Preface
Speaking of the founding general Xu Shiyou, people often think of his legendary experience of learning martial arts in the Shaolin Temple when he was young, and various stories are also circulated among the people.
But in fact, Xu Shiyou himself never said that he had become a monk or a monk. In fact, Xu Shiyou only revealed one sentence about his relationship with the Shaolin Temple: "I have learned Shaolin Kung Fu." This was not because Xu Shiyou wanted to hide anything, but because he did not recite a single sutra in the Shaolin Temple, let alone pray. Once Buddha.
Xu Shiyou
Has Xu Shiyou ever become a monk?
So, did Xu Shiyou ever become a monk? It is said that the Shaolin Temple once announced that Xu Shiyou had indeed served as a monk here, and that his name and the monk's room where he lived were all recorded.
But this can only be "rumored", and the real situation cannot be verified.
Later, when Xu Shiyou began to write his memoirs, people expected to learn the real "Shaolin story" from his book. However, Xu Shiyou's first book "My Sixteen Years in Shandong" did not contain any information at all. When it comes to the experience of the Shaolin Temple, the second book "My Ten Years in the Red Army" is much closer to the experience of the Shaolin Temple, but it is still a little bit far behind.
When Xu Shiyou died of illness in 1985, his wife Tian Pu compiled and merged his two books into "Memoirs of Xu Shiyou". In the preface of this book, there is still no mention of the Shaolin Temple. At the end of the book, it is included in the "Life of Comrade Xu Shiyou" published by after approval by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Military Commission. There is only this sentence about the Shaolin Temple: "... When he was a boy, he worked as a handyman for a martial arts master because of his family poverty. Later, he went to the Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts..."
"Memoirs of Xu Shiyou"
In fact, in the two memoirs published by Xu Shiyou, he only said one sentence about the Shaolin Temple: "I have learned Shaolin martial arts." As for becoming a monk or something. Yes, no means no. After all, he had never recited a single sutra in his life, let alone worshiped the Buddha once. How could he become a monk?
Xu Shiyou once said wittily: "Wu Song, who fought tigers in Jingyanggang, only learned martial arts in Shaolin Temple for 6 years. I practiced in Shaolin Temple for 8 years, two years more than Wu Song."
But whenever people want him When writing his memoirs about his experience of practicing martial arts in the Shaolin Temple, he always said: "The part about the Shaolin Temple is boring, don't write it!" Master is traveling. Xu Shiyou's master likes to compete with others in martial arts. He wants to compete with others when he meets someone who is powerful. This behavior also directly affected Xu Shiyou, making Xu Shiyou have the habit of "making friends with force".
When he was in Shaolin Temple, Xu Shiyou even had a martial arts competition with a senior sister. Xu Shiyou recalled:
"In the Shaolin Temple at that time, there were many martial arts masters, both male and female. I had learned all eighteen martial arts at that time, and my hands were itchy. I looked for people to compete with each other everywhere. It was actually a kind of military training. There was a senior sister who was wrapped in three-inch golden lotus . After the fight, I realized that her martial arts skills were much higher than mine. Within a few seconds, she flew up and kicked her several feet away... "
Regarding this story, some people have raised questions. After all, how can there be female monks in Shaolin Temple?
But in fact, as early as 1988, "Xinmin Evening News" published an article titled "Shaolin Temple has had female monks since ancient times", which stated clearly:
"...Shaolin Temple has male and female monks. Because the number of female monks is small and they live in remote areas, and the male and female monks have the same shaved hair and the same clothes, it is difficult for ordinary people to tell them apart..."
Xu Shiyou
The story about Xu Shiyou's martial arts competition is widely circulated. There is another one:
It is said that after the Red Fourth Front Army entered Sichuan, in order to bring a good impression to the masses, a special ring competition was held.Since Xu Shiyou has practiced martial arts, he will be the challenger and can accept anyone's challenge. The price of the challenge is 30 yuan Guangyang .
The arena attracted crowds of spectators as soon as it was set up. At this time, a sturdy man jumped onto the ring. He wanted to compete with Xu Shiyou. Because he saw that Xu Shiyou was not as big as him, his eyes looked a bit contemptuous.
In the first round, the two competed for strength. In front of him is a large stone tripod, weighing several hundred kilograms. I saw this strong man exerting all his strength with his arms, and with a roar he lifted the stone tripod to his chest, and the audience immediately burst into applause. Next it was Xu Shiyou's turn. He first circled around the stone tripod, and then held the stone tripod high in the air with only one hand. Suddenly, the audience burst into even warmer applause.
The second round is a martial arts competition. The two of them fought back and forth for dozens of rounds, but there was no winner yet. The man got a little anxious and used his "killing move". Seeing this, Xu Shiyou deliberately sold a "flaw". Just when the strong man took action, Xu Shiyou tilted his body and the strong man jumped into the air. Xu Shiyou seized the opportunity to defeat the enemy with one move, and the strong man lay directly on the ground.
Through this arena competition, word spread in the Central Sichuan area: "The Red ArmyThere are really talented people among them!"
Xu Shiyou
The martial arts competition was not limited to a competition of strength, martial arts, and sometimes marksmanship. Once, Xu Shiyou asked someone to put a sheep on the top of a mountain and let the division commander and regiment commander beat it. Whoever rolled the goat down the mountain would be rewarded with a captured German pistol . As a result, none of the division commanders and regimental commanders were hit, but Xiao Xu, a telephone soldier who was watching the fun, was hit. Xu Shiyou ridiculed these cadres: "You can only eat eggs!"
"Martial Arts Leader" Xu Shiyou
has a photo that many people may have seen. The photo was taken of Xu Shiyou teaching warrior stick skills .
Xu Shiyou fights with a soldier
Judging from the picture, Xu Shiyou is fighting with a soldier. The sticks in both hands are more than two meters long and have knots on them. They are obviously freshly cut bamboo poles. There were seven or eight cadres and soldiers surrounding him, including one with an apron tied around his waist, like a cook who was attracted to watch.
This photo was taken purely by accident. That year, female reporter Yin Zhihui came to Nanjing from Beijing and wanted to write an article about Xu Shiyou's concern for sports activities. Xu Shiyou was in a good mood those days and agreed immediately after hearing about it.
Before going for the interview, Yin Zhihui proposed to find someone to help take some photos and publish them with the text. But several photography officers were not at home at the time. In fact, taking photos for Xu Shiyou is a common occurrence for the photography team. Today's photo shoot is not a hard task, so there is no compulsion to find someone to come back.
Later, when Xu Shiyou talked about the past to female reporter Yin Zhihui, the newspaper's officer Lu Xiaoming hurriedly arrived. Yin Zhihui, out of the acumen of a professional reporter, suggested that Xu Shiyou take photos outdoors, preferably a few martial arts-related photos. Xu Shiyou readily agreed again, so we had the photo mentioned above. This may also be the first time in his life that he has become a photography "model". In fact, at that time Xu Shiyou no longer had the energy and skill to wield a sword or a stick.
Xu Shiyou
After Yin Zhihui returned to Beijing, he wrote the article "Talk about the Years of Practicing Kung Fu and Martial Arts", which was published in the first issue of Chinese Martial Arts magazine in 1983. Unexpectedly, this photo titled "Veteran's Glory" later won the first prize in a photography exhibition.
Photos are just photos after all, but it is true that Xu Shiyou likes to teach martial arts in real life. He often said: "When practicing martial arts, one is to practice arm strength, the other is to practice dexterity, and the third is to practice courage. When it comes to fighting, this is combat effectiveness."
In Xu Shiyou's hometown, fewer and fewer people are practicing martial arts. When they talk about the glorious history of their fathers, they always repeat the stories that have been told for many years with relish. So-and-so's grandfather learned Qinggong from Xu Shiyou. He tied two large sandbags to his legs. He couldn't walk at first, couldn't climb mountains, and couldn't even squat down to defecate.Later, after practicing it, I can walk as fast as the wind, climb mountains as fast as flat ground, catch a running hare with my bare hands, and jump up a house ten feet high without breaking any tiles.
So-and-so’s father and so-and-so’s uncle once learned sword skills from Xu Shiyou. Xu Shiyou customized several pig iron knives and asked them to practice their moves. The knives weighed dozens of kilograms and they couldn’t swing them at first. After getting used to it, my arm strength also increased. At this time, I put on a lighter steel knife, which makes a whirring sound when dancing. A bucket of water is poured over it, so the clothes will not get wet; twelve copper plates are stacked together, chopped with one knife, and divided into twenty-four halves.
Su Yu, Xu Shiyou
During the war years, Xu Shiyou highly praised the role of martial arts in combat. When troops were training, he first focused on marksmanship and asked "shoot bullets at the enemy, not into the air"; second, he promoted martial arts and organized troops to dance with swords and sticks, which can not only enhance their physical fitness, but also increase their skills in killing enemies.
During the Red Army period, the troops Xu Shiyou served were equipped with broadswords and spears. In hand-to-hand combat, these Chinese cold weapons with a history of more than a thousand years often show their power in the battlefield of life and death.
Xu Shiyou once said something he encountered when he was a cavalry commander in the Fourth Front Army of the Red Army: "Once the situation at the front was very urgent. I rushed to the front line at high speed. I suddenly encountered a ditch on the way. I had no time to rein in my horse and was hit by a shock. The force pushed me from the horse's head to the other side of the ditch. At this time, I hurriedly put my hands on the ground to protect my head. You must know that in this sudden situation, when I landed from the air, my weight was on the ground with my hands on the ground. On the palm of your hand, this requires strong arm strength and strength. If you hadn't learned the kung fu in the Shaolin Temple and practiced it regularly, I'm afraid that it would have been "reimbursed" immediately, and it would have been a bloody mess. Embarrassed look! "
Xu Shiyou
During the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation, the army's equipment improved and the scale of the war became larger and larger. The broadsword and the spear were no longer of much use, but Xu Shiyou still insisted on practicing martial arts. When he was the commander in Jiaodong, Xu Shiyou specially asked a mason to chisel two stone locks , one weighing 60 kilograms and the other 40 kilograms. He practiced whenever he had time, and he could easily pick it up with the instep of his feet and lift it above his head with his hands. Later, the battle became tense, and the stone lock could not be carried with him. When he arrived at a certain place, he would ask someone to find a millstone, pierce it with a bar, and start lifting weights. There was a big sword in the Guandi Temple, which weighed seventy or eighty kilograms. He could easily perform several routines in his hand. He also found a big bow handed down from ancient times, bent the bow and stringed it, stretched the bow and shot arrows, enjoying it endlessly. He said that this can improve arm strength and eyesight, which is very helpful for shooting accurately.
is effective, "the power of example is infinite". The troops led by Xu Shiyou have a strong atmosphere of martial arts practice. During the battle breaks, soldiers can be seen in groups everywhere, playing with stone locks, lifting stone burdens, and climbing big ropes. Sometimes, if there are no conditions, the stone roller on the threshing floor is also used to practice arm strength to see who can move it and lift it high.
Xu Shiyou went down to serve as a soldier in his company
In late September 1958, Xu Shiyou responded to the call of Chairman Mao Zedong and Vice Chairman Liu Shaoqi and implemented the regulations of the General Political Department of -"The general serves as a soldier in his company." When
first arrived in the army, the soldiers saw Xu Shiyou coming. Considering his age, they did not let him do any work. Xu Shiyou was not happy about this. He must eat, live and train with the soldiers.
The "Photo Album of General Xu Shiyou" published by Nanjing Publishing House has selected a group of photos of Xu Shiyou as a soldier in his company. Among them is a "climbing" photo and a text description written by Hou Wenjia, which truly records the scene at that time.
"The old general in his 50s took the lead in climbing the steep mountain like a young soldier. He shouted, "Go up!" The soldiers followed closely.Just as he climbed to a recess in the middle of the mountain, the climbing rope was tightened by subsequent soldiers. The old general suddenly let go and his body was hanging in the air! Zhao Yide, the security minister standing on the ground, suddenly turned pale! At this critical moment, the old general tilted his body, grabbed the climbing rope with one hand, stepped on the rock with one foot, jumped up, and grabbed the climbing rope with the other hand. Finally, he saved the day and continued climbing safely... Viewers will be amazed! If it weren't for the veteran general's superb martial arts foundation, this dangerous situation would have been unimaginable. "
Xu Shiyou
What impressed the soldiers even more was Xu Shiyou's martial arts. When eating, he could pick up a bench and perform more than a dozen moves. He blocked the left and hit the right, advancing and retreating like the wind, which stunned the officers and soldiers. During the break, Xu Shiyou often boxed for the soldiers, and the soldiers said: "The punches are different every day, they are powerful and beautiful! ”
Xu Shiyou’s subordinate company has only been in the army for three months, but the soldiers around him have become his “apprentices”. The “Bench Kung Fu” in traditional martial arts has been renamed “Bench Exercise”, and everyone can do it on the bench. A few times, the chief of staff complained that the long benches in the company always had short arms and legs, but there were more and more young men who could stretch their arms and legs and walk a few steps.
Xu Shiyou also liked to interact with cadres. The soldiers shook their hands to show their strength. If he shook hands with him, others would scream in pain. Many old comrades in the Nanjing Military Region had suffered this and would never dare to shake hands with him again. At this time, they could only say hello and smile knowingly.
When interviewing Xu Shiyou, the editor-in-chief of "Xu Shiyou's Memoirs" and the People's Liberation Army Publishing House, asked him whether he really knew how to use Eighteen Weapons . Yixiao said: "Eighteen kinds of weapons? I can do nineteen things! After saying that, he picked up a chair and practiced it a few times before saying, "You can use whatever you see. This is normal!" "
Xu Shiyou
When the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge was being built, Xu Shiyou often went to inspect. The straw bags piled on the construction site contained stones. Each bag weighed more than 200 kilograms. He could easily move it. He went to Chengxi Lake Farm to inspect the work. , a bag of rice weighed more than 200 kilograms, and Xu Shiyou carried it and walked as fast as the wind. At this time, Xu Shiyou was already in his 60s.
For some time, martial arts movies in Hong Kong and Taiwan were very popular in mainland China. I borrowed a few movies and showed them to Xu Shiyou. It’s fun for outsiders, but for insiders, just when everyone was attracted by the dazzling martial arts moves in the martial arts movie, Xu Shiyou suddenly made some comments: "Look at him doing tricks." , looks like a bastard, if he meets me, he will be kicked to death. "
" There is no foundation under your feet, you are beaten and angry, and you will fall before others fail. "
" This is not martial arts, this is martial arts. Martial arts also pays attention to basic skills, which are not even as good as martial arts. "
"'s movie making is all fake, how many real skills does it have? "
At that time, martial arts performances and competitions were also very popular. Just after they were held in Beijing, they were held again in Nanjing, and they were often broadcast on TV. After Xu Shiyou watched them, he often expressed dissatisfaction. He believed that martial arts had gone astray and lacked offensive and defensive consciousness and means. There were too many pretense, and even the martial arts competition became a performance, just like on the stage or in the movie, he even asked someone to send a message to the then director of the National Sports Commission, asking him to catch up on this matter.
What Xu Shiyou is proud of is that Chairman Mao Zedong also learned Shaolin Boxing from him.
In 1952, Mao Zedong went to Qufu as the commander of the Shandong Military Region. On the special train, Xu Shiyou performed a set of Shaolin boxing, which aroused Mao Zedong's interest. He imitated every move and learned it very seriously.
Ten years later, Mao Zedong said to Tan Qilong in Zhejiang: "I like sports. In Shandong, I I also learned Shaolin Boxing from Xu Shiyou. "
Xu Shiyou served as the honorary chairman of the Chinese Martial Arts Association during his lifetime.This title is roughly equivalent to the "martial arts leader" who commands various martial arts in Jin Yong 's martial arts novels. Judging from his training, skills, and qualifications, Xu Shiyou is well-deserved and may be the best candidate ever.
