Exhibits | 展品
 
Li Chuen Lam, born in Hong Kong in 1948, is a member of the indigenous community in Sheung Wo Hang village, Sha Tau Kok, in the New Territories. Of Hakka descent, he is the youngest in his family. In the twenty-seventh year of emperor Kangxi’s reign (1688) his distant ancestor Li Tek Wah moved from Bo Law to Wo Hang (present day Sheung Wo Hang village in Sha Tau Kok) in Sun On county and built the village.

李春林,1948年香港出生,新界沙頭角上禾坑村原居民,家中幼子。清康熙二十七年(1688年),李春林的祖先李德華帶同兒子李權林從廣東博羅遷至新安縣禾坑(現時沙頭角上禾坑村),建立禾坑村。

Sheung Wo Hang village has an old school, Kang Yung Study Hall, which nurtured many successful examination candidates (known as xiucai) down the generations. Li studied there during his childhood until he finished primary school. From the age of nine he saw many Hakka unicorn dance and kung fu performances in the village, which left a deep impression on his mind. In summer 1962 Jiangxi Bamboo Forest Temple Praying Mantis master Wong Yuk Kwong was invited to teach Hakka unicorn dance and kung fu in Sheung Wo Hang. Li Chuen Lam wanted to become his disciple but as his family was poor, he could not afford to pay the monthly tuition fee of ten Hong Kong dollars. At first, every evening he stood by the side and watched people practice. He practiced the stances and footwork back at home and tried to imitate the movements. Later, a uncle in the clan knew about Li Chuen Lam’s interest in martial arts and approached the master on his behalf. In the end, Wong Yuk Kwong sifu agreed to teach Li Chuen Lam for free, with the only demand he prepare a large pot of tea every evening.

上禾坑村設有一所鏡容書屋20,培養了不少秀才。李春林自小在書屋讀書,直至小學畢業。他九歲開始,常常看到村中的客家舞麒麟及功夫表演活動,自此留下深刻印象。到了1962年夏天,江西竹林寺螳螂拳傳人黃毓光受鄉親的邀請到上禾坑村教授客家舞麒麟及功夫。當時李春林希望拜師學藝,但由於家裡經濟環境不佳,未能額外支付每月十元的學費。最初每天晚上他在旁邊靜靜看大家練武,回家後自己練馬步,模仿動作。然後讓一位族叔知道了,李春林表示了想習武的意願,由族叔請求師傅免費教他,結果黃毓光師傅應承了,只要求李春林每晚準備一壇茶。

Li Chuen Lam recalls that over ten people were learning martial arts in the village. When he joined the class they were already studying the second boxing set (known as Soeng Zong). At first, the master asked him to practice the basic stances and steps, but in fact he had already memorized movement sequences of the first set (known as Daan Zong). After he performed this set for his sifu he began his studies with Soeng Zong. Back then, end of the year was the time when unicorn teams left the village to perform elsewhere, such as in Sha Tau Kok, Sheung Shui, Tai Po, Sai Kung, or even in the city centre. After a few years, Wong Yuk Kwong sifu asked Li Chuen Lam to go to the branch in Yuen Long and help his elder kung fu brother Liu Yuk Keung run the school. At the time his master had schools in Tsuen Wan, Hung Hom, Sai Wan Ho, Kwun Tong, Yuen Long and Wo Hang, with a student helping out at each of the branches. The master went to Yuen Long to supervise every other day, so Li Chuen Lam learnt most of his kung fu during this period.

據李春林回憶,當時村內有十多位兄弟學武,他插班時大家已經在學習第二套拳(稱為雙樁)。開始師傅讓他行馬步,但其實李春林早已記熟了第一套拳(稱為單樁)的動作;師傅看了後讓他從雙樁開始學。一般到了年底,麒麟出棚,從村子出發到別的地方舞麒麟,如沙頭角、上水、大埔、西貢及市區等等。過年後,黃毓光師傅讓李春林到元朗的分館,協助師兄廖玉強打理武館。當時他的師傅在荃灣、紅磡、西灣河、觀塘、元朗、禾坑設了分館,每個分館也有徒弟作助教。師傅一般隔天到元朗分館視察,所以李春林大部分的功夫都是在這段時間學得的。

A year later Li Chuen Lam transferred to the Tsuen Wan school. There were kung fu classes during morning, afternoon and evening sessions. He was responsible for teaching the stances and footwork, Daan Zong and Soeng Zong (in other words, the basics). Altogether he lived in the martial art school for four years, by which time he was fully grown as a man. It was then his master decided to close the Tseun Wan school. After the school was closed Li Chuen Lam worked in the food industry for two years. Despite the long hours he continued to practice martial arts during this period. After that he worked in the factory for three years, and spent a year in the United Kingdom in 1972 (all his siblings migrated to the United Kingdom during this time). He started to teach unicorn dance to younger clan members in the village before going abroad, when Master Wong was still alive (he passed away in 1968). The class was conducted in the same old house where he teaches martial arts today. In 1975 he started to formally teach Kwongsai Bamboo Forest Temple Praying Mantis kung fu in the village, all the while working full time in the construction industry. In 1998 he retired at the age of fifty. In 2001 he registered a society for unicorn dance.

一年後李春林轉到荃灣分館。荃灣館設早午晚三個時段的功夫班,他負責教行馬步、單樁及雙樁(入門基本功)。李春林總共在武館生活了四年,亦已長大成人,師傅決定關閉荃灣分館。武館遣散後,李春林從事飲食業兩年,工時雖長,但他堅持習武。後來他又到工廠工作三年,1972年到英國生活了一年(家中兄弟姐妹這段時期都移民到英國了)。在去英國前,當黃師傅仍健在之時(1968年逝世),他已開始在村內教子侄舞麒麟,就在現時上禾坑村的武館(原本是舊房子)。1975年開始正式在村內教授江西竹林寺螳螂派的功夫,間期一直從事建築業。1998年五十歲,正式退休。在2001年正式登記成立社團,以便出外舞麒麟申請牌照。

Li Chuen Lam wishes more people would learn Kwongsai Bamboo Forest Temple Praying Mantis, so that its legacy would continue. He is not interested in fame and only wishes this style of kung fu to continue to grow.

李春林希望把江西竹林寺螳螂派的技藝薪火相傳下去,希望多點人來學習,以免失傳。他不求出名氣,只願這門功夫發揚光大。