In the News

Aging kung fu master's arts to be documented

• Publication Date：03/12/2010
• Source： Liberty Times

Videotaping of 84-year-old master Chen Bing-mao in action will be undertaken to preserve the renowned Qikan martial arts heritage of Xilo Township, Yunlin County.

Chen Bing-mao, of the Qinxue dojo, is one of the authorities on the Qikan style of martial arts, or wushu. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is a living dictionary in terms of his knowledge of martial arts. However, given Chen's age and his increasingly frail health, younger martial arts practitioners have decided to film Chen's wushu skills to prevent his unique styles from being lost.

Chen, who is referred to as Master Ah-mao, has been practicing martial arts for over 70 years. He is the oldest member of the Qinxue dojo as well as the most senior martial arts instructor at the facility.

A student of Master Chen Ji-you, Chen learned the basic boxing form at the age of eight, and crane-style boxing at 10. He is a master of all of the six main martial arts forms that Qikan is famous for: basic boxing, white crane, monkey boxing, tiger boxing, butterfly boxing and various weapons. Over the years, he even created a "pulling sugarcane boxing" style.

In earlier years, Chen had over 100 apprentices in Huwei Township. In recent years, however, no one in the area is interested enough in learning the Qikan martial arts to suffer through the long training period.

Chen said in the past, people learned martial arts to safeguard their village and protect their families. He used to carry 40- or 50-catty bags of rocks as he practiced boxing. It took him years to become expert in the martial arts.

He recalled vividly how during a flood in the area many years ago, he made his way across a four-meter wide channel to put a dislocated bamboo bridge back in position, saving a group of people trapped in the water. He had been “like a crane flying across a river channel,” he said.

Liao Ben-sheng, proprietor of the Qinxue dojo, said they might be unable to find a new generation to carry on the Qikan martial arts, adding that even Chen's own son is not interested in learning them. Liao said the various Qikan forms of martial arts could disappear after Chen passes on, leaving them only the forms as described in writing. If this is the case, Liao said, sooner or later the Qikan martial arts will die out.

While Chen still had the stamina to perform martial arts at the Xilo Bridge Festival last year, his health has deteriorated so much that he is unable to publicly demonstrate the various styles of boxing this year, Liao noted, adding that he has asked a professional videographer to film Chen in action to have a record of these martial arts forms for posterity.

(This article originally appeared in “The Liberty Times” March 11, 2010.)