"Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster" Continues the Story of Bruce Lee's Teacher

Under Wilson Yip's careful direction, the story of Bruce Lee's legendary teacher continues in " Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster. "

A respected practitioner of Wing Chung, Ip Man was one of the people responsible for fueling Bruce Lee's interest in the martial arts. In 2008, director Wilson Yip and fight choreographer Sammo Hung released " Ip Man ," a semi-biographical adventure about this legendary teacher.

Hong Kong superstar Donnie Yen plays the title role, a revered kung fu master who lives quietly with his family in Foshan , China in the 1930's. Throughout the Chinese province, Foshan is known as the home of the best kung fu masters.

The invading Japanese army does, however, change the fortunes of Foshan. Food becomes scare and revered masters like Ip Man must shovel coal or fight for rice in order to survive. Ultimately, Ip Man must fight for the survival of the villagers, his family and himself.

If you aren't familiar with the story of Ip Man, here are a few useful things to know before seeing "Legend of the Grandmaster":

• At the end of the first film, the critically wounded Ip Man escapes from Foshan with his family.

• "Ip Man 2" opens in 1949, after the master has moved his family to Hong Kong .

• Ip Man trades one set of oppressors for another. At this time in history, Hong Kong is under British rule.

• The Wing Chung style was originally developed for women to protect themselves. In "Ip Man," masters of other kung fu forms criticize Ip Man for fighting like a girl.

• Other styles common in martial arts films include 'wire fu', which uses a harness, wires and pulleys to create those eye-popping kung fu leaps and moves.

• ' Monkey Kong Fu ,' featuring monkey-like movements, also is popular in martial arts films.

• According to the first film, Ip Man originally was reluctant to take on any students or disciples.

• "Ip Man 2" pits the Wing Chung grandmaster against a boxer named Taylor "Twister" Milos .

• Ip Man met Bruce Lee after the future star had been beaten up by a gang. Lee convinced the grandmaster to take him on as a student.

• The original "Ip Man" was a box office hit in China .

• Lead actor Donnie Yen is a familiar face in Hollywood , with roles in " Highlander: Endgame " and " Blade II ."

"Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster," rated R for some violence, opens on Friday, January 28.