The tale of 'Wing Tsun King' | 「念頭正,終生正!」 獨家專訪葉問封門弟子「詠春拳王」

Legend has it that during China’s Ming-Qing dynastic transition, there lived an intelligent and innovative female kung fu master. Her name was Wu Mei Shi Tai, or Ng Mui (Five Plums Nun). She developed a new fighting system, the Wing Tsun, drawing inspiration from the movement of animals and birds – more specifically, the Snake and Crane styles of Shaolin Kung Fu, the most renowned of Chinese martial arts and the oldest of them all. 

相傳，詠春拳為福建少林白鶴派五枚師太所創。

The system's sharp, nimble and graceful movements of the fist can knock down the enemy in close-range combat within seconds. 

其拳法快而攻守兼備、剛柔並濟。

However, Wu Mei Shi Tai creator had one principle — "Whoever makes this martial art popular, disobeys me!」 

該派祖師曾留訓言：「發揚光大，違背祖師！」 

For years, the underground martial art developed silently in the shadows – but that was about to change, as one disciple brought it under the spotlight.

故詠春拳自建派以來，一直保持低調。

This story begins in 1893, with the birth of one man: Ip Man.

然而，這秘門絕學卻在200年後，不僅發揚光大，而且蜚聲國際。這一切，當從葉問說起。

The man who 'mutinied' 

一代宗師葉問

Grandmaster Ip Kai Man was born into a very wealthy family in the city of Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province,.

清末明初，葉氏家族是廣東佛山的大族之一，祖居「桑園」，大屋連綿達數條街。葉家有一位小少爺，排行第二，名曰「繼問」。

At the age of 11, he started learning Wing Tsun from Chan Wah-shun, who himself was the student of grandmaster Leung Jan. Ip Man's journey with Chan spanned for three years, until death defeated the septuagenarian.

自幼接受儒家教育的葉問，11歲起便先後師從「詠春拳王」 梁贊的高足陳華順和梁贊次子梁壁學習詠春拳。

When he was 16 years old, during his study in Hong Kong, Ip Man crossed paths with Leung Bik, the son of Leung Jan. The young disciple recognized the opportunity the encounter brought about, and continued practicing Wing Tsun with the son of his late teacher's shifu (or master). A decade later, when the 24-year-old returned to Foshan, his skills had tremendously improved, far beyond his coevals.

24歲時，其武技已非同門弟子可比。

In 1938, the Japanese army attacked Foshan, killing some of Ip Man’s family members. The Japanese military forced him to be their kung fu master, but he refused and left to Hong Kong in 1949, where he started the first school to instruct Wing Tsun. He persisted in teaching students the quick-paced movements of the martial art and gained great popularity as a kung fu master, until his death in 1972.

1938年，日軍攻佔廣東佛山，葉氏家族淪落。葉問拒任日本憲兵隊的中國武術教練。1949年，因不願與日寇往來，葉問離開佛山，駐居香港，並在港九飯店工會內開辦了第一個詠春班。於是，一個經歷了二百多年的秘密門派，自此寫下簇新的篇章。

The legacy of Ip Man, which inspired numerous books and movies, was carried on by his sons, Ip Ching and Ip Tsun, and a cohort of famous martial artists, the likes of Leung Sheung, Bruce Lee, Leung Ting, the secret student in which he confided.

葉氏門下高徒輩出，其中就有被譽為「功夫之王」的李小龍，以及將詠春拳傳播至歐洲的第一人梁挺。

The "closed-door student" would later become the first martial artist to create a complete teaching and grading system for the discipline passed down from Ip Man. He will also export and promote Wing Tsun westward, more specifically Europe in the late 1970s.

1969年，葉問收梁挺為「封門弟子」，並在餘下的幾年裡把畢生所學傳授於他。

Behind closed doors 

「封門弟子」梁挺

「I was fascinated by Chinese martial arts when I was a boy,」 said Leung, who took up kung fu at the age of 13. But, like all beginnings, Leung's wasn't without trouble.

梁挺自少痴愛武術，其父因擔憂小兒生性頑劣，恐闖禍端，便嚴禁其習武。

「I was very mischievous. My father was a detective and dealt with gangsters every day. He insisted that people learning kung fu are all bad guys!」 Leung laughed, swinging his hands in the air.

梁挺回憶道：「我小的時候很頑皮，爸爸是香港的密探」，他說著，聲如洪鐘、雙目含神，談笑間生龍活虎，舉止灑脫 ----

He continued: 「Back in the old decades, most of people in Hong Kong were poor and lacked education. They loved to gamble, watch drama or play kung fu as they didn’t have much entertainment. Some of them learned kung fu for fun, but others for fighting.」 But for Leung, kung fu was a tool he can use to fend for himself on the streets of Hong Kong. 

「他一天到晚調查黑社會，所以有個錯誤的印象，認為懂得功夫的就是黑社會。當時香港，絕大部分人很貧窮，知識水準也不高，沒有什麼娛樂。大部分人喜歡賭博、聽大戲。功夫也是其中一種娛樂。所以有的人練功夫來強身健體，有的就拿來打架。」

One day, the thirteen-year-old was strolling down the Temple Street with two of his friends, when they bumped into a group of young vagrants who happened to have little patience and a fiery temper.

十三歲時，一天夜裡，梁挺和朋友們逛廟街，兩位朋友無意中觸怒了一班十多人的街童。

Leung tried to mediate to deescalate the soaring tension, but failed. His friends escaped, and the young boy was left to face the music by himself.

梁挺上前排解糾紛，卻被眾人圍毆，而兩友卻乘機溜走。

「In the past, the area from Yau Ma Tei to Temple Street was a dodgy place, even policemen had trouble maintaining order there. Gangsters restored peace together, and children loved to go there for fun,」 Leung recalled. 

「那個時候，從油麻地到廟街，就是一個江湖，什麼人都有。小孩子都喜歡去那裡。可是去看守這條街的，不是公安，而是黑社會的人。因為有他們，廟街才沒有那麼亂。」

After Leung recovered, his uncle Cheng Fook suggested he learn kung fu for protection and introduced him to Ip Man’s head disciple Leung Sheung. Leung devoted himself to learn Wing Tsun ever since, applying his newfound knowledge whenever he can.

梁挺傷愈後，舅父鄭福秘密引薦他跟隨葉問的香港大弟子梁相學習詠春拳。

「One day, I saw a bus driver bullying an old man, I was so angry I beat him badly. I ended up in my father’s office. He finally knew I was secretly learning kung fu. But since I had no previous records, he allowed me to learn kung fu but also warned me not to stir trouble.」 

「有一次，一個巴士司機欺負老人家，我看不過就打了他，結果這件事情鬧上警局。爸爸就知道了我在秘密地學功夫。但是，他發覺，這半年來，我沒有不良的記錄，於是就默許了，但是告誡我不要一天到晚見義勇為。」

Wing Tsun expands to colleges

首位將中國武術引入香港大專學府的人

In 1967, Leung signed up for the department of literature in Hong Kong Baptist University. But during a karate practice at his college, Leung was unsettled that Chinese martial arts were not well developed in Hong Kong’s schools.

1967年，梁挺考入香港浸會學院文學系修讀中外文學。一日，目睹空手道在浸會學院表演招生。而中國武術連小學都沒有進入，大丈夫安能雌伏？

「I didn’t think Chinese martial arts were inferior to karate,」 said Leung with a sigh, a trace of anger emerging on his face.

He soon asked to hold a Wing Tsun presentation. His remarkable skills wowed the crowd and attracted crowds looking to be taught the agile movements. By the end of 1968, Leung had become the first kung fu master to teach in Hong Kong’s colleges. 

憤懣下，梁挺主動請纓，公開表演。果然，精湛的武技吸引了大批同學，紛紛求他教學。1968年底，梁挺在學校開班，成為首位將中國拳術引入香港大學專府的人。

Leung’s nascent fame would soon open new doors of collaboration with some of the discipline's grand masters. In early 1969, Leung’s second si-hing (older kung fu brother) recommended him to Ip Man. Despite eyeing retirement, the martial art master agreed to take Leung under his wing as a "closed-door student".

1969年初，葉問因胃病進院動手術，本望痊癒後歸隱林泉。時至梁挺的二師兄郭強在探病期間，提及梁挺。葉問早聽說過「梁挺在大學開創詠春班」的傳聞，便答應在痊癒後，收納梁挺為徒，傳授其高深的技法。

Since, Leung took his Wing Tsun skills to another level under the wakeful eye of his teacher, whom he regarded not just a kung fu master but also a life mentor.

每提至問公，梁挺總說，「我收穫最多的就是跟他最後的兩三年。」

「He taught me how to be a good man,」 Leung said, pausing in contemplation for a while.

「葉問宗師教，留情不出手，出手不留情。詠春本身就是一套做人處事的簡理。」

「We were always together, even on my wedding day. He was really good to me.」

在梁挺的武館裡，「恆毅」二字與葉問宗師的照片懸掛正堂，嚴肅的氛圍中吐露著莊重的儀式感。左右牆壁上，布滿了他與問公的合影：第一次開館、武館喬遷、武術盛會、甚至新婚，都見問公在其左右。可想而知，葉問對這位徒兒的喜愛。

The Chinese 'Genghis Khan'

「武術界的成吉思汗」

In the 1970s, Leung established 「WingTsun WingTimes」 with his German students, passing down 200-year-old skills that had been previously kept as a secret. His success as a Wing Tsun instructor earned him unprecedented fame in the martial arts circle. 

自上世紀70年代，梁挺與德國的弟子們創立了《梁挺詠春》，將「秘而不傳」的詠春拳術，以國際法例授權各國，讓詠春拳蜚聲國際，得到全球軍警、武術及影視界的認可，為中國武術文化的傳揚做出巨大貢獻。

In the West, he was called the 「Wing Tsun King" and "Genghis Khan of the Chinese Martial Arts Community". The International Wing Tsun Association has developed into a worldwide martial arts organization with over 4,000 branches in more than 60 countries and regions, and is regarded as the largest among martial arts organizations.

他創辦的「國際詠春總會」，現已成為世界最大的中國武術團體。海外支部超過4000多個，來自東西歐、美國、加拿大、澳洲、亞洲、中東等60多國的門人近200萬。梁挺也被世界各地的媒體，稱為「詠春王」、「武術界的成吉思汗」。

At 70, the Wing Tsun master is still finding his way in the art which he has devoted his life to.

雖然一朝成名天下知，而今也已七十齡。可對於梁挺而言，真正的功夫是內斂的，是修心修身修自己，修煉我們內在的武林。

「I’m still learning. When you are teaching, you are teaching yourself as well. I hope that, I’m not only teaching them the skills of Wing Tsun, but also the virtue of Chinese martial arts," he laughed.

他說，「 教人就是教自己。我們不光要教武術，還要教武德。止戈為武、以和為貴，才是最重要的。」

"Because to win respect, morality is king, not being a tyrant with an iron fist.」 

「因為，以德服人為王，以武服人為霸。」

筆者編後語：

桑園樓臺水接天。朱門錦繡，屋宇千連。

英雄少年，筆走龍蛇武亦尖。

高枝啼鳥託閒情，晚笛吹入牡丹園。

殘山剩水滄桑變。雕梁春去，滿目蓬蒿。

落紅辭枝，香消芳盡魂還繞。

旅樓一角刻漏長，望故鄉兮淚兩行。

前塵渺渺幾思量。剩卻窮途，鳳泊鸞漂。

慨愴今昔，開枝散葉為師表。

馳譽丹青傳妙技，桃李滿園競芬芳。

肝膽男兒奮袂來。胸藏經緯，萬裡馳張。

霽月光風，郎朗乾坤薈英豪。

經寒耐雨成蒼樹，弘揚國粹萬古長。

文中有關詠春拳的介紹來源：《詠春根源考》，梁挺

根據「Creative Commons Attribution」許可 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)使用Kevin MacLeod創作的歌曲「Light Thought var 4」

藝術家：http://incompetech.com/

根據「Creative Commons Attribution」許可 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)使用Kevin MacLeod創作的歌曲「Drums of the Deep」

來源：http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1400021

藝術家：http://incompetech.com/

Director: Wen Yaru, Xu Jiye

Produced by: Gao Xingzi

Video by: Gao Xingzi, Zhang Wanbao

Visual effect by: Zhang Wanba, Ran Boqiang

Animation by: Zhang Wanbao

Design: Fan Chenxiao

Story written by: Gao Xingzi 

Story edited by: Nadim Diab 

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