Jee Sin Sim See

Chi Sim Sim Si, Ji Sin Sim Si or "Monk Zhi Shan" (pinyin: Zhì Shàn Chán Shī; Cantonese Yale: Ji3 Sin6 Sim3 Si1; literally: "Chi Sim, Zen teacher") is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders, survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Temple by the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). He is linked to many southern Chinese martial arts including the five major family styles of Hung, Lau and Choy gar, Lee gar and Mok gar, Ng Ga Kuen/Ng Gar King and Wing Chun.

The stories disagree as to whether Chi Sim was a survivor of the destruction of the original Shaolin Temple in Henan or the Southern Shaolin Temple in Fujian. In what may be an attempt to reconcile this discrepancy, some stories say that, when the Henan temple was destroyed, Chi Sim fled to the Fujian temple, only to have to flee again when the latter was destroyed as well.

Others say that Chi Sim and the other Five Elders escaped the burning of the temple at Quanzhou in Fujian. They went their separate ways and Gee Seen built the second southern temple at Jiulian Shan (Nine Lotus Mountain), also in Fujian. Gee Seen was a revolutionary who planned to overthrow the Qing Government. However two of the Five Elders, Pak Mei and Fung Dou Dak joined forces with the Qing army and destroyed the second southern Shaolin Temple with a huge army outnumbering the monks 10 to 1. Chi Sim, the Abbot of the temple, was killed by Pak Mei in a duel during the attack.^[1]

See also

• Bak Mei
• Fong Sai-Yuk
• Ng Mui

References