Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong

    Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family and visitors,

    Sigung has kindly shared us many of his personal experiences with Sitaigung Ho and Sitaigung Lai, and then some with Sitaigung Choe. In contrast to them, Sigung has told us that his second Sifu, Sitaigung Chee, was not teaching him in person, so regrettably there simply wasn't comparable interaction.

    I had thought that there was more to Sitaigung Chee's biography and Kungfu that has been previously disclosed in any Kwoon discussion (see: An article on Sitaigung GM Chee Kim Tong) or Sigung's articles, so I finally tasked myself with seeking out what his close students (and their respective students) are sharing about their late Sifu and and his legacy.

    Some of the information here might be very interesting and surprising to even tenured Kungfu experts, so please carry on reading!

    I also heartily recommend reading Sifu Alan M Tinnion's martial arts biography, as he details what is was like to become an Inner Chamber Disciple to Sitaigung. I found his account to be very moving and fascinating.

    With sincere respect,
    Olli

  • #2
    Biography of Sifu Chee Kim Thong by His Disciples

    DATO, GRANDMASTER CHEE KIM THONG:
    ‘LIVING NATIONAL TREASURE OF THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA’

    A NEW, AUTHORITATIVE MARTIAL ARTS BIOGRAPHY OF GRANDMASTER CHEE KIM THONG, COMPILED FROM ORIGINAL AND FIRST-HAND REFERENCE MATERIAL, AND FROM PERSONAL DIALOGUES OVER THE COURSE OF MANY YEARS BETWEEN SHIZU CHEE AND INNER CHAMBER DISCIPLE SHIFU ALAN. M. TINNION.

    http://www.alantinnion.co.uk/ckt_start.html
    I am excerpting only pieces of this magnicifient text because I regard copy pasting all of it improper. I warmly recommend everyone to read it completely from start to finish. Note that Putian is the site of the 2nd Southern Shaolin Temple of Nine-Lotus Mountain. It's incredible to learn that Sitaigung had learned directly from a Shaolin Abbot residing by the Putian Temple!


    The Very Reverend Abbot Yik Cha’an Cha’an Sze

    In these circumstances, the time came when Master Chee, a young man with a reputation for extraordinary Gong Fu fighting skills, came to the attention of the Very Reverend Abbot of the famed Southern Shaolin Temple at Putian (Fujian Province).

    Concerning this Abbot, honoured by many legends and publicised by even more Gong Fu cinema films to the Western world, not much is known, but what little there is evokes a picture which fully supports the most impressive concepts of the heights of Gong Fu skills possessed in pre-1949 China.

    The Abbot was blind, yet, through some exceptional gift given due to the extreme and harsh rigours of his own training in earlier years, could tell when a student failed to correctly perform some stroke or the movement of a form; when this occurred, according to Master Chee, he would swiftly strike the erring pupil savagely with his stick, to show his displeasure and help correct the error.

    It must be realised that the Abbot, in spite of his blindness, could accurately tell the identity of the person who approached him at all times: when Master Chee entered his presence – no matter how careful he was to dissemble his identity – the Abbot would call to him; ‘enter Chee,’ or ‘what do you want, Chee’!

    The Abbot, the Very Reverend Yik Cha’an Cha’an Sze was in his 80’s when Master Chee was personally invited to become his pupil, following the passing of a test the Abbot arranged; through sending his Number One disciple, unannounced as to who he was and the purpose of his challenge, to fight him.

    This fight, which occurred one evening while making a visit to his family, was the most significant of all in Master Chee’s early, formative years, and ended in an honourable draw in which the Abbot’s most senior disciple used all his gong fu skills and strategies to defeat his opponent, but failed.

    Dusting himself down, young Chee’s assailant announced himself, and the purpose of him who had sent him, in so many words: ‘Very good! You are clearly the man I had been sent to find.’ After the challenge, the monk returned to the Abbot, saying that he was unable to defeat Chee. The Abbot, then sent a personal invitation for Master Chee to go to the Temple.

    The Abbot said to Chee, “use all of your Gong Fu skills, and all that you have learnt, to try to move me, and if you are able to move me then there is nothing that I am able to teach you.” He was unable to move him, and the attitude of Humility and Respect of Chee, before the Abbot, secured his admission to the Temple, where he was to be taught personally by the Abbot himself.


    The Shaolin Temple

    It must be stressed that the renowned Shaolin Temple at Putian in Fujian province, Home to Southern Shaolin Gong Fu, had very different rules of entry and exit to the Temple of today (which was later rebuilt partly due to private contributors, one of whom was Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong himself).

    In the pre-war Shaolin Temple, aspiring entrants would have to demonstrate enormous Patience and endure much hardship to be considered worthy to be accepted. Those who succeeded were not allowed to leave again, until they had passed through various tests of their skill and character. For one to be actually ‘invited’ into the Temple, as Shizu Chee was, was indeed exceptional: and upon him no restriction on leaving was ever imposed.

    One of the more exceptional abilities Master Chee developed, as a result of special and arduous training techniques while at the Temple, was that of being able to resist chops and blows to the head, earning him the nick-name 'Iron Head'.

    His final Master-Teacher was therefore no less a person than the renowned Blind Abbot of the Shaolin Temple at Putian: the rigours he was subjected to in order to learn the knowledge this teacher imparted were severe indeed. In spite of his training and instruction commitments with the military, young Chee would daily run some six miles to the Abbot’s abode (at a location on a substantial incline at some distance from the main temple complex).

    His Gong Fu development and training, proceeding well, to the satisfaction of his strict master, Master Chee one day felt emboldened to ask the Blind Abbot to teach him the secret arts of the most advanced techniques of the ‘death touch.’

    The Abbot, not speaking, took hold of Chee’s forefingers, snapped and broke them, and then reset them in a special fashion, with the aid of splints, enabling Master Chee to learn and develop this special striking power (according to the Gong Fu historian, Jin Jing Zhong:
    ‘If this mastership [Yi Zhi Chan Gong] is directed against a man, there will be no wounds seen, but the internal organs will be seriously injured.)’

    It was the Very Reverend Abbot, who taught Grandmaster Chee what he always regarded as the most precious of all the Systems he came to know and master: the Wujiquan, Luohan Ru-Yi Quan, and Eighteen Arhat Boxing.

    Another account from a senior disciple:

    Master Chee was born in Putian, Xing Hua District, Fujian Province, China and began his kung fu training at the age of 5 under the guidance of his grandmother, Madam Khor Si, in Monkey Style Kung Fu. He was later introduced to Master Lam Yen (Lin Zin) of the Southern Shaolin Temple who taught him Wu Zu Chuan. Master Chee also learned Wu Zing palm from Master Yeung Yeuk and Wu Ji (believed to be the predecessor to Tai Chi) from Reverend monk Yit Sim.

    After the 2nd World War, Master Chee left China for Singapore and thereafter Kuala Dungun - an east coastal mining town in Terengganu, East Malaya. He was happy to live a life of obscurity and be incognito. He made his living by working as a Chinese sinseh excelling in herbal medications and bone-setting techniques. At the same time, he was also involved in some small businesses. He was very much an entrepreneur in a very astute way. In 1989 he was declared a National Treasure by the Chinese government. Because of the services he rendered to the community at large in Malaysia as a Sifu and an acupuncturist, Master Chee was conferred the title of Dato by His Royal Highness, the Sultan of Terengganu, Malaysia, in 1995.

    Master Chee was the founder of the Chee Kim Thong Pugilistic and Health Society in 1968, Kuala Lumpur. I was part of the founding committee and the assistant chief instructor. He was also a leading figure in the following organisations.

    1. President - of the Hokkien Association of Dungun
    2. President - the Rumah Berhala Hong Thian Tiang Temple, Dungun
    3. Honorary Chairman - The Federation of the Heng Ann Association of Malaysia
    4. Honorary Chairman - The International Southern Shaolin Wu Zhu Body, which include participating countries like Malaysia, China, Singapore, Taiwan and Philippines.

    His fame reached USA, UK, Switzerland, France, and Australia where aspiring and eager students who came to Malaysia to learn from him are now propagating his art of Wu Chu and Wu Ji.

    Throughout his life, Master Chee was well known for his skills in Shaolin Kung Fu and healing abilities. The history of this remarkable man is revealed in the page on the history of Ngor Chor Kun as he played a pivotal role in imparting the art of Wu Chu Chuan to various parts of the World.


    THE EARLY YEARS

    Master Chee, at the age of 6, was taught Tai Chor (a ‘hard’ style) by his paternal grandmother, Madam Khor Si. By the time he was 10 years old and coming from a poor family, he worked as a page boy and companion to the son of a rich family in Xia Men. There, he met the very famous boxer, Master Toh Yit Choon, a martial art expert from the Northern School of Shaolin. Master Choon was once one of the bodyguards to Dr Sun Yat Sen (Founder of the Republic of China).

    MASTER CHEE & HIS TEACHERS

    When Master Chee was 12 years old, it was one incident that Master Lam Yin witnessed the young Master Chee using his martial art skills to subdue a bully (it was actually his young ‘master/boss’ who was jealous of him) effectively. Master Lam was impressed and invited him to be his disciple. This was a very important turning point in young Master Chee’s life. It turned out that Master Lam was a great exponent of the Shaolin style of Wu Chu Chuan. Such was his ability that he could use his internal energy to warm the cup of tea in his hand. Through Master Lam, young Chee trained and became a great exponent of Wu Chu Chuan. When Master Lam travelled extensively, his granddaughter Madam Lam Yit Leong continued to help young Chee to enhance his Wu Chu skills.

    Thereafter, Chee was recommended to study with Master Yeung Yuk by his grandmother who was a good friend of this Master. Master Yeung was a top-notch exponent of the art of Wu Xing Palm (Five Elements). He earned the reputation that no one can get within striking distance of “five steps” amongst his peers in the Chinese Wu Shu world. Young Chee trained diligently with Master Yeung. At about the same time Master Chee’s reputation became known to the most Reverend monk Yit Sim of the Lam Por Thor Temple in Putian. Reverend Yit Sim sent one of his senior disciples to test Master Chee’s ability. When convinced by his disciple’s positive report, Reverend Yit Sim invited Master Chee to train under him. Reverend Yit Sim specialized in Lohan Ru Yi Chuan, Wu Ji Chuan, and other Shaolin martial arts. He was also a master in Buddhist teachings and meditation. Master Chee spent some fruitful years with Reverend Yit Sim.

    Master Chee was a natural talent in martial arts. At the age of 18, he competed in the pugilistic tournament organized by the Chinese government held in Xia-men and became the champion in the middleweight category. Thereafter, he assisted the Chinese government in training the military in martial art.

    When the Japanese Imperial army occupied China during WWII, Master Chee was actually a wanted man. According to Sifu, this prompted him to escape to Kuala Dungun, Malaysia. Apparently Master Chee had a disciple in China who was a rickshaw puller (Disciple A for easy reference) and there was this Japanese soldier who was a frequent passenger. Over time, the two became good friends. One day, they witnessed a street fight and the soldier noticed how Disciple A was sneering at the fighters’ techniques. He then asked Disciple A whether he knew martial art. Disciple A finally admitted that he had learnt from a great master when the soldier persisted.

    Disciple A then took the soldier to meet Master Chee. The Japanese soldier did not know who Master Chee was then. He drew his sword and challenged Master Chee. Master Chee had a kwang-Do at that time and by slamming it to the floor, Master Chee was able to deflect the incoming force of the sword and send it flying. After the incident, Master Chee was wary of adverse impending consequences and felt it was imperative for him to leave his motherland with his family for a more secluded place in South East Asia. And that turned out to be Kuala Dungun in Malaysia. He then became a businessman and was happy to lead a relatively secluded lifestyle.
    Sitaigung's Biography by his Inner Chamber Disciple Sifu Tim Chan See Meng

    Here are two more related pieces that detail the intimacy and history of the Kungfu culture back in the late 60s.

    Master Tim Chan See Meng's Biography

    1st South-East Asia Pugilistic Open Invitation Tournament (1969)

    With sincere respect,
    Olli

    Comment


    • #3
      About Kungfu Styles and Meditation Taught by Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong

      The various lineages of Wuzuquan emphasise different ancestors and can appear completely different arts.

      The most common Wuzuquan uses the physical strength of Taizuquan. When Chan See-meng first met Yap Cheng Hai, Yap taught him the Taizu style of Wuzu that he learned under Sim Yong Der in Singapore. Subsequently the two became Master Chee’s disciples.

      Chee Kim Thong taught the White Crane lineage but was notoriously secretive about the refinements associated with the Crane.

      Liao Wuchang, a master of Wuzuquan‘s Monkey lineage, demonstrated at the Open Invitation South East Asia Demonstration (in Singapore, 1965 and 1967), at which Chee Kim Thong was a judge.
      Wuzuquan – “Five Ancestors Fist” – is a Chinese martial art. It is comprised of five gongfu systems, aspects of which were blended together to make a new art. Therefore it i…



      Wujiquan and Luohan Ru Yi Quan

      Note:
      The following descriptions of the rare and ancient arts given below were created by Dr Alan Tinnion, in his capacity as a much respected and trusted Inner Chamber Disciple of his Master, Shizu [Grandmaster] Chee Kim Thong, to provide proper accurate scholarly descriptions of Wujiquan and Luohan Ru Yi Quan on the Wikipedia website resource. The creation of both articles was due to a general lack of accurate description of these systems for reasons explained below.

      Parts of these systems have been taught to a limited number of individuals of the Chee Kim Thong Lineage, but they were taught in their entirety to Dr Alan Tinnion on a personal direct basis by Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong who felt him worthy of preserving and teaching them in their unaltered, accurate forms. The transmission of the two systems took place over a number of years.
      Wujiquan and Luohan Ru Yi Quan were taught to Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong by his final and greatest teacher, the Chan Buddhist patriarch of the legendary Southern Shaolin Temple [Fujian province], the Very Reverend Abbot Yik Cha’an Cha’an Sze .
      Please also see the ‘Spirit of Gong Fu’ article in the Articles section of this website: this provides further information about the Luohan Ru Yi Quan system.

      Wujiquan

      Wujiquan (Chinese (無極拳): Pinyin: Wujiquan; Wade-Giles: Wu Chi Chuan): ‘Ultimate Void Boxing’: A Rare and Secret Ultimate Void Boxing Skill, and Mother Art of Taijiquan; from Wuji comes Tai-ji The Wujiquan System is composed of 36 ‘Characters’: 18 kinds of natural climatic phenomena, and 18 of Qi applications.

      One of the rarest of traditional Shaolin Boxing systems, Wujiquan is also one of the purest of traditional Chinese soft-internal boxing systems(Neijia): being taught to very few in its entirety and only after years of rigorous training and testing for aptitude; it never became widely known, which meant that unlike the better known, Taijiquan, there was no opportunity for the system to undergo the experimentation and mixing with other systems and arts which during recent centuries led to the variety of styles which characterize Taijiquan.

      Wujiquan’s origins are ancient, belonging to the age of the renowned legendary Chinese physician, Hua Tuo (c 208), or even earlier times. As its name and the names of its individual 36 Characters indicate, it is derived from ancient Chinese, Daoist and pre-Daoist (shamanic ancient Chinese) concepts such as Yin-Yang, and also from natural climatic phenomena. The name of its creator(s) is unknown, but it is understood to have been originally taught at and included amongst the ancient systems taught at the Shaolin Temple (Songshan, Henan Province, China) from its early centuries until at least as late as the era of the Sino-Japanese Conflict (1937–1945). The authority for the assertion of the ancient origins and teaching within the original historical Shaolin Temple System from very early times is derived from one of the last Abbots of the Putian, Nan Pu Tuo (also formerly known as ‘Quanlin Yuan’), Southern Shaolin Temple (Fujian Province). The Abbot of this historic temple, the Very Reverend Yik Cha’an Cha’an Sze taught this system (and Luohan Ru Yi Quan, and 18 Arhat Boxing) over the course of 3 years to his disciple, Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong (c 1920–2001) prior to the fall of the temple and invasion of Fujian by the Japanese – Grandmaster Chee gave the system the nickname of ‘Shaolin Tai-Ji’.

      Luohan Ru Yi Quan

      Luohan Ru Yi Quan [ Hanyu Pinyin ]: literally ‘Luohan “As You Wish” Fist.’ This set altogether has 108 different hand techniques, and includes the Dazun 9 Yang Gong, Wuji Gong, Tai Ji Gong, and Wuxing. A rare and secret high-level Shaolin martial art: it should not be confused with the much better known Eighteen Lohan [or Arhat ] Boxing System.

      The system is also known by the names, ‘Printing the Red Palm [Push attack],’ and ‘The Old Man Set’ (an informal name for the system known within the Chee Kim Thong Nan Shaolin lineage).

      The origins of the Luohan Ru Yi Quan system are unknown, but certainly date from an early period of the Shaolin Temple’s martial arts history. As with all of the Shaolin martial arts, and in particular the highest level ones such as Wujiquan, it has a spiritual meditation development purpose separate to its martial applications. In comparison to the predominantly ‘yin’ characteristics of Wujiquan, Luohan Ru Yi Quan is more robustly ‘yang’ in its fundamental dynamics and visual impact. It is known as ‘The Old Man Set,’ ‘As You Wish Fist,’ and ‘Printing The Red Palm,’ because it contains mastery of techniques which only the most gifted Shaolin gong fu masters and traditional Shaolin fighting monks of old attained after a lifetime of patient study and exceptional success in fighting application. With this level of gong fu reached, the Luohan Ru Yi System enabled its practitioners to use techniques, to ‘push through’ any form of attack, and defeat or kill the challenger.
      Qi China International Academy of Teaching Excellence. Qi China is recognised as one of the world's leading authorities on the ancient and traditional art of Wujiquan,[mother art of Taijiquan], Wuzuquan (Southern Shaolin Five Ancestor system), Luohan Ru Yi Quan, and other authentic traditional Northern and Southern Shaolin boxing systems. Qi China International is a UK-based traditional Chinese martial and therapeutic arts teaching organisation and provides classes, seminars, courses and CPD to all interested in learning those arts.



      Luohan Ru-Yi Quan

      Luohan Ru-Yi Quan; ‘Printing’ the Red Palm/Push attack. Luohan Ru-Yi is also known as ‘The Old Man Set,’ or ‘Luohan “As You Wish” Fist.’

      It is not to be confused with the other Lohan/Luohan boxing systems: it is a Secret Art in the highest and most true sense of the word, and was only known by certain Great Grandmasters of traditional Shaolin Gong Fu.

      It is known as ‘The Old Man Set,’ ‘As You Wish Fist,’ and ‘Printing The Red Palm,’ because it contains mastery of techniques which only the most gifted Gong Fu masters of old could attain after a lifetime of learning and successful fighting.

      With this level of Gong Fu reached the System enabled its rare and exceptionally talented breed of Gong Fu masters who had attained its secret techniques, to ‘push through’ any form of attack, and defeat or kill the challenger.
      Qi China International Academy of Teaching Excellence. Qi China is recognised as one of the world's leading authorities on the ancient and traditional art of Wujiquan,[mother art of Taijiquan], Wuzuquan (Southern Shaolin Five Ancestor system), Luohan Ru Yi Quan, and other authentic traditional Northern and Southern Shaolin boxing systems. Qi China International is a UK-based traditional Chinese martial and therapeutic arts teaching organisation and provides classes, seminars, courses and CPD to all interested in learning those arts.



      Very little information on the art of Luohan Ruyiquan is available to the interested gongfu student. A few introductory comments:

      It is named after the Buddhist immortals, the Luohan, who are associated with the classic Shaolin art
      Luohan Ruyiquan is not part of Wuzuquan, but is its own art, with its own repertoire of patterns and push-hands exercises
      Master Chan likes to translate Ruyiquan as “your heart’s desire” and explains that “once you understand this art, you can do it any way you want”
      Chan See-meng recalls that Chee Kim Thong referred to Luohan Ruyiquan as the greatest art he had learned; a “treasure”

      Master Chee learned Luohan Ruyiquan from a Zen abbot in Xiamen, Fujian province. Otherwise the lineage of the art is unknown. I have not heard of other schools that practise that art, but hopefully someone does; perhaps it is known in some remote corner of China by a different name. Few of Master Chee’s students learned Luohan Ruyiquan; fewer still learned it well.

      Luohan Ruyiquan constitutes an advanced art in every way imaginable: low stances, difficult kicking manoeuvres, demanding breath control, simultaneous movements that are challenging to coordinate. If the sets of Wuzuquan are like strumming a guitar, Luohan Ruyiquan resembles intricate finger-picking. In places the art is graceful like Tajiquan, although a key difference is that it also contains explosive power (fajin) which is not in the 108-move Taiji set.
      羅漢如意拳 Very little information on the art of Luohan Ruyiquan is available to the interested gongfu student. A few introductory comments: It is named after the Buddhist immortals, the Luohan, who are…



      “Luohan Ru Yi Quan Xin Fa" by Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong:

      “The Chan Sect of Buddhist belief started with Dazun, and there are many Buddhist disciples that emphasize the study of the Way of the Mind. But few are those who know of the relationship between the Shaolin School of Wushu and Buddhist Xin Fa.

      Shaolin Boxing has been passed down from the monks of the Shaolin Temple. But those that put the Way of the Mind first are few. Because this boxing art is very difficult to understand and hard to train, students often feel at a loss and unable to make progress and give up half way.

      The highest state of Buddhist Xin Fa is the communication of good feelings -- now does the art of boxing have these type of demands? Yes! But few are those who can teach and those who have an opportunity to really learn are even fewer, because those who learn this boxing skill need great intelligence and have to fully understand its nature before they can achieve it. When Master and student train this type of boxing no sound is uttered, training is done with arms in contact, with corresponding internal qi, and as the breathing becomes refined, the more you practise the more well built it becomes, and the more relaxed one becomes.

      By way of training 'qi' and 'yi' into 'gong' at the same time one should pay even more attention to the cultivation of kind feelings. All that the Shifu can explain and express are just a few guides to the Way. What is inside the student can only be known by him. So how to succeed? Just like when a person drinks water, only he knows how hot or cold it is.

      This set altogether has 108 different hand techniques not including repeated hand movements, to train once you need 45 minutes. You should practise 3 times a day, in three time divisions, mornings, afternoons, and evenings. This will be extremely good for your health. This will push your ability to use it, your Spirit and magnificent vigour to new heights.

      This Set includes the Dazun 9 Yang Gong, Wuji Gong, Tai Ji Gong, and Wuxing. Only the Dazun Jiu Yang Gong can make the internal qi pass step by step through the liver, spleen and lungs to inside the body and travel bit by bit to all the organs. No need to mention its use as a martial art, just this small section is enough to be effective in changing the tendons.

      Newcomers to this style may find, within 3 months, that they have small problems. If small sores appear on the hand, sores will appear by the side of the buttocks. Otherwise you might get upset stomach and emissions will be malodorous and black. This is the qi working inside, sweeping out what is unclean from the internal organs. Sometimes it will seem as if you have a fever, or a cold, but if you see the doctor and take his medicine there will be no effect, but your spirit will not necessarily be lacking in vitality. This is the result of the true qi surging through the body. This is what is different about internal gong boxing.

      Soft boxing is not necessarily internal gong boxing and hard boxing is not necessarily external gong boxing. Actually, the difference between internal and external gong boxing is whether, when someone is practicing a certain Form, that Form can make the internal qi flow inside and make the internal organs healthy. And afterwards be able to use the Mind to make the qi move, and cause the qi to become an air balloon to protect the body and transform the qi to jing that can be expressed by both hand and foot, and create outstanding internal jing.

      This style looks for stillness in the midst of movement, using the method of movement to train quiet gong. The hand methods are very complicated and hard to remember, the demands of the movements and intentions are very fine. Even more, the student must practise the hand techniques to an extremely natural and skillful level. Having reached a really deep understanding, you must ignore the hand and foot techniques. Pay then close attention to the aspects of breathing. Afterwards even the aspect of breathing one can forget, having oneself empty. There is nothing there and also nothing that is not there - boxing without Mind and Mind without boxing".
      Qi China International Academy of Teaching Excellence. Qi China is recognised as one of the world's leading authorities on the ancient and traditional art of Wujiquan,[mother art of Taijiquan], Wuzuquan (Southern Shaolin Five Ancestor system), Luohan Ru Yi Quan, and other authentic traditional Northern and Southern Shaolin boxing systems. Qi China International is a UK-based traditional Chinese martial and therapeutic arts teaching organisation and provides classes, seminars, courses and CPD to all interested in learning those arts.



      Here are some excerpts from Luohan Ruyiuan, performed by my Sifu, Chan See-meng, and the late disciple Yap Cheng Hai (d. 2014).

      The video only amounts to two minutes from a very long exercise. As introduction to this art, I call attention to the amount of variety it contains: the young Chan performs a yogic spine-stretching exercise soon after leaping up to kick twice in the air. There are soft movements comparable to Taijiquan here, but later on we see Yap demonstrate the fast strikes and complicated footwork.

      Pity the cameraman: there are many changes of direction.

      I might have chosen other sections that would show the art in a different light entirely: sharp, ugly movements that train explosive power, or still, meditative parts.
      Here are some excerpts from Luohan Ruyiuan, performed by my Sifu, Chan See-meng, and the late disciple Yap Cheng Hai (d. 2014). The video only amounts to two minutes from a very long exercise. As i…



      Ye Neo’s wise council was fulfilled soon after through Master Chee’s introduction to Great Grandmaster Yong Yuek (Yang Yue). Master Yong, a friend of his own grandfather, was destined to take Master Chee’s Gong Fu development to a new level, through teaching him amongst many arts, Wu Mei Style Gong Fu (a powerful, deadly Art developed by a famous nun of the Shaolin Temple).

      Great Grandmaster Yong Yuek (Yong Yue) was also a Master of the Wuxing Zhang (‘Five Element’) System, and introduced its arts and techniques to his young pupil, who avidly absorbed their form, philosophy, and applications.

      Great Grandmaster Yong was a man possessed of exceptional Gong Fu abilities, one of which gave rise to the pseudonym, ‘Spider Man,’ a name derived from the exceptional skills he possessed in the art of wall climbing.

      Perhaps, even rising above the importance of the special/secret arts he taught Master Chee, must be the spiritual significance of the virtue of Patience/Tolerance that he personified so deeply and extolled to his humble yet gifted student.

      Grandmaster Chee was the pupil of this remarkable man for fully three years.
      Alan is a Master of Traditional Chinese Fighting Arts, and Inner Chamber Disciple of the Legendary Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong, Shaolin, China. He has acquired a deep knowledge of the many ancient and traditional arts and is considered to be one of the most accomplished exponents of these arts and their applications.



      After Chee Kim Thong studied Wuzuquan, he learned Wuxingzhang, Five Elements Palm.

      The master, Yong Yuek, was an acquaintance of Master Chee’s grandmother. Yong agreed to teach Chee, who was keen to continue his studies when his teacher Lim Hian left Fujian.

      Wuxingzhang is attributed to the Shaolin Abbess Wu Mei, legendarily associated with the Five Elders who escaped one of the (several) occasions of Shaolin temple’s incineration, and gongfu figures such as White Eyebrow and Fong Sai Yuk.

      Patterns in the art correspond to the Five Elements, which are expressed in Wuxingzhang as Thunder, Lightning, Wind, Rain and Mist.

      Chee Kim Thong was lucky that both Yong’s Wuxingzhang and the Wuzuquan lineage he learned previously were White Crane arts. The disciplines are interrelated: there are similar stances, Crane hand formations, and combinations of hard and soft strength.

      Why learn both? The expression of power in Wuxingzhang differs from Wuzuquan. Wuxingzhang requires challenging coordination of shifting stances and whipping hand motions. It is difficult to practise but offers an extra level of refinement to gongfu.
      五行掌 After Chee Kim Thong studied Wuzuquan, he learned Wuxingzhang, Five Elements Palm. The master, Yong Yuek, was an acquaintance of Master Chee’s grandmother. Yong agreed to teach Chee, who …



      Here is some footage of Chee Kim Thong performing a pattern from Wuxingzhang. This set is called Safengzhang, “Killing Wind Palm.” The footage was recorded in 2000, when Master Chee was 82 years old.

      After Master Chee performs the pattern, he and Master Chan discuss it in detail, testing the techniques and refining the nuances. This kind of study in close quarters is what it means to be a gongfu initiate, and it is how Master Chan teaches the art in turn.

      The footage was recorded at Chee Kim Thong’s clinic in Kuala Lumpur, with Tan Keng Leck as cameraman.
      Here is some footage of Chee Kim Thong performing a pattern from Wuxingzhang. This set is called Safengzhang, “Killing Wind Palm.” The footage was recorded in 2000, when Master Chee was…



      Here is another video of Chee Kim Thong demonstrating Wuxingzhang, “Five Elements Palm.” Practitioners of other martial arts might be struck by how short the patterns are in this art. Of course, this is very efficient: just a few important techniques in a routine that takes less than one minute.

      Those who have watched the other videos, with performances at similar occasions, will be getting a sense of just how active the organisation was in its heyday, the Chee Kim Thong Pugilistic and Health Society. Now, sadly, the clubhouse is more like a museum.
      Here is another video of Chee Kim Thong demonstrating Wuxingzhang, “Five Elements Palm.” Practitioners of other martial arts might be struck by how short the patterns are in this art. O…



      It may be of interest to some that one of Sitaigung's disciples has written a book about Wujiquan.

      Here is a video on Wujiquan perpormed by Sitaigung: https://vimeo.com/165413207


      The primary meditative exercise in Chee Kim Thong’s arts – or what Master Chan calls “contemplation leading into meditation” – is the Shaolin Diamond Mudras. This is a set of positions, each of which combines breath control with visualisation (e.g. of energy or air moving through the body).
      The primary meditative exercise in Chee Kim Thong’s arts is the Shaolin Diamond Mudras.



      One of the difficulties in researching Chee Kim Thong’s life and arts is that stories circulate among his students that are demonstrably false. A good example relates to Luohan Ruyiquan.

      Some of Master Chee’s students refer to Luohan Ruyiquan as “Elderly Set.” One student offered the fascinating and mysterious explanation that Luohan Ruyiquan is intended to invigorate an elderly practitioner for combat. Another declared that the art requires the maturity of an older practitioner to grasp.

      In fact Luohan Ruyiquan became known as “Elderly Set” because Chee Kim Thong first revealed it in Kuala Lumpur to two old businessmen, “a Mr Ng and a Mr Chong.” These Taijiquan experts approached Master Chee in the 1960s seeking an art to help their health.

      “Each had several wives,” Master Chan told me. “They asked Mr Chee for something for health, so they could service all these wives.”

      Master Chee taught Luohan Ruyiquan to Chan See-meng at this time. In turn Master Chan imparted Luohan Ruyiquan to the businessmen under Chee Kim Thong’s supervision (because very few were entitled to learn directly from Master Chee).

      Students in Chee Kim Thong’s organisation referred to Luohan Ruyiquan as “Elderly Set” because they hadn’t seen it before and didn’t know its name. When the businessmen completed their course of study, rumours persisted about a secretive “Elderly Set” that Master Chee would not teach his students.

      Many years later Master Chee began to teach Luohan Ruyiquan in-depth to Chan See-meng and Yap Cheng Hai. Subsequently some of the instructors and students learned the art from these initiates. But students – who saw, or half-learned, or preferred fanciful myths over reality – forgot why the art was called “Elderly Set.” They plugged the gaps in their knowledge with speculation, and to some the conjecture was accepted as fact.
      One of the difficulties in researching Chee Kim Thong’s life and arts is that stories circulate among his students that are demonstrably false. A good example relates to Luohan Ruyiquan. Some…



      What are the secrets of martial arts? Beginners tend to imagine elaborate, advanced patterns, or speculate on the existence of mysterious breathing-techniques that the master does not teach openly. The truth is less fanciful.

      The real “secrets” of martial arts are the details. Advanced training does not necessarily require a student to learn new patterns. Instead, the practitioner can attain greater skill by studying the refinements possible within the movements that he or she already knows. The secrets lie waiting to be discovered inside the basic techniques. With comprehension, a basic technique becomes an advanced technique. Conversely, if the student has not learned the art’s subtleties, a complex pattern becomes basic.

      Chee Kim Thong’s primary arts were the White Crane lineage of Wuzuquan, Wuxingzhang, and Luohan Ruyiquan. Members of his organisation took classes in Wuzuquan, but few studied Wuxingzhang, and fewer still learned Luohan Ruyiquan. For this reason, Luohan Ruyiquan gained a mysterious reputation. But Master Chee did not intend Luohan Ruyiquan to be a secret; it is simply a waste of time to attempt this art without a certain foundational knowledge, because it is difficult. The difficulty lies in details, and the details of Luohan Ruyiquan are even subtler than in Wuzuquan.

      In 1960, Chee Kim Thong selected five men to become his initiated disciples. Many club members followed, who learned the same exercises, but the special practice for the five disciples could be summarised as “detail.” We who study under Chan See-meng must practise with the same attention to minutiae.

      The positions in martial arts need to be precise, and the techniques must express the principles of movement. The student must not only learn the correct breath control, but also create a true connection between breath and motion. We need to understand why the technique is a certain way, and therefore how it works. In Wuzuquan we analyse movement first with the basic theory of yin-yang, and next with the more complex Eight Essences of White Crane. The Five Elements is an even more sophisticated level of theory. Therefore our comprehension of the same movements becomes deeper in stages. All these ideas must be manifested in the practitioner’s movements. A student who does not express the Eight Essences is not practising White Crane; he is simply waving his hands around.

      To learn the finer points of martial arts requires patience both from the student and the instructor. The student may long for more ornate and attractive movements. The master must allow time for the student’s skill to develop. The important ideas must be tested again and again in different kinds of partner work, from push-hands exercises to more direct combat applications. The student needs to pay close attention and practise regularly. The master must be willing to share the principles, or they do remain “secrets.”

      There is a risk that traditional martial-arts will become lost in the modern world. Yet martial arts practitioners have always had other duties in life; there have always been distractions. In fact, this is a good time to spread martial arts. Modern education methods ensure that people are conditioned to study systematically. Technology makes a vast amount of information available on martial arts, although it is not always reliable information. It is possible to travel across the world quite quickly, bringing interested parties together. The conditions of learning martial arts have always been in flux, but the important details of the arts remain the same. Don’t let these become secrets.


      A very lucid closure. Hopefully you have enjoyed reading all of the accounts and seeing those rare videos. Note that some of the details of different accounts are not in complete synchrony, but that is hardly surprising.

      Curiously enough, none of the accounts give any indication that Sitaigung had learned the art of Cotton Palm.

      With sincere respect,
      Olli

      Comment


      • #4
        Videos of Sitaigung Chee

        Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong, traditional Shaolin Fighting Monk [of early 20th Century period] providing an invocation to his Southern Shaolin Five Ancestor lineage. The video clip shows footage of a traditional form used for such invocation purposes, which enabled him to request and receive the spiritual power and Qi to assist him with his teaching of disciples and students. It should be understood that although his lineage teachers had passed on when he was still a young man, the highest level of Shaolin [and Daoist] gong fu is Spiritual. Lineage masters and grand-ancestors who had passed on centuries before being able to spiritually / intuitively continue to teach lineage guardians and inheritors, such as Master Chee, who were pure of heart and maintained the Arts in their true and unaltered forms. This custom was an important distinctive dimension of traditional Shaolin gong fu lineages until recent times. Please note that the invocatory form involved entering each of the four compass points, and returning to the Fifth [Earth / Centre]. In Chinese cosmology there are five, not four, cardinal directions. Presenting this rare and special [lineage spirit invocation] occasion, Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong’s Inner Chamber Disciple, Shifu Alan Tinnion, was personally present: the watch Master Chee is wearing was a personal gift to him from Alan.
        Qi China International Academy of Teaching Excellence. Qi China is recognised as one of the world's leading authorities on the ancient and traditional art of Wujiquan,[mother art of Taijiquan], Wuzuquan (Southern Shaolin Five Ancestor system), Luohan Ru Yi Quan, and other authentic traditional Northern and Southern Shaolin boxing systems. Qi China International is a UK-based traditional Chinese martial and therapeutic arts teaching organisation and provides classes, seminars, courses and CPD to all interested in learning those arts.



        Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong's 80th birthday demonstration, which provided an illustration of Master Chee's exceptional intrinsic energy [qi].
        Qi China International Academy of Teaching Excellence. Qi China is recognised as one of the world's leading authorities on the ancient and traditional art of Wujiquan,[mother art of Taijiquan], Wuzuquan (Southern Shaolin Five Ancestor system), Luohan Ru Yi Quan, and other authentic traditional Northern and Southern Shaolin boxing systems. Qi China International is a UK-based traditional Chinese martial and therapeutic arts teaching organisation and provides classes, seminars, courses and CPD to all interested in learning those arts.



        Qi China International Academy of Teaching Excellence. Qi China is recognised as one of the world's leading authorities on the ancient and traditional art of Wujiquan,[mother art of Taijiquan], Wuzuquan (Southern Shaolin Five Ancestor system), Luohan Ru Yi Quan, and other authentic traditional Northern and Southern Shaolin boxing systems. Qi China International is a UK-based traditional Chinese martial and therapeutic arts teaching organisation and provides classes, seminars, courses and CPD to all interested in learning those arts.


        Chee Kim Thong - This video and more at Robert Bannon's website: http://www.ucd.ie/shaolin/


        This form was performed by Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong during Master Graham's Disciple Ceremony in the upper chamber in Malaysia



        This is the Sanzhan pattern from the White Crane lineage of Wuzuquan, demonstrated by Chee Kim Thong.

        Sanzhan is the first set we learn. All the patterns in Wuzuquan use the same opening sequence: this lasts as long as the practitioner is in mabu, the horse-riding stance, with feet parallel.

        The main section of Sanzhan trains the Four Basic Essences: Swallow, Vomit, Float, Sink (tun, tu, phu, zhan). These are the building blocks of receiving and exerting power in our art. Think about the words “Swallow” and “Vomit” – they tell you that the power has to come from inside. This requires use of the breath and waist.

        How do we achieve this strength? “Sanzhan” means “Three Wars.” This refers to the regulation and unity of mind, breath, and action. It’s not easy to combine all these ideas: the big movements, such as explosive breath, and whipping out the hands by turning the waist, occur simultaneously with subtle wrist movements. And whenever we students think we are getting anywhere, we’re told there are further refinements – our efforts remain entry-level compared to Master Chee’s.
        This is the Sanzhan pattern from the White Crane lineage of Wuzuquan, demonstrated by Chee Kim Thong. Sanzhan is the first set we learn. All the patterns in Wuzuquan use the same opening sequence: …



        Pictures of Sitaigung Chee





        shaolin kung fu,martial arts kung fu,discount centre,store,kung fu masters,images,products,goods,services



        That is all I managed to compile. Please enjoy!

        With sincere respect,
        Olli

        Comment


        • #5
          Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family and visitors,

          A few minor additions and commentary.


          Kaishanquan, “Opening the Mountain,” is a pattern from Northern Shaolin (as distinct from Shaolin-related arts that developed in the south of China).

          Chee Kim Thong learned this art when he was a boy. The master, Toh Yit Choon, was at one time a bodyguard to the nationalist leader Sun Yat-sen.

          Opening the Mountain for the camera, a young Chan See-meng.
          Kaishanquan, “Opening the Mountain,” is a pattern from Northern Shaolin (as distinct from Shaolin-related arts that developed in the south of China). Chee Kim Thong learned this art whe…



          Here is a kind of secret weapon in the Chee Kim Thong lineage: Mother and Child practice. Other arts may do this, but I haven’t seen them yet. Here’s some old footage from an occasion in the 1960s when Master Chee and his disciples taught at Montfort Boys’ Home, a local orphanage.
          What does a mother do? She nourishes her child, leads by example, and corrects errors. This is what happens in the Mother and Child practice. The Child – the student – performs a pattern. Here, a young Chan See-meng performs our San Zhan. Chee Kim Thong, the master, performs the role of Mother.

          Although the Child’s effort is strenuous, this is not simply resistance work. The Mother’s role is skilled. The Child learns to apply the techniques, but the Mother guides the Child to apply them properly. For that reason, it would be pointless for a less advanced person to perform the role of Mother. It would be like letting your friend, who has a casual interest in mechanics, play around with the engine of your Ferrari.

          Done right, this practice offers a whole new dimension of development than just doing the patterns alone.
          Here is a kind of secret weapon in the Chee Kim Thong lineage: Mother and Child practice. Other arts may do this, but I haven’t seen them yet. Here’s some old footage from an occasion i…



          Last week I discussed relations between separate martial-arts groups, and how it’s not unthinkable that they should get along. To follow that, I’ll consider why internal politics cause difficulties within particular martial-arts clubs so often. For example, one UK-based gongfu group appears to have fractured into seven or more different organisations (the trail gets muddy as it becomes difficult to identify which is an offshoot of which). Didn’t these people have a duty to co-operate when they studied under the same master?
          Some reasons for the difficulties:
          • Greed: a wish to strike out and be at the top of the monetary food-chain as the head of one’s own school. Perhaps it’s not loyal, but I suppose the logic is reasonable – if the person has the gongfu to back it up
          • Arguments with the master: sometimes masters (and students) are difficult to get along with. There are instructors who suddenly fall out with their masters even after years of obedience
          • Succession disputes: here’s where it gets really hairy. Who succeeds the master as head of school? The master needs to make this very clear to prevent arguments. In the case of Chee Kim Thong’s school, the master died in 2001, two weeks before a planned succession ceremony of his gongfu lineage. Therefore, the formal announcement of the next head of school didn’t take place. Cloak-and-dagger intrigues followed: stolen documents, threats, deception, pretenders to the throne. As part of the research for the book I’m writing, I’ve retrieved some of the relevant documents and interviewed members of the group. It’s spicy stuff, but also saddening in its way

          You’ll notice that none of these reasons relates to the art itself! I suppose it’s possible that a club might split because two instructors interpret their art differently, but I’ve never heard of it happening. Perhaps the reasons I list could be called petty, but I think they are realities of human relationships. It’s obvious that asking followers to take a moral high-line (which many clubs do in their rules) can be ineffective.
          Divided we fall? In any context you could argue that certain people are better off apart. I continue to wonder whether martial arts clubs, fundamentally, can work: teach members to a high standard; remain afloat financially; and stay intact as a collective of people. I’m not convinced.
          Last week I discussed relations between separate martial-arts groups, and how it’s not unthinkable that they should get along. To follow that, I’ll consider why internal politics cause …



          EDIT: I would like to thank all the students of Sitaigung who have kindly spent considerable time and effort to preserve and document his teachings and life story.

          I have learned a lot while researching the history of Sitaigung.The Japanese occupation period impacted him deeply, but even in the face of violent hostily he showed compassion. He was a man of great character, gentle and caring, and went on to great lengths to faithfully transmit his unaltered Shaolin Arts to deserving students.

          Sitaigung left his mortal life in April 2001. It's sad to read that his school faced an ugly dispute because of his untimely death.

          After reading all this, I really understand how special event the forthcoming Essence of Shaolin will be. If the lucky participants are stoked for it, how much more will it mean for the Masters who now reside in heaven after dedicating their lives to the Shaolin Arts and their preservation?

          May Sitaigung's memory be eternal and his heritage never die. Glory to the Past Masters and their achievements!

          With sincere gratitude,
          Olli
          Last edited by understanding; 30 January 2017, 04:55 AM. Reason: Added thanks.

          Comment


          • #6
            Fantastic posts Olli!

            Thank you!

            Comment


            • #7
              Great collation and synopsis Olli

              While working in public hospitals in Kuala Lumpur 1994 to 1998 , i was renting an apartment nearby a branch of Sigung Chee Kim Thong's school but somehow never visited that kwoon but karma led me to meet Sifu in 1997 instead
              Damian Kissey
              Shaolin Wahnam Sabah , Malaysia .
              www.shaolinwahnamsabah.com

              Comment


              • #8
                Just came across these videos from two Wuzuquan masters of the Chee Kim Thong lineage.

                In this exclusive 2 part interview, Master Yap Boh Heong gives a detailed explanation of the unique fighting system known as 5 Ancestors Fist. Demonstrating ...


                In part 2 of this interview, Yap Boh Heong and Ben Shue give a detailed explanation and demonstration of the unique fighting system known as 5 Ancestors Fist...
                Shaolin Wahnam USA

                "Every morning you are born again. What you do today is the most important thing".

                Comment


                • #9
                  WOW thank you for all the information

                  Best wishes
                  Mark

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Good karma

                    Originally posted by Damian Kissey View Post
                    Great collation and synopsis Olli

                    ...but karma led me to meet Sifu in 1997 instead
                    You have a very good karma, dear Sihing Damian
                    .•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`°irene°´¯`•.¸¸. ´¯`•.

                    ---------------------------------------
                    “I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being.”
                    Hafiz

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Thank you for all your posts, Olli. I have read them with great interest. Yes, GRATITUDE is a word with capital letters
                      .•´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`°irene°´¯`•.¸¸. ´¯`•.

                      ---------------------------------------
                      “I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being.”
                      Hafiz

                      Comment

                      Working...
                      X