中文見下
April 5, Yanshan County (盐山县), Zuozhaung (左庄), Cangzhou - Yeung Sifu’s Journal 2012
After taking a taxi out of Qingyun County (庆云县, Shandong Province), we first went to Yanshan County (盐山县) to buy some gifts—some fresh pastries and fine green tea leaves. We then changed buses and headed for Zuozhuang (左庄). After about half an hour’s ride, we arrived. Zuozhuang belongs to Xiaoying Township (小营乡) and is divided into Dazuo Village (大左村) and Xiaozuo Village (小左村). We were going to Xiaozuo Village (小左村), where Grandmaster Zuo Demin (左德民师爷) lives. The grandmaster is the seventh-generation descendant of Zuo Baomei (左宝梅), the ancestral master of Cangzhou Piguaquan (沧州劈挂拳). His family has lived there for generations, farming for a living while passing down Piguaquan (劈挂拳) kung fu without interruption from the Qianlong era (乾隆年间) to the present day.
After getting off at the village entrance, we saw scattered earthen houses with rows of tiles covering their roofs. The walls looked rather dilapidated, however, and some of the straw mixed into them was exposed. Still, the bases of the walls seemed very solid. Here and there, bundles of crops had been left idle at the corners of the walls. On this spring morning, Xiaozuo Village (小左村) looked so old, so simple, and so peaceful.
Because the grandmaster’s home had no telephone, we had earlier asked someone to let them know that we would come to visit today. We found the grandmaster’s house in a small alley, and he and his wife had already been waiting for us inside for some time. The elderly grandmaster looked very kindly, but there was a natural dignity in his manner. He talked with Zhu Shifu while asking about our martial arts training. Unfortunately, none of us senior and junior brothers understood the Cangzhou dialect (沧州方言), so we occasionally had to let Zhu Shifu translate before we could understand the grandmaster’s words. We sat in the yard chatting, while the grandmaster’s wife happily invited us to drink tea. Afterwards, the grandmaster asked us to demonstrate some of the kung fu we had learned. So I, the student specializing in Tongbei Pigua Quan (通臂劈挂拳), had to represent us and performed a round of Qing Long Quan (青龙拳) and the Twelve Da Tangzi (Shierdatangzi, 十二大趟子), and then practiced a Qing Long Quan (青龙拳) two-person sparring set with Senior Brother Zhen. After that, the grandmaster seemed to become interested and demonstrated a family-inherited double broadsword form (双刀法) for us. Watching the old man’s agile movements and spirited swordplay, it was hard to imagine that he was already seventy-six years old!
Before we knew it, it was afternoon. Worried that the elderly couple would be too tired, we had to take our leave. Before leaving, we took a photo with the grandmaster. Later I learned that his wife liked it very much, because the family had originally had no photo of the grandmaster. So after he passed away, she specially asked Zhu Shifu to send the photo back to Cangzhou (沧州) for her, as a memento of Grandmaster Zuo (左师爷).
Note: As I recall, he was seventy-six, but there may be some discrepancy. I hope to have a chance to verify it later.
Village entrance to Zuozhang was still very rural in 2012
2012年的左庄村口，仍十分乡土。
Front left: Zuo Demin Sifu; in white: Zhu Sifu; back left behind Zuo Sifu: Yeung Sifu; plus two brothers.
前排左侧为左德民师傅；白衣者为祝师傅；后排左侧、左师傅身后为杨师傅；另有两位师兄弟。
騎走滄州之四
四月五日鹽山•左莊
乘計程車離開慶雲縣後,我們先到了鹽山市買了些手信,是些新鮮的糕點並上等的綠茶茶葉. 我們接著便轉車到左莊去, 大約經過半小時車程,我們便到達左莊了.左莊屬於小營鄉,分大、小左莊 .我們要去的是小左莊,左德民師爺就是住在那裡. 師爺是滄州劈掛門的左寶梅祖師的七世孫,他們家就世居在那裡. 一方面務農為生,另一方面傳習着劈掛門功夫自乾隆年間直到今日從未有間斷.
我們在村口下車後,見到些參次錯落的土房子,房頂上有着一排排的瓦片覆蓋. 不過,看來牆身卻有點破舊. 牆上的草料也有部分暴露於外. 但是牆腳的位置,似乎仍十分堅固.不時見到一些農作物,一束束地閒置在牆角的地方. 就在這個個春日的上午,小左莊看來是如此地古舊,如此地簡朴和寧靜.
因師爺家中沒有電話,所以早些時候還托人去通知,今天我們會到來探望他們. 在小巷子中找着了師爺的房子,師爺和師母早就在屋子裡裏等候我們多時了. 師爺他老人家看來很和藹,但神態中自帶一種威嚴.他跟祝師一邊交談,一邊詢問我們學武的情况. 可惜我們師兄弟們都不懂滄州的方言. 只好間或讓祝師為我們翻譯才能明白師爺的話.我們在園子坐下閒聊着, 師母在一傍也很高興地招呼着我們飲茶.之後,師爺就讓我們演示了一下所學過的功夫,也只好由我這個專修通臂劈掛的學生做代表,走了趟青龍拳和十二大趟子,又與楨師兄合練了趟青龍拳的對打. 之後師爺似乎來了興緻,為我們演示了趟家傳的雙刀法.看著老人家靈活的身手,精神奕奕的耍起了刀法,難以想像他已是個七十六歲*的老人家！
不經不覺已到下午,擔心老人們會太累,我們也只好告辭了.在離去前,我們和師爺一起拍了張照片,後來得知這張照片師母很是喜歡,因為家中原沒有師爺的照片, 所以在師爺過世後,她特別囑咐祝師將照片寄回去滄州給她,算是對左師爺的一個留念.
註*記憶中是七十六歲,但也許有出入,希望日後有機會再查證.
