the grandmaster context

Question 1

ancient china

Answer 1

• ancient china was separated from other countries (i.e. the british empire) by harsh terrain such as rugged mountains and deserts
• therefore, china has developed its own culture and was influenced less by outside cultures
• divided into many different territories ruled by ‘dynasties’ = families who pass down leadership through family

Question 2

north vs south

CONDITIONS

Answer 2

dispite various provinces, china is divided by the Yangtze river into north and south

NORTH
- drier
- colder
- shorter growing season
- wheat and meat

SOUTH
- more rain
- warmer
- longer growing season
- rice and fish

Question 3

north vs south

INDEPENDENCE

Answer 3

south is more interdependent because fishing and growing rice is a group effort whilst the north is more independent because you can hunt by yourself

Question 4

fighting style differences

Answer 4

northern style known as the ‘long fist’ style, focuses on aesthetics, kicks, legwork and acrobatics.

chinese in the north are taller on average than the southern, thanks largely to their grain and meat-heavy diets.

having longer bodies/limbs eventually led to developing a fighting style that would exploit these physical advantages, which means higher kicks, deeply extended postures, and quicker, more fluid transitions.

Question 5

why are the different kung fu styles so important?

Answer 5

the chinese are proud of their family name, reputation and which region they live in which is why kung fu and its various styles are so important - their different styles differentiate themselves.

whilst other countries spend money on military weapons, kung fu is full of history and goes back generations

Question 6

chinas relationship with japan

Answer 6

• japan invaded and occupied china from 1937 to 1945
• the war was a result of the japanese imperialist policy to capture the raw materials, food and labour
• occupation nationally humiliated the chinese, especially as japan created a new puppet state in the north east called manchukuo
• chinese continued to fight japanese though some decided to work with their invaders
• occupation ended in 1945 when the US dropped two atomic bombs on japan
• meanwhile russians launched a ground attack in manchukuo
• japanese withdrew
• relations still not strong to this day

Question 7

chinas relationship with hong kong

Answer 7

• important part of china
• strategic importance (port) to the southeast of china
• became a colony in the british empire in 1842
• transferred back to china on the 1st of july 1997
• historically seen as vulgar (western/british) by the chinese and lacking in traditional culture

Question 8

how is hong kong represented in the film?

Answer 8

• no traditional clothing/buildings
• looks westernised with double decker buses (london aka the british empire)
• ip man ‘sells’ kung fu in the scene where he scrounges the table for coins. shows his need for money and represents capitalist hong kong