Chee Kim Thong

Chee Kim Thong (Chinese: 徐金棟; pinyin: Xú Jīndòng; 1920-2001) was a Shaolin martial arts grandmaster.

Chee was born on 19 May 1920 in a village near Putian, Fujian, China. The son of You Yuan, a Fujianese merchant; Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong’s apprenticeship to Chinese martial arts began as a child. His natural ability, combined with a family tradition – his grandmother was a recognised master of Monkey Boxing (Hou Quan) -- of excelling in the martial arts, prepared him well for the winning of many titles in provincial tournaments (which took the form of traditional Lei Tai contests).

By the time he completed his studies under the former Abbot, the Second Sino-Japanese War had engulfed Fujian: due to his renown as an exceptional pugilist, Grandmaster Chee played an important part in fighting against the Japanese invaders, becoming the leader of the patriot guerrilla force known as The Big Knife Army. Eventually forced to flee mainland China, he took refuge in Malaysia and Singapore, where he was for a time a captive of the invasion forces; escaping however, he remained in hiding until the Japanese forces capitulated.

After the conflict, Grandmaster Chee Kim Thong deliberately concealed his identity and his martial arts background, instead becoming increasingly known in Malaysia for his work as a very successful healer and bone-setter: bone-setting was one of the medical skills that authentic traditional Chinese martial arts that masters of his generation possessed.

Grandmaster Chee's martial arts prowess was publicly revealed when, whilst working as a bus conductor, he defended the bus driver from a mob of angry villagers wielding parangs (a type of sword) whilst unarmed. His reputation soon spread until Mr Yap Cheng Hai of Singapore (who would become Grandmaster Chee's first disciple) travelled to meet him and implored him to resume his teaching of the martial arts.

When he eventually came out of his self-imposed retirement, he divided his time between his business, training others in the martial arts of his renowned lineage – including the recognised fact that he represented the most pure and direct Five Ancestors lineage – and extensive work as a nationally renowned doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, with surgeries in various locations across Malaysia.

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