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Sat, November 21, 2009
My Trip to Yongtai
by Chen Pengcheng
 It is always a nice experience to go on a trip to a mountainous area such as Yongtai County. Though I have been there several times, my strong feelings never diminish. In fact, I still have much emotional expectation each time. I got up early this morning as usual. Before leaving home, I looked in the mirror and gave a big smile, saying to myself, "This is going to be a wonderful day." Just a few days ago, a violent typhoon had ravaged Fujian province. For nearly a week I was besieged by terrible TV news and radio broadcasts. Heavy rains, strong winds and heavy losses everywhere! But by the time I got on the city bus, I was in high spirits once more. The typhoon left in its wake sunny-and-mild days. Summers are usually terribly hot here in Fuzhou. It was nice to escape the torturous heat for a short period. The cool air in the early morning reminded me of a proverb I learned as a child: "One door is closed while the other is opened." Today, the door was open for me.
A short journey on a coach is pleasant. Yongtai is an adjoining county to Fuzhou City. It usually takes an hour and a half to get there from the coach station at the west side of Fuzhou City. So I felt very relaxed when I took a window seat on the coach. The coach driver turned on the music and the air conditioning. Listening to the music, I felt very comfortable in my seat. Very soon, the coach driver started the engine and we headed towards Yongtai. Looking out the window at the green mountains passing by, I could imagine a friendly guy greeting me at the end of the road roughly sixty kilometers away. He is my good friend, a tiger master, Mr. Lin Zhangying. I should have visited him much earlier. One year ago, I sat down and conducted a formal talk with Master Lin Zhangying. Due to my busy life, I hardly had enough time to write an article about him. Just two weeks ago, the previous talk was still stored on the cassette tapes. It was Darren, the head of Southern Crane kung fu, who prompted me to transform the sound into the written text. I have completed the work on the tapes, so today's task is very simple ? taking some action pictures of Master Lin Zhangying for the layout of the written text and finding a nice place to have a good meal with him. "Enjoy life," I should say.
At 9:10 A.M., I arrived at the coach station in Yongtai County. After getting out of the coach, I gave Master Lin Zhangying a phone call. Master Lin Zhangying's house is very near to the coach station, so I didn't have to wait very long for him. One minute later, Master Lin Zhangying appeared in the distance. He was in a white T-shirt and grey leisure pants today. I could see the big smile on his face as he greeted me from afar. I walked towards him and shook his hands. We chatted cheerfully. It was so nice to see an old friend again!
 After a short stay in Master Lin Zhangying's house, we walked towards a nearby park where I would take some action pictures of him. Because I had contacted Master Lin several days ago to let him know what I wanted, he was well prepared today. One of Master Lin's students was invited in to act as a partner. He was a tall and shy boy. Master Lin told me that he planned to train the boy intensively and hoped to see him grow into a kung fu talent in the future. We spent 40 minutes in the park, and I got a number of excellent pictures. Just as we were leaving the park, Master Lin's mobile phone rang. It was from a Chicken Boxing master called Xie Jin. After knowing that Master Lin was receiving a friend from Fuzhou, the Chicken Master Xie Jin warmly invited us to his house for lunch. Master Lin turned to me and solicited my opinion. How could I turn down such a warm invitation?
Five minutes later we mounted another coach crowded with people. We rode the coach for about half an hour before getting off at a place called Chi Xi where we hailed a motorbike. The motorbike driver drove us up the mountain. I was astonished when Master Lin told me that the Chicken Boxing Master Xie Jin lived on the mountaintop. For a man who was brought up near the sea like me, this certainly promised to be an exciting experience. I have never before visited a village at the top of a mountain! As the road wriggled up the mountain, we saw no houses, only green pines and grasses. The motorbike driver told us that the road was constructed two years ago. Before that, the road condition was not so good. In the past, those living atop the mountain had to walk down when they went to the local fair to buy the daily necessities. I could imagine how hard life was in such a remote place. The motorbike driver's remarks reminded me of an interesting story I had heard in college. It was about a couple living high up on a mountain. One day the husband walked down the mountain to the town to buy some daily necessities. Two hours later, his wife suddenly remembered she had forgotten to tell him they needed more salt. The wife stood in an open space in front of the house and cried out the husband's name. The call reverberated through the mountains and, amazingly, the husband heard the voice. When I heard the funny story, I first smiled and then sighed. LIFE IS NOT EASY. This is very true.
 The motorbike crawled up the narrow road towards the peak. A half-hour later, after yet another right turn by the motorbike, we saw a village. It was small, just a few scattered houses. It was not difficult to find Master Xie Jie's house, as a woman told us where it was when we asked her for help. We walked toward Master Xie Jin's house and suddenly heard a voice. It was Master Xie Jin. He was busy in the kitchen preparing lunch. Master Xie Jin then led us to a small room upstairs. The most conspicuous thing in it was a sacrificial altar honoring kung fu ancestors. An electrical candle took the place of the traditional wax candle, and it was on all day. The room was filled with solemn silence. Master Xie Jin served us the tea and we sat on the bedside and then talked pleasantly. Master Xie Jin was eloquent when we shifted the subject to kung fu. I was impressed with Master Xie Jin's knowledge as he kept reciting the rhymed formula in local dialect. As was widely known, the rhymed formula could hold a secret part of the kung fu because it contained key clues or main principles. When asked who taught him the rhymed formula, Master Xie Jin told me his father taught him kung fu and forced him to memorize the rhymed formula as part of it. Just as we were talking happily, Master Xie Jin's son came in and called us to lunch. It was a big feast. Master Xie Jin invited in his uncles and some students, as well as two villagers. I was moved by their hospitality, and cups and cups of beers made me dizzy.
I was lucky to have a chance to see the Chicken Boxing performances. After lunch, Master Xie Jie showed us to a room next door where a group of boys and girls had already gathered and were waiting for us. They first did some bare-hand patterns in the 12-square-meter room and then moved to the hall for the weapons. They gave us very nice performances. Some villagers gathered and watched, and I took the opportunity to shoot some pictures. I was cheered by their performances in this era when more and more of the younger generation is turning its back on traditional kung fu. Their performances gave me hope that they would grow into future Chicken Boxing masters.
 We left there in the dusk. Once more, we hailed the motorbike. At this time of the day, the motorbike was the only means of transportation for getting to the foot of the mountain. It was dark by the time we arrived at the coach station. Master Lin Zhangying told me that the last coach had already left and asked me to stay in Yongtai for a night. Due to my work commitment, I had to refuse him with many regrets. I hailed a taxi parked outside the coach station. After bargaining with the taxi driver, I said goodbye to Master Lin Zhangying. The taxi sped into the darkness. I asked the taxi driver to turn on the music. The music was sweet. I sat in the seat and relaxed myself completely.
When I arrived in Fuzhou, I was exhausted but happy. I wish to thank Master Lin Zhangying for his help and Master Xie Lin for his hospitality. This was a wonderful and memorable day.
Written by Chen Pengcheng for KUNGFUMAGAZINE.COM
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