觀 氣 道 武 门國 際 聯 合 會 Uống nước nhớ nguồn (Every water

觀 氣 道 武 门國 際 聯 合 會
INTERNATIONAL QWAN KI DO FEDERATION
Registration N° CHE – 225.793.004 - Bahnofstrass
92 – 5430 Wettingen - SWISS
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Uống nước nhớ nguồn
(Every water comes from its spring)
Following the example of the uncountable streams which travel the surface of our planet, the martial art
draws its roots from an immense network of methods from immemorial time. To face adversity of the life
and the nature, the human race always developed answers to its needs for protection.
Drink some water thinking from where it
comes, which is its origin and its spring, it
is a way of reconnecting with any element
which supplies and contributes in
maintaining the life. Through this thought
we dread more as a duty, a tribute sent to
any material, to be everything, any culture,
any civilization which grows more
attractive and is nourishing the life. In other
words, a shape of precious and deep
knowledge which justifies the value of the
"manners". "Lao Tu" said: it is necessary to
close eyes and to put the mouth to the
spring of the creation.
It's the same for the practice of the martial
art, because it is not only the curiosity
which incites in search of its real essence,
of its roots, but it is before any the quest of
ancestral values that justifies the
transmission and the presence of this art in the world of today. The fact of going back up to the origins of the
QWAN KI DO is, for each of the followers of this discipline, the discovery of the historic path which
testifies of the accumulation of so many experiments and which became over time, an inestimable cultural
treasure.
“The one who ignores the things of past can discover nothing for the future ".
A length travels through time
So, to begin such a trip, we need to dive into the deep roots of the method QWAN KI DO, it is advisable to
return at the time of the Dojo (« Võ đường ») « Hổ Hạc Trảo » of the Great master « Châu Quan Kỳ », in
the Vietnam by the middle of 1950s.
If this period is prolific in information by the fact that it is close to contemporary period, it is also interesting
to go back up farther still, towards the end of the 19th century, to be able to become soaked by the most
authentic spring of this martial art.
At these now distant times,
somewhere within a Taoist temple of
the ethnic group of hakkas, situated
in the province of Quang Dông (the
South of China), young Master"
Châu Quan Ky " benefited from the
teaching in martial arts of the
method " Shao-Lin Wo Meï "
transmitted by his great-uncle, a
respectable monk Taoist named
"Châu Quan Hoa". Respectable
"Châu Quan Hoa" was teached by
great masters of martial arts of the
family "Châu" which the existence
of the art such as known at present is
attested from the 17th century, but
we could go back up this genealogy
much farther still …
During the 19th century China crossed a hectic and disturbed time. Middle Kingdom having known several
centuries of lock with the rest of the world was confronted with big upheavals, and numerous Chinese were
obliged to flee their country, forming a Diaspora as well in the bordering countries as on other continents.
Among them Master of martial arts of the name of "Châu Quan Ky". This young master joined the island of
Hong-Kong by sea route. Two years later, he preferred to join a group of monks Taoïtes of Hakkas origin
come to find refuge in the Mekong delta (South of Vietnam), in Trà Vinh. A few years later, by 1950, he
settled down in the Taoist funeral temple of Phú Nhuận, a small bordering village of Saigon.
This locality was close to the place where the family of the young Pham Xuân Tong lived. The story of the
unexpected meeting between the Great master Châu Quan Ky and the young Pham Xuân Tong was already
the object of publications on behalf of the authorities of the World Union QWAN KI DO.
Thanks to all these transmissions from Master to Master, during
numerous centuries, the authenticity of the martial art was protected
until giving birth to the QWAN KI DO in West, thanks to which it
shines again through the borders.
In 1968, the referent of Võ đường « Hổ Hạc Trảo », Master PHAM
Xuân Tong, arrived in France. This date marked then the beginning
of the transmission by Master PHAM Xuân Tong of the art of its
own Master. His technical and educational qualities, his numerous
public performances attracted then a number still increasing of
followers and sympathizers.
In a few years, the art taught by Master PHAM Xuân Tong knew a growing fame icounting within his
school more than 1200 followers only in the South of France.
Quickly, thanks to this reputation, other Vietnamese Masters settled in France and in Europe joined him with
the aim of building collectively a structure crying out and valuing the existence of a thousand-year-old
culture: that of " The Vietnamese martial art ".
Several public performances in France as in other European capitals were successful. Among the most
remarkable in 1972 the one which took place in the Green Spaces Pierre Cardin as well as in the room Pleyel
in Paris.
“The Quan Ky school "
(to the memory of Great Master Châu Quan Ky)
The source of the QWAN KI DO
Master PHAM Xuân Tong was conscious of course that this increasing success was so much due to the
quality of the transmission of the martial art of "Shao Lin Wo Meï" by Master Châu Quan Ky, but also by
that of the Vietnamese traditional techniques " Quan Khi " transmitted by the family of "Pham" by means of
his great-uncle. It was necessary for Master PHAM Xuân Tong to find a generic naming baptizing its
practice. It was difficult to realize such a compromise specifying this double filiation: chinese and
Vietnamese. After a long year of thinking, a bright idea enlightened him in its quest: seen the phonetic link
between the western pronunciation of both expressions, first name of its Master " Quan Ky " and the school
" Quan Khi " Of his great-uncle, it seemed completely sensible and loyal to choose the first name of its
Master. It was thanks to him that Master Pham Xuân Tong been born and grown up in the world of the
martial arts, but by choosing a name with close consonance, the Vietnamese branch was also quoted and
honored. It is so at the beginning, the generic name “Quan Ky " was selected and usual.
The same year, in 1972,
during a meeting of
Vietnamese Masters in
Limoges, was planned the
foundation of a movement
of Vietnamese martial art.
After long deliberations, the
generic name of VietVoDao
was
held
("Viet":
Vietnamese, "Vo": Martial
art, "Dao": the Way). This
term evokes the way of the
martial art of Vietnam. Five
Founding Master of this
movement
sealed
an
agreement to protect the
unity of this movement:
Each of these seven Masters put at the disposal of this new technical organization, "Quyên", Kata or chain of
its own method, this "five" Quyên "" appeared then in the program of the examination to obtain the Black
Belt.
To protect the authenticity of these methods within VietVo Dao, every name of these methods must be
associated in the name of the method of origin (VietVo Dao school " Thanh Long " - VietVo Dao school "
Hàn Bai " - Viet Vo Dao school " Quan Ky "…)
The literary set of Masters Fonder of the movement VietVo Dao decided to trust in Master PHAM Xuân
Tong to hold the function of Technical director. This heavy task consisted then in setting up a common
program intended for all the methods of Vietnamese martial art present within the Federation of VietVo
Dao. From then on, it was made possible to estimate the ranks from the black belt but also to organize
competitions thanks to the set-up of refereeing regulation.
The success of all this work was rewarded by the membership of more than 5000 followers affiliated to this
new Federation!
Afterward, Master PHAM Xuân Tong was again
appointed to realize the first book on the Vietnamese
martial art. This one, entitled “Viet Vo Dao Kung fu "
was published by " Dan France " editions in 1972.
Thanks to the fertile collaboration and to the ceaseless
efforts of all these Masters, the French Federation of
Viet Vo Dao received the ministerial approval of the
Youth and the Sports under N°87S54.
In 1975, a Center of martial arts Quan Ky was
officially declared and created in Toulon. This
training center allows gathering regularly technical
executives of the school QUAN KY until this day.
After several years in the service of common causes, seen the exploit which establishes the development of
the school Quan Ky on the national level as international, Master PHAM Xuân Tong felt the need to direct
his efforts to the mission given by his Master CHÂU Quan KY. He then resigned from his federal function
to dedicate himself more to his own method.
From “the school QUAN KY " to the
“WORLD UNION of QWAN KI DO "
It was in 1981 in the South of France, more exactly in Toulon and a few months later in Italy in Milan that
Master PHAM Xuân Tong, surrounded by his closest pupils, adopted officially a given name better rooted in
the culture of the martial art than that “of school Quan Ky ". For it he inserted simply the term "Do", or
"Dao" in Vietnamese, to become “the way of the school Quan Ky " and together they adopted definitively
this generic name reminding the Sino-Vietnamese origin of its martial art: the « QWAN KI DO – QUÁN
KHÍ ÐẠO »
Since this historic date, a world union was created: the WORLD UNION OF QWAN KI DO which includes
all the countries where the practice of the Qwan Ki Do is present on its territory. At the beginning of this
history grouping, about fifteen nations answered present.
After several decades of existence, the Founder, Master PHAM Xuân Tong, and his collaborators thanks to
the spread of considerable efforts, were rewarded by the membership of about thirty national federations
within this world organization.
From the “WORLD UNION of QWAN KI DO"
To “INTERNATIONAL QWAN KI DO
FEDERATION "
Forty five years later, conscious right now of the extraordinary ascent of the QWAN KI DO in the world,
after the successes which represented five World championships (having taken place every 4 years), it was
necessary to endow this method by means of a bigger scale.
In July, 2012, during the General assembly of nations, in a common agreement, this general assembly voted
unanimously, the creation of an international federal body, which is at the same time the guarantee of the
tradition but also the promoter of the sporting event. A few years later, INTERNATIONAL QWAN KI DO
FEDERATION was officially declared and registered in Wettingen (Switzerland).
Vietnam at opening time towards the world reserved two remarkable rewards which are the ones of the
official recognition of the method but especially a testimony more than laudatory concerning incredible
work supplied by Founder Master Pham Xuân Tong.
First day of spring, the year of grace 2015
The editorial staff of Founder-Office