Ip Man – 葉問

Ip Man - 葉問 - Episode 01
Legend of the Demigods - 搜神傳

180px-Ip_Man_(TV_series)

Description: There was fierce competition among many companies over the rights to the production of a television series about Ip Man since Wilson Yip’s movies Ip Man and Ip Man 2 (starring Donnie Yen) came into the limelight. Around June 2012, Suzhou Funa Films and Television acquired the rights to produce the television series. Fan Xiaotian, who previously directed many Chinese television series, was selected as the director, while Hong Kong screenwriter Charcoal Tan was chosen to write the script. Wilson Yip and Taiwanese producer Young Pei-pei served as artistic consultants while Ip Man’s sons, Ip Chun and Ip Ching, were invited to be martial arts consultants for the series.

Shooting for Ip Man began in July 2012 and finalised in around November.

After the release of Ip Man, BBC UKChina conducted a telephone interview with Fan Xiaotian about the television series. Fan mentioned that the earlier Ip Man films were too short, and that his purpose in creating the television series was to present a more developed and lively story about Ip Man which allows audiences to explore the character in greater depth. He also felt it was a very opportune time to produce a television series about Ip Man because Wilson Yip’s Ip Man movies were very successful and influential, and also because Wong Kar-wai was making The Grandmaster when Ip Man (TV series) was in production.

Fan Xiaotian and Young Pei-pei were keen on recruiting actor Vincent Zhao, who has a background in martial arts, to play the lead character. Taking some netizens’ opinions and suggestions into account, the production team also considered casting Han Geng, Wu Chun, Wallace Chung and Wallace Huo in the series.[1][2] However, the role of Ip Man eventually went to Hong Kong TVB artiste Kevin Cheng, who previously appeared as a young Ip Man in the 2013 film Ip Man: The Final Fight (starring Anthony Wong). Han Xue was chosen to portray Ip Man’s wife Cheung Wing-sing (Mandarin: Zhang Yongcheng). Other cast members include Liu Xiaofeng,Chrissie Chau, Yu Rongguang, Yuen Wah, Bruce Leung, Song Yang and Kou Zhenhai.

In September 2012, the cast and crew of Ip Man appeared at a publicity event in Suzhou to promote the television series

一代宗師葉問(鄭嘉穎飾)生於水深火熱的時代,他畢生追尋與探索武學境界,自身成長蛻變的經歷最終成為功夫神話,登上武學頂峰。葉問從佛山、廣州到香港,先後遇上影響他一生的重要人物:革命黨人符征雲(蔣愷飾)、啟蒙老師于鳳九(于榮光飾)及詠春師傅陳華順(元華飾)。

一次次的比武,一次次的受傷,濺起的不僅是葉問的鮮血,還有兒時訂婚對象張永成(韓雪飾)的眼淚。 葉問的師兄林青山(劉小鋒飾)心胸狹窄,因深愛永成,青山經常製造麻煩給葉問,甚至誣陷他是殺人犯。葉問逃往香港遇上第三位師傅梁碧(梁小龍飾),被傳授各種詠春功夫,水平大大提升。葉問留港期間刻意隱姓埋名,仍難逃捲入碼頭鬥爭中,幸得好友阿寺(宋洋飾)和碼頭西施珍妮(周秀娜飾)的幫助。葉問雖然天天遊走生死邊緣,但同時艱困的環境大大誘發他深藏的武者俠義與凜然正氣,將他推上最後的擂台,重回佛山……
Language: Cantonese
Country: HongKong
Times: 50 Episodes
Release Date: 04 January 2016
Director: Fan Xiaotian, Zheng Wei, Hu Kai
Cast: Kevin Cheng, Han Xue, Liu Xiaofeng, Chrissie Chau, Song Yang, Yu Rongguang, Yuen Wah, Bruce Leung