The Venerable Chi Sin Sim Si is a legendary Chinese
martial artist
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
, said to have been one of the
Five Elders, survivors of the destruction of the
Shaolin Temple
Shaolin Monastery (少林寺 ''Shàolínsì''), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a renowned monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak of the So ...
by the
Qing Dynasty (16441912). He is linked to many
southern Chinese martial arts
Nanquan refers to a classification of Chinese martial arts that originated South China.
The southern styles of Chinese martial arts are characterized by emphasis on "short hitting" and specific arm movements, predominantly in southern styles ...
including the
five major family styles of
Hung
Hung may refer to:
People
* Hung (surname), various Chinese surnames
* Hùng king, a king of Vietnam
People with the given name Hung include:
* Hung Huynh, Vietnamese-American chef, winner of the third season of the television show ''Top Chef''
...
, Lau and
Choy gar, Lee gar and
Mok gar, Ng Ga Kuen/Ng Gar King and
Wing Chun.
History
Chi Sin is said to have originally been a resident monk of the Original Northern Song Shan Shaolin Temple in
Henan. He was a survivor of the destruction of a
Southern Shaolin Temple
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
situated in
Fujian.
Others say that Chi Sin and the other Five Elders escaped the burning of the temple at Quanzhou 泉州 in Fujian. They went their separate ways and Chi Sin built the second southern temple at Jiulian Shan 九連山 (Nine Lotus Mountain), also in Fujian. Chi Sin was a revolutionary who planned to overthrow the Qing Government. However two of the Five Elders,
Bak Mei and
Fung Dou Dak
Fung Dou Dak is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders, survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Temple by the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).
Some of the legends say that Pak Mei and Fung Dou Dak joined forces with the Qing army a ...
joined forces with the Qing army and destroyed the second southern Shaolin Temple with a huge army outnumbering the monks 10 to 1. Chi Sin, the Abbot of the temple, was killed by Pak Mei in a duel during the attack.
Chi Sin features prominently in "Legends of Southern Shaolin” 南少林傳奇 written by Chiew Sek (Cantonese) and published in 1993. All of the legendary figures of Southern Shaolin and more widely, southern Chinese martial arts ('Nanquan/Nam Kuen') 南拳 are in some way associated with the legendary figure of Chi Sin such as
Fong Sai-Yuk 方世玉,
Ng Mui, Luk Ah Choi陸阿采, Lei Jou Fan 李祖寬, Wu Wai Kin 胡惠乾 and Hung Hei Gun 洪熙官 to name a few. Chi Sin has been portrayed in many Chinese martial arts movies.
See also
*
Southern Shaolin Monastery
The Southern Shaolin Monastery or Nan-Shaolin () is the name of a Buddhist monastery whose existence and location are both disputed although associated ruins have been identified. By tradition, it is considered a source of Nanquan.
Establishment
T ...
*
Bak Mei
*
Fong Sai-Yuk
*
Ng Mui
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
Chi
Chi or CHI may refer to:
Greek
*Chi (letter), the Greek letter (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ);
Chinese
*Chi (length), ''Chi'' (length) (尺), a traditional unit of length, about ⅓ meter
*Chi (mythology) (螭), a dragon
*Chi (surname) (池, pin ...
Qing dynasty Buddhist monks
17th-century Buddhist monks
Chinese duellists
Chinese Wing Chun practitioners
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