Miao Dao.

“With a long, slender blade, likened to rice seedlings, this kind of sword was first created in the early Han Dynasty (207 BC to AD 25), and known as Miao sabre as ‘Miao’ literally means rice seedlings in the language of Chinese. A Miao sabre contains the characters of both sword and staff, can be used with one or two hands, and its power is regarded as stronger than any other ordinary sword.

The “miao” of miao dao should not be confused with the Miao ethnic group, who are not associated with this weapon.”

Got that short paragraph off Wiki and yes, talk to different folks and you’ll hear different things about this double-handed blade.

I don’t do any Miao Dao …. My interest in double-handed blade started when I picked up a form from the late Saolim teacher, Chong Beng Joo, who taught at the Singapore Reservists Association for a spell.

This is a club house for ex-army personnel.

Sifu Chong’s sword is shorter than the Miao sword and it’s very Saolim in many aspects. I was told by some that the form is actually his own creation but I wasn’t able to confirm this.

Love the form and every now and then, I still go through it and back when I was still in the landscaping business, there were many times that clients wanted trees removed from their garden.

So that’s when you find me slashing and chopping with the long machete that I carried with me and techniques I learned from Sifu Chong became very handy……

Got some Miao Dao books with me and I will scan and post some pages from those later.

For now, a Miao Dao clip first ….

Oldies but goodies.

I must admit I have this “fetish” for old books, watches and music.

Anything from the 30s and 40s, especially kung fu and music, I am fixated to a point of “inexplicable”…sometimes.

And NO! I am not born in that period. I joined the human race in 1959, thank you very much!

It could be that as a kid, I was constantly fed with music from that era, all thanks to my grand parents, dad and uncles.

Must have something to do with what child experts are saying; the formative years of a child is like a blank page.

So all you fathers and mothers reading this – be careful of what you write onto that blank page.

Less they end up like me …. Hahahaha….

Anyway…I got a bunch of books with me that I bought mainly because they were published in the 30s and 40s.

Not that I have absolutely no interest in the subject matter but seeing those pics ……

Arrgggh, just gotta have them.

Now where can I join “Old books Anonymous”?

You know “Hi my name is Eric and I have this strange craving ……..”