GRANDMASTER CHEE KIM THONG

徐金棟⼤师与五祖拳的渊源

徐金棟⼤师于西历1920年3月7日出生在中国福建省的莆田县，年幼时即得习武启蒙良机。尤其是祖母的教诲，就是习武要达到最高境界，必须同时学医和修炼心灵。祖母许氏医術非常精湛，尤以针灸、儿科、骨科和内伤闻名，并且也精通少林寺崇奉的佛学和少林武術。她更擅长于⼀套家传的单⼑刀法。

徐⾦棟⼤师六岁时，开始以这种济世救人的方式学艺，经大约四年的时间，他已掌握了基本的少林武術。十岁时到厦门读书，并在闲暇时工作。他当时跟北派⼤师杜一川学艺。杜一川师⽗曾经一度是孙中⼭先⽣的一位保镖，他擅长轻功。三年后，徐⾦棟⼤师深得杜师⽗的武术精髓。⼗二岁那年，有⼀次徐金棟大师运用武術乾脆利落地制服一名恶霸时，恰被林贤师父目睹一切经过情形，并留下了很深刻的印象，遂建议传授武術予徐金棟⼤师，这项建议立即被接受。林贤师父是“南少林五祖拳”大师，功力深厚，可以运功以手托杯将杯中之茶烫温。
这也是徐金棟大师学习南少林五祖拳的由来。徐⾦棟大师学习三年后，武艺更为精进。林贤大师收山退隐后的两年中，他的师妹林一娘继续传授武艺予徐金棟大师，使他的五祖拳術更加炉火纯青。

后来徐金棟大师的父亲推荐他拜在自己好友杨约师父门下学艺。杨约师父为“五行掌”名家。当时他以 [没人能在五步内向他发拳] 而饮誉武林。他以 [三步登墙] 的特技身负盛名。徐金棟⼤师在杨约师父门下勤学了三年。

徐⾦棟大师此刻名传武林，为南普陀寺一禅高僧所悉，遂派遣⼀名⾼徒验证其所学。⼀禅高僧获知高徒之正面报告后，遂邀约徐⾦棟⼤师至其门下学艺。⼀禅⾼僧专长“少林罗汉如意拳”、“⽆极拳”及其它少林武術，并精通佛学及坐禅法。徐⾦棟大师拜在其门下三年，得益良多，除了武術，也进一步增长了他在佛学及坐禅法方面的修炼。

徐金棟⼤师天赋灵敏，加上后天勤奋学习多位名师传授之武術，遂使他⼗八岁那年即在厦门官办的武術比赛中赢得“中量级”冠军荣衔。过后，他还协助政府训练军队。但徐⾦棟大师谦恭自律，绝少提及他殊多的成就。
1938 年日军开始入侵并轰炸厦门，徐金棟大师于1944 年离开中国来到新加坡。1950 年定居于马来西亚丁加奴州的龙运并成家立业。不过，仍旧私下操练武術。龙运是弹丸小地，任何隐私都难免⾛漏，徐大师的高超武艺就在当地传开，远近知名。很幸运的是这个传闻最终被另一位毕生对武術求知若渴的奇杰之人叶清海先生得知。于是叶清海先生多番恳请，拳拳盛意，遂使徐大师同意复出。徐⼤师行医济人，有功于社会，于一九五年荣获丁加奴苏丹殿下封赐拿督头衔，荣获 Dato’Paduka Mahkota Terengganu (D.P.M.T)勋衔。

Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong (徐 栋)

Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong was born on the 7th of March 1920 in Pu Tian, Fujian Province. When he was young, he was trained in martial arts by his grandmother who was a skilled practitioner of Chinese Medicine, specialising in acupuncture, paediatrics, orthopaedics and internal injuries. She was also a practitioner of Shaolin Buddhism, kung fu and was the inheritor of the family’s broadsword technique. She instilled in Grandmaster Chee early on that in order to achieve the highest level of martial arts, he needed to excel in both Chinese medicine and mind cultivation.

At the age of 6, Grandmaster Chee began practising Chinese medicine and martial arts. In about four years, he was able to master the fundamentals of Shaolin kung fu. At the age of 10 he went to Xiamen to work part time training under the Northern Shaolin expert Master Tu Yi Chuan for 3 years. Master Tu Yi Chuan was the chief bodyguard of Dr. Sun Yat Sen and was also an expert in ‘qing gong’.

At the age of 12 Grandmaster Chee was discovered by Master Lin Xian (林贤) who was a Southern Shaolin Wu Chu Chuan expert. He witnessed a 12 year old Grandmaster Chee using his martial arts to control a fight with a bully. This left a deep impression on Master Lin who decided to teach Grandmaster Chee his own art. Master Lin Xian’s profound skills enabled him to hold a cup of tea in one hand and then use his internal energy to heat up the tea. After studying for a further 3 years Grandmaster Chee also perfected the skill.

When Grandmaster Lin returned home to the north, his martial arts sister Lin Yi Liang continued to teach and train Grandmaster Chee the soft techniques of Wu Chu Chuan that completed the entire Wu Chu Chuan system.

In the next 3 years Grandmaster Chee was trained by Great Grandmaster Yang Yue who was a good friend of his father. Great Grandmaster Yang was an expert in “Wu Xing Palm”. During that time, there was nobody who could throw a fist at him within 5 steps. He was also given the nick name “spiderman” because of his ability to climb up walls, which made Great Grandmaster Master Yang famous in the martial art world.

Grandmaster Chee’s martial arts fame spread throughout the martial arts circle, attracting the attention of the Abbot Yizan of the “Nan Pu Tuo” temple. Abbot Yizan sent his best disciple to test Grandmaster Chee in a match. The disciple verified the high skill of Grandmaster Chee, therefore the Abbot accepted the young Grandmaster Chee to learn “Shaolin Luohan Ruyi Fist”, “Wuji Fist” and many other Shaolin martial arts for the next 3 years.

Grandmaster Chee was naturally gifted in martial arts and under the guidance of many great masters became the “Middle Weight” martial arts champion in Xiamen at the age of 18. He was also requested to assist in training the army.

Despite the many achievements, Grandmaster Chee remained disciplined and humble.

When the Japanese invaded Xiamen in 1938, Grandmaster Chee left for Singapore in 1944. In 1950, he moved to Dungun, a small town in the State of Terengganu in the then Malaya (now known as Malaysia) to practise his Martial Art privately.
The prowess of Grandmaster Chee’s martial arts was soon known. Yap Cheng Hai, who heard of this news tried to convince Grandmaster Chee several times to come out of isolation to practise and teach his skills in medicine and kung fu. After many attempts, Grandmaster finally agreed to do so.

Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong’s skill in traditional medicine helped a lot of people who came to consult him. His skills were a benefit to society so much so that the Ruler or Sultan of the State of Terengganu awarded him the title of Dato Paduka Mahkota or M.P.M.T which carried the title of “Dato” in 1995. The title was in recognition of his services and Grandmaster Chee’s contribution to society. At that time in Malaysia, this honour was indeed rare.