LEGENDS OF SOUTHERN SHAOLIN -- OVERVIEW

Legends of Southern Shaolin

The modern Southern Shaolin Monastery, picture taken from Google

The following legends, which are based on historical facts, are translated from the book, “Legends from Southern Shaolin” 南少林傳奇, written by Chiew Sek (Cantonese Chinese) in 1993, which Grandmaster Wong bought more than 20 years ago in 1995.

There are some differences between the legends here and those that Grandmaster Wong heard from his father more than 70 years ago in the late 1940s from a Chinese magazine entitled “Legends from Kungfu Knights” 武俠小說王. In reproducing the legends here, Grandmaster Wong made some modifications according to what kungfu masters knew. Some Chinese terms are in figurative language, and their meanings are explained in parenthesis, thus adding to the fun and beauty of the language.

These legends happened after the first burning of the first southern Shaolin Monastery at the City of Quanzhou in Fujian Province, where our patriarch, the Venerable Jiang Nan, escaped. Little is known of the Venerable Jiang Nan because he ran out of China, thus missing the legends that many kungfu exponents were fond of, and passed the Shaolin arts to Sifu Yang Fatt Khuen, who then passed to Sifu Ho Fatt Nam. Grandmaster Wong learned from Sifu Ho Fatt Nam in the 1970s.

Another of our patriarch, the Venerable Chi Seen, also escaped from the first burning of the southern Shaolin Monastery at Quanzhou. He established a second southern Shaolin Monastery on Jiu Lian Shan, or the Nine-Lotus Mountain, also in Fujian Province. These legends, which were popular among many Chinese-reading public who were interested in kungfu, occurred after the first burning of the southern Shaolin Monastery at Quanzhou and before the second burning of the southern Shaolin Monastery on the Nine-Lotus Mountain by the Qing army led by Pak Mei.

The northern Shaolin Monastery at Henan was still intact. It was razed to the ground by warlords in 1927, and its burning had nothing to do with kungfu. Before that, an emperor of the Ming Dynasty, which preceded the Qing Dynasty, moved the imperial status of the Shaolin Monastery from Henan to Quanzhou.

These legends from Southern Shaolin were well known among kungfu exponents, especially old masters, of the 20th century. It is highly recommended that our Shaolin Wahnam family members also know of these legends.

Wong Kiew Kit,
8th January 2018, Sungai Petani

Fong Sai Yuk Fighting on Lei-Tai

  1. Lei-Tai, or Stage for Deadly Kungfu Combat
  2. Kungfu Masters were Courteous Even in Deadly Combat
  3. Life-Death Combat on Lei-Tai
  4. Lei-Tai Match between Looi Hoong and Li Foong San
  5. A Capable Challenger for the Tiger
  6. The Deadly Techniques of Yin-Yang Kicks
  7. If it was Not Rare, it must be Something Odd
  8. Fong Sai Yuk Broke Out from his Room
  9. Fong Sai Yuk Killing Tiger Looi
  10. A Lei-Tai Challenge from a Young Woman
  11. Excellent Kungfu in Combat
  12. Duel after Duel, When Will this End?
  13. The Invincible Ng Mui

Wu Wei Tien Fought Cloth-Making Workers

  1. The Notorious Kei Fong Chai, or Cloth-Making Workers
  2. A Heroic Deed
  3. The Lane of Wooden Men
  4. At West Zen Temple in Guangzhou
  5. Shaolin Staff against Cloth-Making Workers
  6. The Warrior Ngow Fa Kow of Wudang Kungfu
  7. Words to Beguile a Rough Warrior
  8. Lei-Tai to Settle Grudges
  9. Lei-Tai for Wu Wei Thien and Ngow Fa Kow
  10. Wu Wei Thien Used a Combat Sequence from Flower Set
  11. Different Reasons from Different Masters
  12. The Marvelous Flower Set

The Female Shaolin Master Li Chooi Peng

  1. Chee Seen Accepting Li Chooi Peng as a Shaolin Disciple
  2. Secrets Hidden in the Open
  3. The Finger Force of Eagle Claw
  4. The Training Method and Philosophy of Eagle Claw Chin-Na
  5. A Shaolin Nun in a Country-Side
  6. Application of Eagle Claw Kungfu
  7. Lion Dance on New Year Day
  8. Hidden Sorrow of a Wealthy Woman
  9. Using Eagle Claw to Kill a Cruel Robber

Winds of Righteousness and Bones of Chivalry

  1. The Shaolin Disciple Luk Ah Choy
  2. Luk Ah Choy Met Li Chooi Peng
  3. Luk Ah Choy Learned Shaolin Kungfu from Chee Seen
  4. The Advanced Teaching of the Venerable Chee Seen
  5. Graduating from the Lane of Wooden Men and Meeting a Secret Weapon Master
  6. Secret Weapons in Kungfu
  7. Moved by Filial Piety
  8. Striking Down a Local Chieftain
  9. Five-Animal Set of Shaolin
  10. Distracting with the Hands and Kicking with the Leg
  11. Southern Fists Northern Kicks
  12. To be Wise, Compassionate, Courageous and Trustworthy

Hoong Hei Khoon of Southern Shaolin

  1. Dim-Mark, or Dotting Energy Points
  2. Accepting a Gift with Laughter
  3. A Little Gift for Sung Chan
  4. I've Decided to Go to Gaungzhou
  5. The Birch Trees Outside West Zen Temple
  6. Hoong Hei Khoon and the Triple Stretch Set

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