productive jingoistic booshit. Gag me with a spoon. Puke me. FML.