Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛 Founder Weapon: Nine Dragon Trident
Provided by Master Chan Yiu Wun and Master Wong Kong
The Nine Dragon Trident is an iconic weapon favored by the founder of Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛. Today, it has become a sacred relic, preserved in the Chan Ancestral Hall in King Mui Village, Ngai Sai, Guangdong—the birthplace of the martial art. King Mui Village is expansive and boasts beautiful scenery, with a population reaching over four thousand. Regardless of gender, youths in the village would practice martial arts in the great ancestral hall. The masters appointed to teach martial arts had to be surnamed Chan; otherwise, they would not be employed. The great ancestral hall covers nearly 3,000 square feet, with men and women practicing both inside and outside the hall. Generally, the ancestral hall is divided into three sections, with the innermost being the martial arts training hall. However, training equipment was also placed around the perimeter of the ancestral hall. The Nine Dragon Trident was placed right in the center of the inner hall.
Because the Nine Dragon Trident was a relic of the founder, disciples were not easily allowed to move it. However, the techniques of the Nine Dragon Trident were taught to selected elites in the village who had achieved a certain level of mastery, and the teachings were passed down. According to the records of the Hung Sing Ancestral Hall of Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛, among the fourth-generation successors, Chan Yiu Wun and Chan Wa Can had learned it directly from the third-generation patriarch of Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛, Chan Yiu Chi. It is reported that many disciples from the school were watching aside at the time, though it is hard to estimate how many actually learned it. Due to the instability of the times, many people did not dare to openly discuss martial arts. On the other hand, many people were deeply committed to promoting it, yet there was no guarantee whether it would be taught indiscriminately or lost due to issues of cherishing its value.
According to the provided materials, there were two Nine Dragon Tridents, one large and one small. The large one weighed ninety catties, and the small one weighed twenty catties. It is said that before the changing times, someone brought the small one to Hong Kong, accompanied by a lion dance troupe, and it was kept there ever since.
The large Nine Dragon Trident had a total length of one zhang and two feet (twelve feet), while the small one was nine feet long. Its construction was highly unique and its design very intricate. Aside from the three prongs at the very top, a cross-shaped structure was attached to the shaft less than a foot below the three prongs. At the four ends of the cross, sharp crescent moon-shaped blades were designed, and the two ends of each crescent moon blade were incomparably sharp. The entire trident had nine ends and twelve points, hence it was named the Nine Dragon Trident.
The Nine Dragon Trident currently kept in the Hong Kong Hung Sing Ancestral Hall of Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛 is newly forged. It is in the custody of the fourth-generation successor Chan Yiu Wun, and its maker was the fourth-generation successor Wong Kwong. His purpose in forging this trident was to commemorate the founder and, at the same time, to inspire members of the school to strive hard to promote the excellent martial arts of the branch, to not forget the founder’s teachings, to strive for improvement, to not be selfish, and to not use the name of the school to fight for fame and position.
san lung ngong sau 神龍昂首
Despite the many years that had passed during the changing times, the impression of the Nine Dragon Trident remained deep. However, before Wong Kong forged the Nine Dragon Trident, he still had to consult Chan Yiu Wun at the Ancestral Hall and research together with him. Thus, he wrote a letter back to King Mui Village to have the elders in the village send over the true sample of the Nine Dragon Trident. Then, it was authenticated by the grandson of the third-generation patriarch Chan Yiu Chi, Ng Fu Hang, before it was forged. Ng Fu Hang had followed his grandfather Chan Yiu Chi since childhood until his grandfather passed away. Over those long days, he received patient guidance from his grandfather and obtained the true teachings in both scholarship and martial arts. He had a particularly clear and authentic understanding of the history of the Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛 branch, more so than anyone else. After moving from Guangzhou to Hong Kong, he also took on parts of the responsibility of promoting the Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛 branch, inheriting the legacy of the third-generation patriarch. Upon arriving in Hong Kong, he served as the head coach at the Hung Sing Ancestral Hall of Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛. Under his patient guidance, young learners from all over the world successfully honed their skills. As for the founder’s weapon, the Nine Dragon Trident, he had even seen it in his grandfather’s Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛 martial arts manuals, thus confirming that the newly forged Nine Dragon Trident is authentic.
Wong Kong learned martial arts from Chan Yan and practiced in the Chan Ancestral Hall in his youth, where he saw the true form of the Nine Dragon Trident and retained a strong impression of it. Now that he has successfully forged the Nine Dragon Trident and stored it in the Choy Lee Fut 蔡李佛 Ancestral Hall, he is completely content. The fourth-generation successor, Master Chan Yiu Wun, in an effort to promote the martial arts of his school, did not hesitate to share his secret techniques, providing valuable materials and personally demonstrating the unparalleled skills of the Nine Dragon Trident. This is truly a rare feat in the martial arts world. Below is a demonstration of the unparalleled techniques of the Nine Dragon Trident, personally performed by Master Chan.
waang sou cin gwan 橫掃千軍