Visiting Cangzhou - Pigua Tongbei Quan’s Root (Part 1)

Editor note: These stories were originally shared by Yeung Sifu in our past website and blogs. It documents his first visit to Cangzhou with his teacher and martial brothers to meet the lineage holders of Zuo family Pigua Tongbei Quan.

April 2nd: First Arrival in Beijing

A three-and-a-half-hour flight from Hong Kong brought us to Beijing Capital International Airport. Among our group of four, only Master Zhu had been to Beijing before—it was the first visit for Senior Brother Zhen, Junior Brother Chang, and myself. Barely containing our excitement, we quickly settled into our hotel and headed straight to Wangfujing Street.

Totem column in front of the Forbidden Palace, Beijing, China - dates back to Ming dynasty

The street lamps were just lighting up with few pedestrians around. Beijing in April still carried a chill, and my coat occasionally brushed against passersby. The snack street featured Beijing specialties like zhajiang noodles, braised offal with flatbread, and various skewers. My favorite was the yogurt, served not in modern plastic or glass containers, but in small brown clay pots—adding a distinctive charm.

Wangfujing ("Prince's Mansion Well") is named after an ancient well from the Ming Dynasty. Today, a four-sided pulley system marks the original site—a simple tool once used for drawing water with a roller and rope. Interestingly, this pulley mechanism perfectly illustrates the core principle of our Pigua Tongbei Quan martial art: outward movement creates "rolling force," while inward movement produces "pulling force." Such a clear concept!

A traditional mechanical 4 sided pulley-system to draw up water from wells

How remarkable that the ancients transformed simple mechanical principles into a sophisticated martial art!

Walking through Wangfujing, I reflected on how this area once housed mansions of Qing Dynasty officials and princes, now all demolished during the Cultural Revolution.

Erguotou is a very strong traditional Beijing wine. Staple for the cold north climates.

That evening, we dined at a small local restaurant, ordering authentic dishes: dumplings, stir-fried lamb, and braised eggplant. No Beijing experience would be complete without a bottle of 57-degree Erguotou! Come, let's taste the flavor of old Beijing!

騎走滄州之一（二零一二年尋武之旅）

四月二日初抵北京

香港飛往北京約三個半小時，抵達首都國際機場。我們四人中，除祝師外，楨師兄、昌師弟和我都是首次踏足北京。掩不住興奮之情，酒店稍作安頓後便急忙前往王府井大街。

華燈初上，行人不多。北京四月仍帶寒意，大褸時與路人擦肩而過。小吃街上有炸醬面、鹵煮火燒、各式串燒等北京特色美食，而我最愛的是奶酪—不用現代塑膠或玻璃瓶，而是盛於小巧棕色陶甕中，別具風味。

王府井因一口古井得名，考古研究表明是明代遺跡。如今原址放置了四面轆轤—古時打水的工具，簡言之就是利用滾軸和繩索將水筒吊至井底的裝置。巧合的是，我們所練的劈掛通臂拳正講究這轆轤勁：順勢放出為滾勁，逆向收回則為翻扯，直觀明瞭！

古人將簡單機械原理應用於人體運動，最終發展成一門武藝，智慧非凡！

逛完王府井，想到百多年前此處曾是清朝大臣與王爺貝勒官邸所在，可惜文革時期已拆毀殆盡。

當晚，我們在小館子用餐，點了餃子、炒羊肉和紅燒茄子等道地菜式。最後，當然要來一瓶五十七度二鍋頭！來，一起品嘗老北京的滋味吧！