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 good
acquaintances 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
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,

Master’s 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 Master’s 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 the
powerful 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.
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 Master’s
teachings.

The Senior Management of Golden Sands/Rasa Sayang Group

of Hotels showed presence on the funeral day to pay their
respects 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 Master’s 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