8/7/2019 A special tribute to Grandmaster Wan Kean Chew PJK

1/3

A special tribute to Grandmaster Wan Kean Chew PJK, PKT

This is my personal tribute to a living legend, a Taoist

practitioner who lived and breathed taiji all his life. The

essence of taijiquan fills his being.

To many of us, including his disciples, he is affectionately and

respectfully known as simply Master Wan or Master.

Master in line with his principles of simplicity and being one

with nature, leads a very low profile in Penang, Malaysia. In

reflection, Master on his outing days position himself in the

outdoor grounds of Golden Sands Hotel, at Tanjung Bungah,Penang, giving taijiquan lessons to hotel guests. His prowess in

taijiquan has earned him the due recognition of the hotel

management to the extent of a long term engagement at the

hotel for promoting the wonderful Chinese art of taijiquan to

tourists who visit Malaysia.

In fact Master derived pleasure whenever challenges are

thrown to him, as he would then have the opportunity to verify

his taijiquan skills. Those who have been closely associated

with him would have confirmed without doubt that his skills

only got better and more refined with the passage of time.

It was at this venue that Master got to meet also boxing and

martial artists who came from across Thailand, enjoying a

short holiday after their championship bouts there. Master was

ever ready with pleasure to test his taijiquan skills with these

champion martial artists, some of who became goodacquaintances with Master.

In all their meetings Master never fail to prove how powerful

and effective taijiquan is in real life application. Master quotes

from the Dao De Jing : When two great forces oppose each

8/7/2019 A special tribute to Grandmaster Wan Kean Chew PJK

2/3

other, the victory will go to the one that knows how to yield.

The gentlest thing in the world overcomes the hardest thing in

the world. That which has no substance enters where there is

no space.

Relaxed, rooted and rounded, calmed, still and listening,

Masters use of intrinsic force with the notion of whole body

with the mind moving as one served to confirm his belief that

the mind can move mountains.

Master is always accompanied by his daughter Miss Wan Kim

Eam during his outings, who witnessed Masters wonderful

display of taijiquan skills.

A more elaborated profile of Master is documented in an

ebook in pdf format for easy reading.

Master Wan was born on 6 May 1939. He was a school teacher

in his thirties and has been practicing taijiquan for at least

twenty years. His mastery and skills just got better and better

with the passage of time. In 1986, Master, at the age of 47 won

the National Taiji Push Hand tournament in Malaysia.

Master passed on in the morning of 8 April 2011. As a student

of my beloved Master, I shall treasure the times I had the

privileged of learning taijiquan in his house; the long tea

drinking and discussions on the theory and practical aspects of

taijiquan and internal arts, and most importantly his

philosophy. I shall never forget the push-hand techniques with

Master and the honour of being able to have had a taste of thepowerful moves of Master (not to mention the pain that goes

along with it). The experiences and his teaching I have gone

through shall forever remain in my mind indefinitely.

8/7/2019 A special tribute to Grandmaster Wan Kean Chew PJK

3/3

Looking back, I wished that I had remained in Penang to

continue learning from this great Immortal Master. As it is,

family and work commitments and advancement of my career

has deprived me of such a treasure.

The Penang Wan Taijiquan Association, which was founded by

Master and located at OFA Club in Penang, has lost a true and

fearless Master/Warrior. It is hope that the disciples and

students continue to practice in accordance to Masters

teachings.

The Senior Management of Golden Sands/Rasa Sayang Group

of Hotels showed presence on the funeral day to pay theirrespects and mentioned that they would like to see a suitable

replacement at their hotel grounds to continue the tradition of

taiji activities there. The senior disciples has yet to identify

someone who can take over Masters place.

Master is truly an exceptional martial artist of the highest

stature in the martial world. His passing on is a personal great

loss to me for a martial father.

May Master continue to hover over us with his spiritual

guidance for all times.

Paul Wong

12 April 2011