Deadly finger

Famous Taiwanese master od Monkey boxing brought his students of who one was a westerner, to visit another kung fu master who lived on a farm near Keelung city in North Taiwan . Master’s name was Chen Ching-Chan and he possessed a skill which falls in the category of esoteric arts and it is hard to believe in such things. If this story came from any other source I would not believe it , but the witness of this event had great credibility as a martial artist and a man who put a great effort to separate truth from the myth in Chinese martial arts .

After the was served , old master put the fuel oil on his right index finger and lit it and let it burn for a while. His right index finger was much shorter the one on the left hand and was knobbly, rough and a bit twisted. After the oil burnt out he put the wine on the finger and hold it in a flame of the candle until it became black . When he finished the procedure he touched one of the visitors and he jumped from pain. Next , he put more wine on the finger and without prior burning he lightly drew a line on visitors back , the skin immediately became red and slightly swallowed . Old man refused to show any combat usage of the finger , nor he wanted to show how techniques and training necessary for the development of this skill . He killed a man in fight 15 years prior to this event and decided not show any combat techniques or any skill which would lead to development of this odd skill .

It is hard to believe in this story , especially for the westerner who base his opinion on science and critical thinking . On the other hand event is a clear sign that there is much more in Chinese kung fu than most people are ready to accept .