cool article on history of five elders and destruction of Fu

ChangWuJi · September 10, 2001

"Let us now take a journey back to the land of many mysterious legends, back to a time in the earth's history when the air was clean and the water pure, back to China's Fukien province of the 1640s. This is a time when the country was ruled by one man: the Emperor.

At this time in China's history the Emperor's throne was being occupied by Manchurian blood. The Manchurians were a tribe of nomadic peoples who before this time occupied lands north of China's territories. They eventually came down and took over the Ming dynasty, which was Chinese blood. This then put the Chinese people under foreign rule. Now, without having to go too deeply into Manchurian barbarism, we are able to see that this was not a very popular government with the Chinese people. So, you can see how this would give the political climate of the day a very tense atmosphere.

It was this climate which actually led to the destruction of the Fukien temple and the subsequent passing on of Chief Abbot Fung Doe Duk's art to the Doo's family. And it was the Doo's family who kept it pure and unchanged for well over 300 years. You see, they passed it on from father to son, and in Chinese philosophy it was considered a great disrespect not to carry on the family heirloom in it's purest form. A disrespect that would cost a son his life. So we can see the motivation involved that has passed to us the most pure form of Kung Fu left on the face of this planet.

This art comes to us from the 6th generation of the Doo's family line, the present Grandmaster Doo Wai. He is the last of the Doo's line to be trained in the old tradition to date. He possesses the art's knowledge in it's entirety. In other words, it is exactly the same movements that Fung Doe Duk gave to the grandfather in the 1600s. This is the first time in history that an art form so rare as to be held by no less than the Chief Abbot of the Fukien temple, Fung Doe Duk, has been passed to the western world.

This is the same art of Kung Fu as it was practiced in ancient times. An art of survival, if you will, it is the very art that kept Fung Doe Duk alive through the jungles of China. This art consists of not only martial knowledge but also herbal knowledge, healing knowledge, pressure point knowledge, the knowledge of "Dim Mak", literary knowledge, strategic knowledge, medical knowledge, mathematical knowledge, calligraphy knowledge, philosophical knowledge, meditative knowledge, knowledge of natural forces, chi knowledge, etc. In other words, it is the knowledge that actually kept human beings alive and healthy since the beginning of recorded history and who knows how far beyond that.

I would also remind you that this knowledge or art passed on by Fung Doe Duk is rooted in what is considered the root of all martial arts on the planet today. I would also remind you that, unfortunately, during the reign of Mao Tse Tung, the birthplace of the source of martial arts, namely China, wiped out all forms of martial knowledge, with the exception of Tai Chi. Mao ordered all monks machine-gunned as undesirables and placed a capitol offense (punishable by death) against practicing any form of Kung Fu. By the way, Mao himself was a very good martial artist and therefore, understandably afraid.

As you can see, to be able to even witness true Kung Fu in these days is a blessing. But to have the rarest and purist of all forms of martial arts not only survive but be available to us now has got to be an act of God. The world can only benefit from an art. There are principles and concepts that will change the way we think about ourselves and the planet which we are a part of, not to mention the personal confidence instilled in each and every practitioner. Contained within this system are many stories of tremendous historical value of exactly what did happen and the motives behind it. I am going to impart to you now one of these stories. This particular story I regard as pure fact. It was passed to me directly from the Grandmaster. This story was passed directly from the mouth of Fung Doe Duk himself, and should be regarded as pure fact of a historical nature. So, for the first time ever, here is the story of the only pure art left on the planet. The story of the root of the knowledge which will undoubtedly have beneficial effects on our future. The art that will actually pass whole into 21st century. An art of old, BAK FU PAI or White Tiger System.

It was during the Ming dynasty period. At a time when the Manchurians were gaining strength and power in the Peking area of China. A time when the Europeans were trading heavily in the coastal area of southern China. This was a time of change in the old Empire, a time of radical ideas. These ideas, not only stemming from European influence but also from the influence of the Manchurians. At this time there was born to the Fung family a son. This son was destined to be one of the greatest men to ever walk the earth. The boy's name was Fung Doe Duk.

Fung Doe Duk was born into the family of warrior generals. He was in line, as were his forefathers, to become one of the Ming's prized generals. As was the custom of the time, all families privileged enough to serve directly under the Emperor were obligated to bring their sons and daughters up in the way of their particular profession. Hence the loyalty of the Emperor's army. As a result of this custom, the young Fung Doe Duk was sent to the Fukien temple to begin his training in the ways of martial arts. It is at this time that the story really begins.

It was at the temple that he met and befriended two of his classmates, Mew Hing and Jee Shin Shim Shee. It was these three, along with the infamous Bak Mei and nun Ng Mui, that would eventually start the spark that finally overthrew the Manchurians in the 1911 revolution. Their destiny was to become the five elders who escaped the destruction of the Fukien temple. These are the same five who are written about to this day in our history books. It is from their systems that the Chinese martial arts have passed through to us today.

It was in the Fukien temple that these four young generals-to-be were to be trained in the traditional methods of the ancient fighting arts. These four, Fung Doe Duk, Mew Hing, Jee Shin Shim Shee and Bak Mei were placed under the direct tutelage of one of the highest ranking chief monks. This chief monk was later to become the chief abbot of the Fukien temple itself, which, as we will see, was very fortunate for these four.

Now we, in this modern time, can only guess what life in the Fukien temple was like. Our only clue might be the Kung Fu series on television with David Carradine as Quai Chang Kane. But that in no way could explain the rigors and hardship of training to be the ultimate warriors on the face of the planet at that time. As for the nun Ng Mui, I have no background on her for this time period. Rather than speculate, I chose to stick with the facts which means not mentioning her in this time frame. I did this so as to keep this story as factual as possible.

After these four young monks initial training, they were sent back to their respective families to serve as the highest ranking of Ming Generals. Now, as you can imagine, going through over ten years of extremely hard training as brothers together would tend to build a strong camaraderie. As time went on, they had won many victorious campaigns in wars for their Emperor. This brought them great respect and honors from their Emperor.

The empire, governed from Peking, was beginning to wane in the early part of the 1600s. This was caused not only by the power struggles among the Chinese themselves, but also by the Manchurians treachery. You see, in the early half of the 1500s, the Manchus aligned themselves with the Chinese armies in order to procure safe northern borders. This won them not only entrance to the country, but also titles from the Chinese court. It was this they used as a springboard to gain access to power.

In the spring of 1674 things finally came to a climax. The Manchurian armies seized power in Peking and, as a result, the Ming Emperor stabbed himself ... and so began the Ching dynasty. This was the dynasty of foreigners which ruled China up to 1911. They had many anti-chinese feelings as well as policies. These were the people who made it mandatory for all Chinese to wear "pigtail" hair braids. They also carried on with the practice of binding women's feet. Under the Manchurian's rule, the Chinese people were treated very poorly. Their villages were looted, their women raped, and most of the young girls were taken from the villages. This was also a time of fear in the new government. This fear was caused by the Ming loyalists. This last factor is probably the most pervasive as far as this story goes.

After the collapse of the Ming government, Fung Doe Duk, Bak Mei, Mew Hing, and Jee Shin Shim Shee all fled back to the trusted Fukien temple from which they were rooted. It was there that they took on the life of Monkhood once again. This time, though, they had a hard driving force behind their return. They all swore a blood oath to overthrow the Manchus and reestablish the Ming dynasty as sovereign rulers once again. And all, with the exception of one, were willing to die for their cause.

Back at Fukien the five elders amassed and organized a following of almost a million strong. These were all willing to give their lives for their cause. These members all belonged to the "HEAVEN AND EARTH SOCIETY", otherwise known as the TRIAD. This society used the "Bot Gwa" as their symbolism and emblem. It was from the philosophy of this "Bot Gwa" (the explanation of the balance of heaven, earth and man) that the society took on their trade name TRIAD.

Once within the temple walls the four again came under the direction of their former teacher, now the chief abbot of the entire Fukien temple. As chief abbot he had over 2,800 monks and nuns under him. He was also very old at this time and as fate would have it, he did not live long enough to see the destruction of his temple and family. Before he passed on, he left the responsibility of the chief abbot of Fukien to his all time favored and most skilled student, Fung Doe Duk. Placed directly under Fung Doe Duk to serve in the capacity of the chief elders were Bak Mei, Mew Hing, Jee Shin Shim Shee, and the nun Ng Mui. So now as the highest ranking chief elders in the temple, the four, along with Ng Mui began to plot the overthrow of the Manchu government.

As warrior monks, highly skilled in the strategies of battle, they pooled all their resources and developed a plan that was sure to succeed, except for one detail. There was one among the very hierarchy that was to be a traitor; Bak Mei. Bak Mei, it seems, was influenced by a Manchu bribe. Being overwhelmed by the greed of power and position, the general monk paid his loyalties to the Manchus rather than to those he swore by. In doing so, he passed to the Manchurian Emperor, Kang Shi, information of the plot which would surely have overthrown the Emperor's regime. This information was from the very inner circle of Fukien, of which Bak Mei himself was part. Since Bak Mei had been trained in the Fukien Temple, which was known by all the other temples as being closest to the root source of their martial knowledge and as turning out the ultimate of all monks, he was no dummy. He suggested that the chief elders dig for themselves a tunnel, stretching several miles, with a hidden escape opening. This tunnel they also used for sewage. You see, Bak Mei had already planned his escape route in anticipation of what the Manchus would do with the information which he had supplied them. Actually, it was quite a good plan, except for one thing; he left the temple one time too often; this caused the others to view him as being suspect of some devious plot. They waited for an excuse to put Bak Mei at arms length. One evening they got that excuse. Before I tell you what that excuse was, let me tell you why they wanted one.

In their philosophy and law, it was forbidden to accuse one of your own of something without ample proof. Bak Mei, knowing this code as anyone else in his position would, was not about to let any of the other elders get proof of his treachery. But one evening he made a slight error. Bak Mei was part of the highly skilled elite group of the lamp lighting force. As part of his duty, he would jump up eleven feet into the air and strike flame to a lantern which served as a beacon to travelers. The method he would use to put fire to the lantern was merely to jump an incredible eleven feet into mid air and touch a small torch to the lantern's wick, all of this being done before he came back to the ground. As it happened on this one night, he dropped the lantern. The other elders saw this and seized the opportunity to expel him from the temple on the grounds that it was a bad omen. This they did without hesitation.

After being expelled, Bak Mei journeyed to the Imperial Palace. When he finally reached Peking, he requested an audience with the Manchurian Emperor. When Bak Mei told the Emperor of the plot to overthrow him by the Ming loyalist and of the vast number of followers that were against him, the Emperor wasted no time in sending armies down to Fukien. These armies were to totally devastate the Ming loyalist movement, which was led by Fung Doe Duk, Mew Hing, Jee Shin Shim Shee, Ng Mui and even the clever Bak Mei himself. Bak Mei had come back to the temple with the news of Manchu armies on the attack. It was this information that gained him entrance back into the temple under the pretense of leading the war. Bak Mei was quite a strategist! The other elders still had no proof of his treachery and did not convict him as of yet.

At the same time, he got back into the very temple which he had doomed for certain destruction...quite a plan! What was now in progress was the beginning of what would be an eight month bloody siege on the Fukien temple. A siege that, form the Manchurian point of view, was going to wipe out this Ming loyalist movement as well as leave no monk or nun alive from the temple at Fukien, the source of the uprising. A siege that would stop Fung Doe Duk and his colleagues once and for all. This was to also mark the end of the other Buddhist temples as well as the monks and nuns within them. For this brought about the slaughter of all temples by the Manchu, no Buddhists were safe. All were thought to be rebels by the Manchu government. When the Manchurians arrived with their vast armies, they were accompanied by Europeans. It was these European troops, led by General McCartney, which supplied the Manchus with not only cannons, but also firearms. Although the firearms were single shot cap and ball rifles, every soldier had one. The armies were ordered to leave none alive. For the next eight long, grueling months the temple at Fukien was being bombarded with cannon balls. At first the cannon had little effect on the walls of the temple. It was only after months of pounding on the walls of over ten feet thick that were they able to put a hole through it. It was after that the real fighting took place. The Manchus would storm the temple through the opening in the wall, but the minute they stepped inside the wall, they would just as quickly be decapitated. It went on like this for some time until the Ming loyalists had very much narrowed the Manchu's armies, slaughtering them with ease.

With the five elders leading the fight, Bak Mei included, the first TRIAD had almost claimed a victory, wiping out over 250,000 soldiers with their highly skilled band of less than 3,000. It was then that the European General McCartney decided to change the strategy, after looking at the blood soaked field with mangled body parts of those who lost their lives in the war on the Fukien temple. When he viewed through his telescope he saw the men and women smashed against the walls by cannon balls as well as the gruesome sight of nearly 90% of those men under him lying dead and mangled below on the crimson field he paused. In a bent of frustration from such an ugly sight, McCartney decided to burn them out. After eight long and grueling months of stench, decapitated bodies, corpses and bodies literally blown in half by cannon, the Manchus almost gave up. They could see that, although the temple was being destroyed, it was they that were suffering the brunt of the hideous casualties. So an order was given that every surrounding villager was to assist the Emperor in piling dry grass around the temple walls. This order was only accomplished through fear of decapitation because the villagers regarded the temple as a sacred place where God dwelt. The grass was then set ablaze. This turned the stone walled temple into one huge smoking bake oven.

It was on that tragic day that every monk and nun, with the exception of five, lost their lives. Inside the temple it was becoming an inferno. It was only at the very last minute that Fung Doe Duk realized that all was lost. He ran into the shrine hall and saved the over 2,000 years of herbal knowledge which was written on paper scrolls. Some of this knowledge was in the form of herbal formulas (You will see one of these later in the book). He then made his way to the tunnel which he and the other elders had dug. Along with Fung Doe Duk went Bak Mei as well as Mew Hing and Jee Shin Shim Shee. It was these four monks along with nun Ng Mui that escaped the Fukien temple with their lives.

As they made their way down the sewage tunnel and to the escape port, they were on the run for their very lives. They came out of the tunnel in the cover of the forest. As for the remains of the temple, it was looted for it's gold and other valuables by McCartney and his men. This was done directly after the massacre by fire, with the dead bodies still fresh. It wasn't until the Manchus found the tunnel that they realized what had happened. This fact gave the five elders enough of a head start to successfully avoid their pursuers.

In order for the five to be able to escape unnoticed, they had to travel through the dense as well as dangerous Chinese jungle on their way north. The jungles of that day, like those of today, were full of hazards. It would have been considered an impossible task to actually travel the jungles all the way to the Szechwan province, but that is the very route the five took. In order to avoid attracting attention to themselves, they dressed as beggars when they ventured into the small villages on the outskirts of the jungle. It was in their beggar's clothing that they were able to walk among peasants and spread their cause. Killing the monks and nuns that they considered their family, not only gave them undying perseverance but also fired the Ming cause. They were going to further their cause of overthrowing the Manchurian Emperor at any cost.

All along the way to Szechwan they were collecting loyalist followers to their cause. They would teach these villagers Kung Fu as well as instruct them in the ways of the TRIAD philosophy. Fung Doe Duk as well as the others were actually, at the time, reinventing their own systems. This was done so that the common people could progress in a much shorter period of time. Each of the five actually recreated their own styles or systems of martial arts. The five styles that were created were as follows: Fung Doe Duk created Bak Fu Pai (White Tiger System), Bak Mei created Bak Mei Pai (White Eyebrow System), Ng Mui created Plum Flower System, Mew Hing created the Eighteen Daoist Palms system, and Jee Shin Shim Shee created, or in this case revamped, the original Shaolin art, Northern Shaolin. In creating their own styles, they became the first Grandmasters in history. The word "Grandmaster", or "Jung Shee", actually translates as "the one and only master of a system". Up until that time, the word "grandmaster" was never heard of. It was these five elders that actually, for the first time, pioneered many "firsts" in the field of martial arts. They were the first to be known by the term grandmaster, they were the first to teach the temple arts outside of the temple, they were the first to organize the Chinese people themselves, and the first to thwart the Manchu government.

Another important factor which influenced Fung Doe Duk's Bak Fu Pai was the Daoist arts. As they traveled through the jungles whey would come across Daoist monks. These Daoist monks lived in the caves within the jungle, and stayed away from society on any level. Because of this the Manchus ignored them and they continued on as they always had. The Daoist's one objective was to blend in with the planet's harmonious oneness. They viewed the earth as one single living organism and that everything on this earth was merely a part of the whole. Their main goal was to be in perfect balance with the planet and therefore be in perfect balance with themselves. This is believed to produce longevity. These Daoist monks had their own form of martial arts as well as medications. The five elders saw these Daoist monks as a perfect method by which to escape the Manchu armies while at the same time furthering their cause. As a Daoist, each of them would be able to walk freely throughout the villages. So they took up the Daoist way. They actually became Daoist, not only in appearance, but also in philosophy and mannerisms. Another motivation for the quick conversion was the Manchurian soldiers. The soldiers would stop and question any and all monks. The soldiers were under orders to find and put to death all Buddhist monks. The Manchu soldiers would ask any Daoist monks questions on their way of life. These questions would be asked on random subjects of Daoism that only a true Daoist would know. If there was any hesitation in the reply to these questions, then the Manchus would regard the monk as a Buddhist impostor and immediately execute them. In order to survive the elders actually had to become as daoist as Daoist could be. This not only saved their lives, but also contributed greatly to their developed marital art styles.

When Fung Doe Duk and the others finally reached the Szechwan province in northern China, they headed for the O'Mei mountains. It was at the top of one of these mountains that their journey, for the time being, would stop. For at the top of the very highest of these mountains was a Daoist temple. In charge of this temple was the Daoist Chief Abbot Kwong Wai. Being the Chief Abbot meant that Kwong Wai held the ultimate knowledge of the Daoist art. As we will see, this turned out to be very fortunate for Fung Doe Duk and his Bak Fu Pai Kung Fu. Also in the province at that time there was living the Emperor's most prized family of Court Physicians throughout China's history. The elder of this family was given a palace and an army from the Manchu Emperor for his extraordinary services and abilities. The Emperor also gave this physician a special gold seal. The seal represented that the word of this physician was second only to that of the Emperor himself, and therefor as a bearer of that seal he represented supreme authority over all subjects. This physician's surname was Doo, and it would be physician Doo who would later save the live of Fung Doe Duk and Ng Mui, as well as their arts and knowledge from total destruction.

For now, though, let us take a look at what was taking place on the O'Mei mountain top after the arrival of Funk Doe Duk and the other four elders of Fukien. For the next four years the five elders from Fukien took the time to reorganize and perfect their respective styles. As for Fung Doe Duk himself, he was able to learn directly under Chief Abbot Kwong Wai. This was so only because they were both Chief Abbots and Kwong Wei decided to help him further their cause. Fung Doe Duk was able to absorb from Kwong Wei the ultimate of his Daoist art. This made Fung Doe Duk the only human being ever to hold the ultimate of the Buddhist knowledge as well as the ultimate of Kwong Wai's daoist knowledge. It was this wealth of these different forms of knowledge that was eventually incorporated into Funk Doe Duk's own Bak Fu Pai.

Fung Doe Duk had not forgotten the burning of his Fukien temple nor had he forgotten the reason why his brother monks and sister nuns were all slaughtered. He had also not forgotten Bak Mei and his conduct and actions in the time that led up to the horrible disaster. In the backs of their minds all of the elders knew what it was that caused the destruction of their temple in Fukien. The time had now come and it was decided to take action on behalf of all of those murdered. It was a unanimous decision to kill monk Bak Mei. The ordeal of their revenge took place outside of Kwong Wei's temple walls. It was here that all five of the elders assembled to kill one of their own. What then occurred was that Jee Shin Shim Shee, being one of the youngest, made an advance attack that was meant to kill Bak Mei. Here I must interject in order to tell you that it was said of Bak Mei that his body was completely impenetrable, including his eyes and groin. Bak Mei had trained his body to even withstand being stabbed by knives or swords, i.e. the blade would not enter his body. Consequently Jee Shin Shim Shee was killed. It was at that same moment that Mew Hing decided he would revenge all by taking Bak Mei's life. He too was killed. This left only the nun Ng Mui, Fung Doe Duk, and, of course, Bak Mei. Fung Doe Duk then realized that the responsibility of avenging the family fell on him. After watching Bak Mei kill his two understudies, he realized that there was only one weakness in Bak Mei's defense. It was that weakness that he set out to exploit and put an end to Bak Mei's earthly life. Bak Mei's defense could only be penetrated by hitting a certain point on his body at the proper time of day. When Fung Doe Duk saw Bak Mei kill Mew Hing and Jee Shin Shim Shee, he knew which moves Bak Mei favored. Within a few seconds, Fung Doe Duk was able to get inside Bak Mei's defense and strike the proper point. That was the end of Bak Mei.

As for the systems created by Mew Hing and Jee Shin Shim Shee, they had been absorbed by Fung Doe Duk at an earlier time. As for Bak Mei, only five of his original forms were left. As for the herbal and meditative parts of these three arts, only Bak Mei's was lost although there are small portions that were saved and they included the herbal formulae. The five Ming loyalists were now down to two, although the seeds planted in the TRIAD society were beginning to grow. The cause of overthrowing the Chings was still very much alive within the society and although it took over 250 years, the cause finally did come to a climax and was realized in the form of the 1911 revolution by Dr. Sun Yat-Sen and the Kuomingtang. Fung Doe Duk and Ng Mui continued to spark interest in the hearts of the Chinese people. Their TRIAD societies were now gaining strength which only caused the Ching Emperor to become more infuriated. This resulted in an even more thorough search of the Szechwan Province.

One day as Fung Doe Duk and Ng Mui were traveling back to the refuge of the O'Mei temple, they were spotted by the Manchu. It was then that the troops moved in quickly to surround the pair. As they closed in on them, the situation became very tense. The two Ming loyalists could see no way out. Just then another band of troops came over a hill. These troops were dressed the same but flying a different banner. Fung Doe Duk and Ng Mui could see no other alternative but to fight to the death. But when they saw the second band of troops coming down the hill, they broke through the encirclement of the first. Funk Doe Duk seemed somehow relieved. He could hardly believe what he was witnessing. What he saw was the second band of troops slashing and stabbing at the first. Fung Doe Duk and Ng Mui were surrounded again, but this time it was for their protection. The two were bewildered; imperial troops against imperial troop!

Just then a convoy came riding over to them. In the center, seated proudly on his horse, was a man wearing the Emperor's gold seal. The seal was recognized by all as symbolizing absolute authority. After seeing it, the general of the first army asked what was happening. The man on horse ordered the general to take his men and depart. The general had no choice but to comply with anyone carrying the Emperor's gold seal. Fung Doe Duk and Ng Mui were then led over to some horses and told to mount. they did and then rode off with the convoy. They rode for awhile until they came to a huge palace. they were then ordered to dismount and were led inside. Inside, seated on the throne, was this same man with the Emperor's seal. This man was none other than the Emperor's personal physician. He was known as Imperial Physician Doo. It was he that gave Fung Doe Duk and Ng Mui refuge inside his palace. When the Emperor finally heard of the conflict between his and Doo's troops, he demanded an explanation. He summoned the imperial physician to his palace. When confronted by the Emperor as to why he would take the lives of his troops, Doo replied that his troops had invaded the territory belonging to his jurisdiction and that the troops were only defending the right of his palace. He also reminded the Emperor that since it was he, the Emperor, who had granted him the palace and gave him the land as well as the seal by which to rule it, then he was well within his rights as decreed by the Emperor himself. As far as the renegade elders were concerned, they were never mentioned. The imperial physician was then able to return to his palace.

In gratitude of his being rescued and given refuge, Fung Doe Duk began to pass on all of his accumulated information to the Doo's family. He held nothing back. He gave them all of his forms, herbal formulae and information it it's purest and most complete form. This material covered not only the most ultimate system, Bak Fu Pai, but also the systems of Mew Hing, Jee Shin Shim Shee and what was left of Bak Mei's. Fung Doe Duk, being the ultimate of all martial artists in history, passed on the title of Grandmaster to the Doo's family. This was the first time in history that temple arts were revealed to non-temple personnel. You must also remember that Fung Doe Duk was not just an ordinary monk but the Chief Abbot. This meant that the Doo's family not only received the most pure knowledge but also the most complete. And, with their inbred understanding of medicine, they got a better understanding of it. It was with this information that the Doo's family rose to new heights within the imperial court. Their sons carried military honors as generals as well as physicians. What was actually taking place over the next few generations was a merging of the medical and martial skills the family had acquired. Through time these skills became one body of knowledge. This vast body of knowledge has been carried proudly through six generations of grandmasters all the way to the present day Grandmaster Doo Wai.

It is amazing to realize that this same information which we are practicing today is the same exact information that was practiced and implemented over three hundred years ago; quite an antique, I'd say. As for Fung Doe Duk, he lived out the remainder of his life on earth in refuge under the banner of the Doo's family. As to Ng Mui, I do not have adequate information, although it is known she had a student by the name of Yim Win Chun. It was Yim Win Chun who developed the Wing Chun system that was eventually passed to Yip Man. Yip Man eventually taught a young student by the name of Bruce Lee.

With all of the five founding elders either dead or in hiding, it was the society of TRIAD who now carried on the cause of overthrowing the Ching and restoring the Ming. The TRIAD grew in strength and power over the next two hundred years. Their main goal, which was to bring China out from under the foreign Manchurian rule, was not realized until the birth of a man by the name of Sun Yat-Sen. It was he, as an adult, who was actually able to bring the many branches of the society together. It was he who actually concentrated the power of the society which the five elders from Fukien had cultivated some 220 years earlier. It was the organization of the society which brought down the Ching dynasty and thus ended the foreign Manchurian rule. This fulfilled the cause of the five elders of Fukien, as well as the Chinese people themselves.

It was only after the overthrow of the Manchurian government that the TRIAD began to get corrupt. After the overthrow of the last Emperor, the Nationalists, led by Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, set up their own central government. This central government was never very strong and therefore the country was under the domination of the provincial warlords. It was these warlords who held the real power at that time. They kept this power until the Japanese invaded their country. It was these warlords who, living under the guise of the TRIAD, ran opium, prostitution and various other forms of corruption. It was because of this corruption and disunity among the warlords that the people were beginning to let the communist ideas, being pushed by Mao Tse Tung, gain a foothold. So the warlord governors used the network of the TRIAD to accumulate power and vast fortunes, and, in doing so, were no better to the people than the Manchus, who were so recently overthrown. As the society started by the five elders grew more and more corrupt, some of the members would form splinter groups, such as the Tong, who would deal in anything that would bring them economic power. It was this, more than anything else, which created such an infamous reputation, despite the five elders, for the TRIAD as a whole. After the devastation of the Japanese occupation was brought to a dead stop by the dropping of two atomic bombs, the country was again under Chinese rule.

At that time the communists, under Mao Tse Tung, and the Nationalists, under Chiang Kai Shek, were locked in a bitter struggle for control of the nation. As we know, it was Mao who finally won out, and in 1949 set up a stable central government. When this was done the China of old began to change. Mao saw to it that many of the old ways were put to death. One of these old ways was the practice of Kung Fu. Anyone who practiced any form of the art was immediately put to death. And as for any monks found about the countryside...they were machine-gunned to death on sight. It was at this time that any families of prominence in the martial arts were fleeing the mainland. Many escaped, many more were executed. One of the fortunate families to escape was the Doo family. Unfortunately for today's China, when the martial arts families left, they took with them the knowledge of thousands of years of study. That is why, to this day, the whole of China has no more authentic Kung Fu. All one would find in China today is the acrobatic Wu Shu.

Why would Mao Tse Tung annihilate the martial arts? I believe that he knew through first hand experience the devastating power one derives through the practice of the martial arts. So to insure his government against any kind of takeover, he eliminated the possibility by eliminating the martial arts. As for today, Grandmaster Doo Wai is the only direct descendent of martial arts from the time of the Manchu Emperors. He is also the only direct descendent of one of the five elders who escaped the destruction of the Fukien temple in 1673. All of these facts I have been fortunate enough to place before you boils down to only one thing. this system of Bak Fu Pai is not only the rarest but also the most historical system of knowledge of any kind left on the planet earth."

[ This Message was edited by: ChangWuJi on 2001-09-10 00:43 ]

[ This Message was edited by: ChangWuJi on 2001-09-10 07:14 ]

thaiboxerken · September 10, 2001

Interesting story. What I find very interesting is that the San Soo people claim that their Kung Fu is the most pure form of Kung Fu and encompasses all that the Bak Fu Pai claim also. History of San Soo dates back to "secret Shaolin kung fu" that wasn't taught anyone but priest for the longest time. I wonder how many other "Kung Fu" systems are the most pure and oldest. Hmmmmm

iamrushman · September 10, 2001

thank you for the time and effort you put into your research and to give us such a detailed acount of this history........i enjoyed reading your essay. it was quite informitive, interesting and colorful.

my only comment is..... i am sorry for the chinese's loss. however; thanks to china for the great gains for the western world.