子昊

時代在變遷，隨著萬圣節(jié)、圣誕節(jié)這類洋節(jié)日成為我們生活中越來越必不可少的一部分，我們自己幾千年歷史積淀下來的一些古老文化，譬如中藥和功夫，反倒在慢慢淡出我們的視線，轉(zhuǎn)而在西方國家中開始盛行。身處這樣一個文化大交流的時代，我們又該如何對待我們的文化、我們的根呢？下面就請跟隨本文去認(rèn)識一位對中國功夫情有獨鐘的外國少年。他對詠春的熱愛也許會讓你想要重新審視我們自己的古老文化。

David's blond hair and blue eyes look strangely out of place as he trains in the ancient Chinese martial art of Kung Fu， but he trains with the passion and dedication that is required of a serious student of the art.

The young Australian man shares a house in Brisbane with three Chinese students and one Korean girl on a working holiday. Even though it is a typical Australian house， there are some distinctly Chinese items in it. There is a wooden martial arts training dummy1） in the dining room， from which hangs a bamboo ring. A framed photograph of Yip Man， the grand master of Wing Chun Kung Fu， hangs on the wall. Two large mirrors stand against the wall reflecting the image of the grand master. All of these Chinese items belong to a young Australian man， David， the only person in the house who is not Asian.

David was born in 1987， in the Chinese year of the rabbit， in Basingstoke， England. His childhood was full of Chinese Kung Fu movies， such as Once Upon a Time in China， Enter the Dragon， Drunken Master and Drunken Tai Chi. Names such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan had been in David's mind for a long time， however it was not easy for him to find someone who could teach him the ancient art of Kung Fu. The best that David could do was practice by imitating what he saw in movies. At that time， David considered Kung Fu to be something private， possibly for protection or entertainment， but definitely not for fighting.

After David moved to Australia， when he was 18 years old， the desire to learn Kung Fu became stronger. He researched Kung Fu and discovered Wing Chun which is undoubtedly the best-known Chinese style of Kung Fu in the world today. Wing Chun was created by a woman， as a result of which， it emphasizes technique and strategy rather than strength.

David wanted to become a Wing Chun student， but finding a master who was willing to teach someone who was not Chinese was difficult. David did not stop checking the yellow pages and talking to masters by telephone until he found Ian Protheroe， a man who had 30 years of teaching experience and who was also born in England. The important thing was that the master of Ian's master was grand master Yip Man.

When David had his first class three years ago， the first thing that he wrote in his notebook was： "Kung Fu works over time." Since the day he met his master， every Tuesday and Wednesday at nightfall has become time for David's private classes at Ian's house， even during rain or floods. It takes David 20 minutes to drive there. He never knocks on the door if it is closed. He waits in the yard quietly until Ian is ready to instruct him. The two bow whilst covering their right fist with their left hand. They do warm-up exercises together in front of the mirror， then David practices on the wooden dummy and the bamboo ring. Ian observes and corrects him. The last part of each lesson is sparring2）. Ian uses short and long sticks as weapons. "The weapon must be controlled first. The attacker will be confident with the weapon in his hand， however when you grab it to control it he will instinctively lash out3） with his rear hand. Beware and try to avoid a direct strike，" says Ian Protheroe. David quickly takes notes， even if he is gasping and sweating.

"When I saw him for the first time three years ago， he was young， skinny and weak. Now， he is still skinny， but stronger than before. His technique is good. He has talent but he needs time， at least 10 years，" Ian Protheroe says. David does not question his master's comments. "Chinese culture is amazing，" David says. "It does not tell you the importance of constancy directly. Instead， it creates a philosophy that teaches practice， just like Kung Fu."

"Practising Kung Fu is like paddling4） against the current. Once you stop paddling， you no longer stay where you are， you only go backwards." As well as private lessons， David also participates in Ian's public classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. Between the two classes on a Wednesday， David and Ian usually have a cup of Chinese tea. "I have learned from my Sifu not only the skills， but also the right attitude for doing daily routine things，" says David. "Kung Fu is not a way to fight； it is a path for one's personal development."

With David's encouragement and guidance， his Chinese housemates start to practise some Kung Fu techniques on the wooden dummy at home. Unlike in the fight scenes in Kung Fu movies， they are quiet as they train. One of David's housemates asks why a foreigner understands Chinese culture more thoroughly than some Chinese people do. "Actually， it is not easy for me，" says David. "Instead of punching like a boxer， the wooden dummy is more difficult to deal with due to the dozen wooden sticks it has. So， instead of arousing anger and energy without thinking， Wing Chun requires much wisdom. A fighter needs to figure out the next five steps to take， rather than just one， and to consider Game Theory when fighting."

The eight Chinese characters that make up the name of Wing Chun reflect the philosophy of the art. When written individually the characters mean： stay with what comes； follow what goes； if contact is lost， thrust the hand straight forward. David translates into English for his roommates： "Happily engage the task at hand. Should you find it harder than you first imagined or getting harder， don't throw up your hands in despair and say 'I can't deal with this'. Receive or stick to the task at hand and accept the challenge until your goal is achieved."

David left university to devote his life to Kung Fu. "Now， this is my uni." David points to the name on his T-shirt. It says： Queensland Wing Chun Kung Fu Academy. "Stick to one thing， if you truly love it，" he says.

Then， there is one thing we must know that that Wing Chun means eternal or praise springtime. It also represents "hope for the future".

戴維的金發(fā)碧眼看上去與他正在訓(xùn)練的古老中國功夫格格不入，但他訓(xùn)練時充滿熱情，非常投入，這正是這門藝術(shù)的虔誠學(xué)習(xí)者所應(yīng)具備的。

這個澳大利亞小伙子在布里斯班跟三個中國學(xué)生和一個來澳大利亞打工度假的韓國女孩同住一所房子。雖然這是一所典型的澳式住宅，但里面有一些顯然是中式風(fēng)格的陳設(shè)。餐廳里擺放著一個武術(shù)訓(xùn)練用的木人樁，上面掛著一個藤圈。墻上則掛著一個相框，里面是詠春功夫大師葉問的一張照片。兩面大鏡子倚墻而立，從鏡中可以看得到大師的那張照片。所有這些中式陳設(shè)都是澳大利亞小伙戴維的，這所房子里只有他不是亞洲人。

戴維1987年出生在英格蘭的貝辛斯托克，按中國的生肖屬兔。他小時候看了很多中國功夫片，比如《黃飛鴻》《龍爭虎斗》《醉拳》和《笑太極》。戴維對諸如李小龍和成龍這樣的名字一直念念不忘，但是想找到能教他古老的中國功夫的人卻并不容易。戴維能做的只有模仿在電影里看到的招式自己練習(xí)。那時，戴維認(rèn)為學(xué)習(xí)功夫是私人的事，可能是為了防身或消遣，但絕不是為了打架。

在18歲移居澳大利亞后，戴維學(xué)習(xí)功夫的愿望變得更加強(qiáng)烈。在對功夫做了一番研究后，戴維發(fā)現(xiàn)了詠春拳——它無疑是當(dāng)今國際上最知名的中國功夫流派。詠春派的開山祖師是一位女士，因此較之蠻力，這種拳法更強(qiáng)調(diào)技藝和策略。

戴維希望拜師學(xué)習(xí)詠春拳，但要想找到一位肯教外國人學(xué)功夫的師傅并不是件易事。戴維在電話號碼簿上不停地查找，通過電話跟許多武術(shù)師傅交談，最后終于找到了同樣出生于英格蘭、有30年教學(xué)經(jīng)驗的伊恩·普羅瑟羅。重要的一點是，伊恩的師父的師父正是大師葉問。

三年前，戴維第一次上課時，他在筆記本上寫下的第一句話便是：“學(xué)習(xí)功夫需要假以時日?！睆拇骶S拜師那天開始，每周二和周三傍晚他都要去伊恩家接受單獨輔導(dǎo)，風(fēng)雨無阻。戴維開車到伊恩家需要20分鐘。如果門關(guān)著，他從不會去敲門，而是會在院子里安靜地等待，直到伊恩做好授課的準(zhǔn)備。上課前，兩人會左手放于右拳之上互相作揖。他們兩人一起在鏡子前做做準(zhǔn)備活動，然后戴維就開始用木人樁和藤圈進(jìn)行練習(xí)，伊恩則在一旁觀察并糾正他的動作。每節(jié)課下課前，師徒二人都要切磋一番。伊恩會用或長或短的棍棒作為武器?！笆紫纫刂谱Ψ降奈淦?。攻擊者有武器在手時會很自信，但是當(dāng)你抓住武器去控制它時，他會本能地用后手猛擊，這時你要當(dāng)心，盡量避免被直接擊中?！币炼鳌て樟_瑟羅說。雖然已經(jīng)氣喘吁吁、大汗淋漓了，戴維還是快速地記著筆記。

“三年前當(dāng)我第一次見到他時，他年紀(jì)輕輕，十分瘦弱。現(xiàn)在，他依然精瘦，但是比以前強(qiáng)壯了。他技藝不錯，很有天賦，但還需要時間，至少要再練十年?！币炼鳌て樟_瑟羅說。戴維對師父的評語沒有異議。“中國文化非常了不起，”戴維說，“它不會直接告訴你持之以恒的重要性，而是創(chuàng)造出一套教人去練習(xí)的哲學(xué)，就像功夫這樣?！?/p>

“練習(xí)功夫就好像逆水行舟，不進(jìn)則退。”除了單獨輔導(dǎo)之外，戴維在周一、周三的晚上和周六的上午還會上伊恩的大課。在周三的兩堂課的課間，戴維和伊恩通常會飲上一杯中國茶?！拔覐膸煾改抢飳W(xué)到的不僅是武藝，還有做每日慣常之事的正確態(tài)度，”戴維說，“功夫不是打斗的一種方式，而是提升自我的一種途徑。”

在戴維的鼓勵和指導(dǎo)下，他的中國室友們也開始對著家里的木人樁練習(xí)一些功夫技藝了。和功夫片里的打斗場面不同，他們練習(xí)時非常安靜。戴維的一位室友問他，為什么他這個外國人對中國文化的理解比有些中國人還透徹?！捌鋵?，這對我而言并不容易，”戴維說，“跟拳擊手出拳不一樣，因為木人樁上有十幾支樁手，因此更難對付。所以，不能不假思索就把憤怒和力量都激發(fā)出來，打詠春拳需要多動腦子。拳手需要提前想好五步后招，而不能只想一招。在過招時，還要考慮到博弈理論?！?/p>

令詠春派揚名的八字心訣體現(xiàn)了這門藝術(shù)中所蘊(yùn)含的哲學(xué)思想。這八個字分別寫下來，意為：來留去送，甩手直沖。戴維用英語解釋給他的室友聽：“要愉快地從事手頭的工作。如果你發(fā)現(xiàn)它比你最初想象的困難或者變得越來越難時，不要沮喪地兩手一攤說‘我干不了這個。要堅持下去，接受挑戰(zhàn)，直到達(dá)成目標(biāo)為止?！?/p>

為了專心學(xué)習(xí)功夫，戴維從大學(xué)輟學(xué)。“現(xiàn)在，這就是我的大學(xué)?！贝骶S指著自己T恤衫上的標(biāo)志說。那個標(biāo)志是：昆士蘭詠春武術(shù)學(xué)校。“如果你真正熱愛一件事，就要堅持下去?！彼f。

最后，有一件事我們必須了解，“詠春”的意思是永恒或歌頌春天，還代表“對未來的希望”。

1.dummy [?d?mi] n. 人體模型

2.spar [spɑ?（r）] vi. （練習(xí)時或試探對手反應(yīng)時的）輕拳出擊

3.lash out： （突然）狠打，痛打。lash [l??] vi. 猛擊；狠打

4.paddle [?p?dl] vi. 用槳劃