Source of this article: Short Historical Records, thanks!
Text | Chen Xubin
This year marks the 45th anniversary of the death of Chinese kung fu superstar Bruce Lee (November 27, 1940 - July 20, 1973).
As the international spokesperson of "Chinese Kung Fu", Bruce Lee has not participated in any formal fighting competitions since he won the Hong Kong Interschool Boxing Championship in his early years. The battle videos circulating on the Internet are all from when he participated in events as a guest performer. When his daughter Li Xiangning was interviewed by the media, she also admitted:
"My father has not participated in these competitions because philosophically he believes that such competitions do not conform to the concept of martial arts. He does not believe in fighting, because real boxing is There are no rules."
However, there is no doubt that Bruce Lee was an enthusiastic martial arts enthusiast and practitioner, and he also had his own unique insights into martial arts.
It was precisely because of his love that Bruce Lee's views on " traditional Chinese martial arts " went through a cognitive process from superstition to disillusionment.
"Letters of the Dragon: Correspondence (1958-1973)" edited and published by John Little (the title of the Chinese version was changed to "Bruce Lee: The Other Side of the Kung Fu King", seemingly out of concern for using "Letters" as the title) Will affect sales), contains about 150 autograph letters written by Bruce Lee.
Among them, a considerable part of the letters talked about his understanding of martial arts.
From these letters, it can be clearly seen that with the deepening of martial arts practice, Bruce Lee's views on "traditional Chinese martial arts" have undergone great changes.
In 1961, in a letter to Pearl Cao, Bruce Lee once emphasized that "Chinese Kung Fu is the best martial art" and a "noble art". One of his ideals is to "let the world understand The breadth and depth of Chinese martial arts” .
wrote in the letter:
"Chinese Kung Fu is the best martial art. Those Judo and Karate derived from Chinese Kung Fu are only the most basic Chinese Kung Fu, but now they are very popular in the United States. The reason why This situation occurs because no one here has heard of this noble art, and there are no competent coaches... I believe that after many years of hard work, I can become the first Kung Fu coach. Of course, I still have a long way to go There is a long way to go to further improve my skills and create my own characteristics.
"Therefore, my goal is to establish the first martial arts gym that can be promoted throughout the United States (in order to complete the entire plan, I plan to spend ten to fifteen years time). My purpose in doing this is not only to make money, but also to realize many other ideas, such as: letting the world understand the profoundness of Chinese martial arts..."
This perception lasted for a long time.
On October 30, 1964, Bruce Lee gave "William Chang of Hughes, Canberra, Australia" wrote that he was living with a "Chinese Kung Fu fan" who "could turn the bottom of the pile without breaking the first brick." "The bricks were broken into pieces", Li was deeply impressed by him.
"Now, I am concentrating on studying and practicing Kung Fu, living with a guy who is also a fan of Chinese Kung Fu (this guy is really amazing, he can actually break the first brick without breaking it) If there is one brick, break the bottom brick), we practice together for two hours every day. "
Around 1965, Bruce Lee consciously had some understanding of martial arts and tried to "create his own set of boxing techniques."
In February of that year, in a letter to Kimura Takeyuki , Bruce Lee described his understanding of martial arts in this way. ’s new understanding:
“I want to create my own boxing style, integrating streamlined boxing styles from various martial arts. This boxing style focuses on some fundamental things - rhythm, timing and distance - and includes five attacks. This is the most effective method I've come across so far. Anything beyond this system is nothing. Wing Chun is the starting point, and Li Shou is the core. Both are supplemented by five attack methods. The whole set of boxing techniques uses irregular rhythm to disrupt the opponent's rhythm in the fastest and most effective way.In short, this boxing technique is not limited to straight or curved attacks. Once on the field, there are no restrictions. This set of boxing can accommodate any routine, but you don’t need to be proficient in them all. I'll talk to you after I've summarized everything. "
In the above statement, Bruce Lee proposed the principle of "simplification", emphasizing the "rhythm, timing and distance" of attacks. He also mentioned that this boxing method does not pay attention to routines. "You can accept any routine, but you don't need to be proficient in them all. "The purpose is to "have no restraints as soon as you arrive on the court."
In another letter to Kimura Takeyuki on June 8 of that year, Bruce Lee stated more clearly that his boxing method is different from "traditional Chinese martial arts. "The two core characteristics of "-no posing and no fixed moves."
wrote in the letter:
"My boxing skills are basically formed now, but I will tell you alone when we meet. The idea is probably: without setting up stakes, it will be difficult for the opponent to see the routine clearly (that is, there is no guiding route or dividing line). In addition, without fixed moves (but the first principle cannot be changed), it will be more difficult to find a way to break it. Timing and distance are basic things, but Wing Chun boxing is still the core (and the most important foundation). "
At this time, although Bruce Lee emphasized that "Wing Chun is still the core", his stance on "traditional Chinese martial arts" (including other "routine martial arts" popular overseas) has basically turned to a critical stance.
Picture: Bruce Lee A sketch drawn when he founded Kung Fu in 1965
On April 18, 1966, Bruce Lee wrote to Takeyuki Kimura, severely criticizing "routine martial arts" and denounced its "moves and traditional techniques" as "disappointing regulations." ", accusing him of "being far away from the true meaning of martial arts."
wrote in the letter:
"Wu Zhi, your views on other martial arts masters are a bit exaggerated. They are not the way to fully express yourself. The more I observe those who practice karate in the West, the more shocked I am at the blind acceptance of such an unrealistic form of martial arts by the public, without even analyzing karate in terms of the more practical sport of boxing! If you want to achieve success in Kung Fu, you have to put aside all distractions and practice Kung Fu according to its streamlined and direct nature. The moves and traditional techniques of other martial arts masters you mentioned are just "disappointing rules" that only mislead students and are far away from the true meaning of martial arts. This kind of practice (actually a form of paralysis) can only solidify and restrict what is originally free and flowing. Putting aside the mystery, practicing those moves really means nothing. Just blindly investing in them will definitely lead to no results.
"Even if a person moves very fast, those tricks are not worthy of much praise. You see, they always try to set a rhythm, rather than adjusting according to the rhythm; in the actual competition, the rhythm changes at any time. You have to take into account factors such as reaction speed. In traditional techniques, many defense systems are "dead". These techniques cannot "catch" and 'fix' the changing movements in the competition, so we cannot follow the dissection Practice like analyzing zombies. When it comes to the actual competition, everything is not fixed, but absolutely 'alive'."
Around the same time, a female fan named "Wiki" wrote to Bruce Lee asking him about his role in the TV series " "The Green Hornet" is about karate and how to break a brick with your hands.
Bruce Lee clarified in his reply that what he practiced in the TV series was "Kung Fu, the predecessor of karate", and emphasized that martial arts methods such as breaking bricks are useless and can only be used for performances.
wrote in the letter:
"What I played in the TV series was not karate, but kung fu, the predecessor of karate, which originated in China (karate also originated from Chinese kung fu). Breaking bricks and wooden boards is just a performance and is not recommended. Anyone who practices on a daily basis, especially if you are a girl, should not practice. Skill practice is the main goal. If you want to break something, you can use a hammer. ”
in a letter to Huang Chunliang , Bruce Lee once said, "Actually, I started practicing in 1966."
At the end of 1967, Bruce Lee was interviewed by the American "Black Belt" magazine, and he also had a sharp criticism of "traditional Chinese martial arts":
"Traditional martial arts has too many unrealistic horse steps , postures and traditional forms and rules... ...Practice and fighting are out of touch, and students are not truly prepared for real fighting through practical training. A guy who carries these so-called miscellaneous traditional 'true traditions' will only be beaten up." ((US) ) "Black Belt" magazine, November 1967 issue.)
During this period, Bruce Lee also practiced his own practice in getting rid of the "traditional martial arts" training model.
In a letter to "George Lee" in January 1968, Bruce Lee described his training status as follows:
"I have started training on Christmas Eve - this is my plan for 1968. Now, I average Two and a half hours of training a day, including hand and leg exercises, running exercises, muscle strength exercises, abdominal exercises, boxing exercises, and freehand exercises."
January 4, 1969, in a letter to "William Zhang" , Bruce Lee finally bluntly stated his true views on "traditional Chinese martial arts" :
"William, I have lost confidence in traditional Chinese martial arts - although I have to say that my boxing is Chinese - because In fact, all boxing techniques are empty products, even Wing Chun. Now my training focuses on more effective street fighting, fully armed, wearing helmets, gloves, armor, knee pads, etc. In the past five years, I I have been training hard for one purpose: martial arts is not just limited to training, but also practical. Now I run every day, sometimes 6 miles."
This is a person who truly loves martial arts. After practicing it for many years , a sigh of relief regarding "traditional Chinese martial arts".
On December 9, 1971, Bruce Lee was recording the "Pierre Burton Show" in Hong Kong. He once said this:
"I don't believe in any fixed sect at all. I mean, I don't believe in that kind of For example, Chinese-style fighting or Japanese-style fighting, or some form of fighting, because unless people have three heads and six arms, we can have different fighting methods. But basically we only have two hands and two feet."
Bruce Lee at this time , there is no such distinction as "Chinese martial arts" or "Japanese martial arts" in my mind.
Back in 1965, 24-year-old Bruce Lee didn’t think so.
On February 4 of that year, he went to the Fox Film Studio in Hollywood to audition. When being interviewed, he once praised the "Chinese Kung Fu" in his mind:
"Kung Fu originated from China. It is the ancestor of martial arts schools such as karate and judo. Kung Fu is a complete system and more fluid. I mean the movements of Kung Fu. It is more coherent, instead of doing one or two movements and then stopping. ...The fists and kicks of karate are like an iron rod, while the fists and kicks of kung fu are like an iron ball tied to an iron chain, with both hardness and softness, and great power. Incomparable."
Time will make people mature, and practice will also change a person's cognition.
Picture: Bruce Lee spent the last few years of his life as a "Kung Fu Superstar"
References
① Bruce Lee/Author, (American) Little John/Editor, "Bruce Lee: The Other Side of the Kung Fu King", China Friendship Publishing Inc. , 2011.
② Zhang Yanqing/Translation and editing, "Bruce Lee's "Lost Interview"", "Chinese Martial Arts" Issue 11, 2010.
③ Tang Long , "Bruce Lee's Rare TV Interview in 1965", "Chinese Martial Arts" 2001 Issue 5.
