|
VietNamNet –
For hundreds of years, Binh Dinh has been widely known as the land
of great martial-arts masters. Nowadays, Master Phan Tho remains
dedicated to preserving the traditional reputation of his
hometown.
 |
| Master
Phan Tho. |
The
old three-chamber house, situated in Binh Village, Tay Son
District of Binh Dinh Province, is also the martial hall where
Master Tho trains his students.
It
is quite easy to find the red soil path between the two green rice
fields leading to the house, but it was really difficult to meet
the Master, since he rarely stays at home.
“The
master is visiting his patients in the neighbour village”,
replied one of the students when I came for the first time.
At
the second call, seeing the red motorcycle in the garden, I knew
that he has returned. I was really astonished by a powerful
hand-shake that came from an agile and svelte 80 year old man.
|
“Whoever
visits Binh Dinh would see its women practising martial
arts.”
This
old folk-song has been passed from generation to
generation in Vietnam, telling that Binh Dinh is the land
of Martial Arts.
|
It
is hard to imagine that this little elder has remained the
legendary master of Binh Dinh martial arts for decades.
Almost
everybody in this province knows about him and about his story in
the 40s, when the 17-year-old youth asked Master Cai Bay to take
him as disciple.
The
young Phan Tho needed only seven years to master the secrets of
martial arts passed by his teacher. After 20 years of practice, he
had reached the highest levels and became a well-known kungfu
master.
 |
| The
Quang Trung National Museum in Binh Dinh
Province. |
|
 |
| Photos:
Master Tho's students are showing their skills. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In
1972, hearing much about Master Phan Tho’s skills, a Korean
military officer with five-sigma black belt made a visit to his
house.
After
a short talk, the young guest politely challenged Master Phan Tho
to a duel. For the honour of Binh Dinh martial arts, he took the
challenge, even though he was in his 40s.
 |
| Master
Tho shows Tiger claw posture. |
“He
was very powerful, and especially strong at attacking with
storming high kicks”, the elder master gently smiles when
telling me about the match. He showed me the cleft on the pillar
and laughed “I dodged his kick, and the poor pillar had to
suffer”.
As
an experienced master, when facing with a strange kungfu for the
first time, Master Tho patiently avoided the Korean’s attacks
and waiting for his weakness to be revealed. When the officer made
a curving high kick, Master Tho rapidly applied his secret moves
to block the attack and used a low kick combined with the claws to
knock out the opponent.
The
old story seemed to inspire the master much. He changed into the
kungfu uniform and performed the Ngoc Tran (jade cup) Fists
and Sieu Xung Thien (sky diving) Blade for us.
The
reputation is really well merited: the performance was full of
power and accuracy, although the master is at his 80s. The excited
11 year-old grandson also went through a marvelous Tiger Fists for
us to enjoy.
Before
I left, the Master told me about the history of Binh Dinh martial
arts.
This
land had been the battlefield of both struggle against invasions
and civil wars. Hundred of years of fighting were
devastating, but it also promoted the development of the
martial
arts.
The
local martial arts had absorbed the secrets of Chinese skills from
the north, Champa skills from the south and the Central Highland
people’s skills. All
of them come together here,
combined and harmonised in the martial art halls of Binh Dinh
families.
In
the middle of XVIII century, the peasant revolution rose from Tay
Son District under the lead of Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Lu and Nguyen
Hue who were dubbed in the Vietnamese History as Three Heroes of
Tay Son.
It
quickly wiped out the feudal forces, defeated the invaders, united
the nation and gave birth to the Quang Trung dynasty. It was the
Three Heroes of Tay Son that had developed the Binh Dinh martial
arts, and enriched and formalised it with national research and
competitions.
 |
| Life
grandfather like grandson: Master Tho is watching as his
11-year-old grandson shows a posture. |
Nowadays,
the standard of living in Binh Dinh has increased considerably;
the martial arts are more popular, contributing to the
conservation of the nation’s cultural values.
Hundreds
of martial arts halls have been established in Binh Dinh,
especially those featuring traditional kungfu.
According
to Director of the Tay Son – Binh Dinh Information, Culture, and
Sport Centre Chau Kinh Tu, Binh Dinh martial arts are have
flourished via the International Association of Vietnamese Martial
Arts.
It
is forecast that in France, Switzerland, Italy, and other
countries, there are thousands of people practicing Binh Dinh
martial arts.
Story
and photos by Thanh Phuong.
|
