GOLDEN EAGLE FROM SHAOLINTEMPLE

I am sure you are not familiar with this name. Who is golden eagle? Where does he come from? Why Golden eagle? What does it mean? If you want to know further, keep on reading.

This is a true story of Lao Jeng Tie. This story is handed down from generation to generation among Chinese community in central Java, Indonesia. I got this story from them. When I was a high school student I used to learn the Chinese martial art called Kungfu or wushu from a Chinese master in Magelang, central Java. His name is Tan Keng Tin. Different from other Chinese man Tan Keng Tin did know anything about business. His attention is focused on one thing – martial art. No wonder that at the age of sixties he was very healthy.

He earned his living by training young people. He used his small house for training. Besides, he bred pigeon and sold them in local market. He worked as a trainer early in the morning and in the afternoon.

Actually I started to learn martial art when I was thirteen. I learned Karate at the time. But two years later a friend of mine introduced me to Tan Keng Tin. Soon I was impressed by his technique. Then I left my Karate club to join Tan Keng Tin’s club. I came to his house three times a week. The training took two hours each session. After training we used to talk a lot. And the topic of almost all conversation is only one – martial art. Tan Keng Tin is a good story teller who could make his student impressed by his stories.

The story of Lao Jeng Tie is one of the many stories that he told us. So, who is Lao Jeng Tie? Here is Tan Keng Tin’s story about him. LJT was a Chinese fighter who brought Kungfu to central Java. He was born in a small town in Hokkian (Fujian) province in southern part of China in 19^th century. When he was a kid he was very naughty so he often fought with his friends. One day a Buddhist monk from Shaolin temple saw him. The monk realized that he was very talented so he asked LJT to join him to Shaolin. (My teacher used to pronounce it as Siauw Lim). There LJT received hard training to be a Kungfu fighter. Years later LJT became a good fighter.

One day, there was recruitment in imperial army. So LJT went to Beijing with his friends to take part in it. The test was hard. The candidates had to demonstrate their ability in fighting in front of the jury. LJT did well on the fight. He was almost passed. Then he was sitting while watching the next fight. But then something happened.

As he watched his friend who was fighting in the ring, he found that the opponent of his friend played dirty trick. Consequently his friend lose the fight. LJT was very upset. He protested and the situation became chaotic. He would be arrested by the army but he fought. He was outnumbered so he lose but he managed to escape. LJT became a fugitive.

He ran south but the army hunted him there. The army searched him everywhere, so he had to leave his country. He sailed to Malaysia. For several years he lived in Malaysia. When he was there he fought a local fighter. He killed him. So once again LJT became a fugitive. This time he went to Indonesia. He settled in a small town called Parakan, deep in the heart of Java. He lived nearby a Chinese temple there.

Once he demonstrated his skill when someone tested him. He had to fight two big dogs. He just threw a pineapple and when people looked at it he managed to kill the dogs in second. Then local people knew about LJT’s skill in martial art. Young people began to learn martial art from him.

Meanwhile the Chinese army kept hunting him. They sent someone as a spy in Semarang, the capital of central Java. For one year the spy was posted there in a Chinese temple. The Gedong Batu temple is a big Chinese temple which was built in the 13^th century by Admiral Cheng Hoo from China. Actually Cheng Hoo built a mosque because he was a Muslim, but the Chinese community in Java is mostly non Muslim so it became a temple.

Once a year there was celebration of Chinese New Year in the temple. On that day Chinese people from many cities came to Gedong Batu temple in Semarang. LJT was not an exception. He came to Gedong Batu temple to celebrate the big day. He did not realize that the Chinese spy was there waiting for him. As soon as he got there the spy tried to arrest him. But LJT did not want to give up. He fought back. Soon violent fight broke out. Both of them were excellent fighters. After a long time they found that their skills were equal. Nobody could win the fight. So the spy had to come home empty handed.

That was not the only fight of LJT in Indonesia. In another occasion when he went to another town he was robbed. In a small town called Blabak in central Java, some people robbed him. Then LJT told them to kill him first by pulling a tie attached to his neck. Many people pulled the tie together but LJT did not hurt. Then the robber ran away.

LJT always won the fight except the fight in Gedong Batu, Semarang and in Solo. One day he crossed SoloRiver in central Java by boat. Then someone robbed the passenger of the boat. The robber was a Javanese fighter called Warok by local people. Warok in Javanese language means a fighter or a master of Javanese martial art. LJT fought him in a fierce fight. But this time LJT found a match. The warok was very tough. All LJT’s attack could not hurt him. Javanese People believe that warok has a certain inner power that makes them very strong. People said that they can bear punches and even sharp weapons.

LJT remained unbeatable along his career. Then people give him a nickname as Golden Eagle from Shaolin temple. Perhaps because of his yellow complexion and his skill in martial art.

His Kungfu was handed down from generation to generation in Parakan, central Java. Tan Keng Tin learned it in Parakan. Today his kungfu is still learned especially in central Java.

The basic technique is similar to any Shaolin style kungfu who come from south China. It focuses on short distance fight using hand technique. Kick is only directed at low targets. There is no high kick. The sequence of movement, however, is different from other Shaolin kungfu. There are series of basic movement which is called kata in Karate. In LJT kungfu it is called Tak Cun, Thai Chow, Ing Jun, Pek Ho Tasyik, Pek Hoo Jiu Tong, and 108 techniques. Pek Hoo means white crane. This series is very good. The movement looks like fencing. Next time I will write further about the techniques.