Master Chow Tong 周桐
My Martial Arts Training Journey
Master Chow Tong 周桐
In 1952, I joined the Jingwu Athletic Association (精武体育会) at the age of 15 and first learned basic routines from Master Fang Jingquan (方景全) and Master Fang Youchang (方又昌) Later, Master Wei Yuanfeng (魏元峰) taught us advanced routines and sparring. In 1955, Master Wei Yuanfeng personally presided over the teacher training class, where I underwent strict training for a year.
I was awarded a certificate after passing the examination. At the same time, Jingwu had hired Master Wu Huinong (吴惠农) and Master Lu Yuangen (卢源根) from the Hong Kong Eagle Claw (鹰爪) school as teachers. Under these two masters, I learned Eagle Claw routines such as the Big Cotton Palm (大绵掌), Four-door Dadao (四门大刀) and 108 Sparring Techniques (一百零八对练), among others.
From 1957 to 1958 and 1959 to 1960, I was promoted to be Assistant Teacher for the martial arts department every 2 years. Although I was young, I was very active and was awarded two gold medals to commemorate my work. During my tenure, I also learned Southern lion dance from Master He Shun (何顺).
In 1960, Teacher Liu Fushan (刘福山) was hired to teach Peking Opera and the victory flag dance (耍大旗). My first performance was the Peking opera, "The Iron Rooster (铁公鸡)", at Victoria Theatre. All the martial arts scenes in the play used sparring routines from Jingwu. In the play, I sparred with Guan Runchang (关润昌) in two routines, Three-section Staff vs Spear (三节棍对枪) and Sword & Tonfa vs Spear (单刀拐对枪); I also sparred with Cai Jilong (蔡基隆) barehanded with 108 Sparring Techniques (一百零八) and Combined Techniques (合战), which were well received. Master Liu Fushan flexibly combined Peking drums with Chinese music and suona (唢呐), bringing new life to the Northern lion dance performance.
In 1996, I was assigned to Nanchang in Jiangxi Province, China to bring Jingwu, Shanghai martial artist Li Zihuai (李子怀) to Singapore to teach martial arts. At that time, I followed Master Li and learned the Killer Palm (杀手掌) and Silk Robe Sword (绨袍剑) routines, and some others.
Looking back on my years of practicing martial arts, I have an indissoluble bond with it. I carry a heavy burden upon my shoulders and cannot give it up, for traditional martial arts are recognized as an essential part of Chinese Culture. I love and cherish martial arts, and I wish to teach what I have learned in order to contribute and give back to society.
One evening, during the Chinese Lantern festival, I climbed the Jingwu Mountain in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The clubhouse of the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Jingwu Sports Association appeared in front of me. It was particularly beautiful and magnificent. I sincerely admired the outstanding contributions of the predecessors. Mr Ye Zhenhua (叶振华), the vice president of Jingwu, earnestly persuaded me to stay, and as such, I had the opportunity to pass down my martial arts so that it would not be lost.
In 2004, I was invited by Dr Chen Qili (陈琦礼) of Jingwu, Western Australia to give short-term courses in Jingwu, Western Australia twice. They were very well-recieved.
In 2005, Mr Li Yuwen (李育文), President of the British Jingwu Association, invited me to England for 4 months to teach various martial arts routines. In addition, American movie star, Raymond Park, the leading actor of "Star Wars", came to London all the way from the United States to learn from me, and he learned Drunken Eight Immortals (醉八仙), Ground Lying Single Sword ( 地躺单刀) Ground Lying Double Swords (地躺双刀) and Tiger Tail Three-section Staff (虎尾三节棍), among others.
In November 2006, Raymond Park came from the United States to Jingwu, Kuala Lumpur to learn martial arts from me. He learned the Crescent Moon Shovel (月牙铲), Throat-Locking Spear (锁喉枪), Nine-Section Whip (九节鞭) and Flying Dragon Fist (飞龙拳), among others. I really admire Raymond Park's enthusiasm for traditional martial arts.
To this day, there are still many enthusiasts of traditional Chinese martial arts in Europe and the United States. It will be worthwhile for us to venture further into these venues.
