Spiritual journey

Young dancer Chang Hongji, who plays Yip in the drama, says he finds it challenging to recreate the legendary master's charisma on stage. When he performed at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts early last year at the drama's debut in the city, he was incredibly nervous.

Hong Kong means a lot to Yip. It's a city that has been his home for two decades and where he had taught and promoted Wing Chun, says Chang, adding he believes Hong Kong audiences have a more direct and profound understanding of the late kung fu master and his spirit.

Chang says he has turned the pressure into a powerful spiritual connection between Yip and him when he stood on the stage. "I feel the master was particularly close to me as if he were by my side and had accompanied me through the entire performance."

After the first show ended, the enthusiastic applause and heartfelt feedback from the Hong Kong audience moved Chang deeply.

Chang says he has felt a special resonance and integration with Yip's character since then, gaining greater confidence in playing the role and entering his "immersive acting" moment. The spiritual bond he felt in Hong Kong, which he had never experienced before, has lifted his spirits in more than 200 performances, elevating him as a performer.

Chang says he believes Yip's spirit isn't about showing off skills or personal heroism, but about cultivating one's mind by practicing martial arts. Practitioners must overcome a sense of rivalry and demonstrate restraint and humility, protecting themselves and those around them. This also exemplifies Yip's stature as a grandmaster.

He says playing Yip in the drama has shaped him philosophically, gradually detaching him from a restless mindset, making him reflect and listen to his inner voice before acting, and approaching people with greater calmness and restraint.