By coincidence, a couple of days after Master Chong was talking about Nam Wah Pai, I saw from an advert in the Straits Times that they would be giving demonstrations the next weekend. I decided to go along.
It followed exactly the format of the demonstration I first saw three years ago: various students citing the health benefits of qigong, followed by demonstrations of qigong’s effectiveness. A 73-year old man had poles broken over his belly and back, but even I’ve done that! Then he went one further, and had a couple of poles broken as they struch his throat, which I wouldn’t like to try myself… Next, a student lay on a bed of nails, and was thumped on the stomach a couple of times with a sledgehammer; then someone jumped onto his stomach from a stepladder. Another student bent a spear while the point rested against his throat… I’ve seen it all many times before!
Master Sim gave his trademark demonstration of knocking down eight guys simultaneously; one of his students (his nephew, if I recall correctly) also did it, which is the first time I’ve seen anyone other than Master Sim do it.
All of this was interspersed with Q&A sessions; in the end, I snuck out after two hours as I had to go on elsewhere. It was nice to see them all again. Master Sim and several of the senior students recognised me from when I was a member, and were asking what I’d been up to. The place hasn’t changed much. One thing I did notice: Desmond, who I mentioned in a previous post, used to have his picture on the wall next to Master Sim’s and the honorary president’s, as a benefactor of the school. The other two pictures are still there, but his has gone; I wonder what happened? (Not that I am too bothered; he was nice enough but I never knew him well).
So, on the whole, I am rather looking forward to when I’m able to go back there, and start learning their qigong methods again…
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