子昊

时代在变迁，随着万圣节、圣诞节这类洋节日成为我们生活中越来越必不可少的一部分，我们自己几千年历史积淀下来的一些古老文化，譬如中药和功夫，反倒在慢慢淡出我们的视线，转而在西方国家中开始盛行。身处这样一个文化大交流的时代，我们又该如何对待我们的文化、我们的根呢？下面就请跟随本文去认识一位对中国功夫情有独钟的外国少年。他对咏春的热爱也许会让你想要重新审视我们自己的古老文化。

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".

戴维的金发碧眼看上去与他正在训练的古老中国功夫格格不入，但他训练时充满热情，非常投入，这正是这门艺术的虔诚学习者所应具备的。

这个澳大利亚小伙子在布里斯班跟三个中国学生和一个来澳大利亚打工度假的韩国女孩同住一所房子。虽然这是一所典型的澳式住宅，但里面有一些显然是中式风格的陈设。餐厅里摆放着一个武术训练用的木人桩，上面挂着一个藤圈。墙上则挂着一个相框，里面是咏春功夫大师叶问的一张照片。两面大镜子倚墙而立，从镜中可以看得到大师的那张照片。所有这些中式陈设都是澳大利亚小伙戴维的，这所房子里只有他不是亚洲人。

戴维1987年出生在英格兰的贝辛斯托克，按中国的生肖属兔。他小时候看了很多中国功夫片，比如《黄飞鸿》《龙争虎斗》《醉拳》和《笑太极》。戴维对诸如李小龙和成龙这样的名字一直念念不忘，但是想找到能教他古老的中国功夫的人却并不容易。……