The famous martial artist Li Yaochen was born in 1876 and died in 1973. He lived for nearly a whole century. He walked past the escort of Jingyou Escort Bureau in Qing Dynasty and performed the Eight Immortals Sword in front of Empress Dowager Cixi. He once taught Yang Xiaolou, a master of Beijing Opera, to perform the Monkey Boxing in "Noisy Heaven" and the sword dancing skills in "Farewell My Concubine" by Mei Lanfang, a master of Beijing Opera. He founded the Wushu Tea Club in its heyday and presided over the prestigious Beijing Jason Wu Sports Research Association. He defeated the Japanese boxer in the boxing ring; After liberation, he gave a wonderful martial arts performance for Chairman Mao and the central leaders in Huairentang ... He experienced various periods such as the Qing Dynasty, Beiyang, the Republic of China and the Japanese Puppet, and had extraordinary experiences.
Li Yaochen is from Li Jiazhuang, Ji County, Hebei Province. When I was young, I was in the late Qing Dynasty, with political corruption, people's poverty and social unrest. At that time, martial arts was very popular in his hometown, one for defending his hometown and the other for self-defense. When people meet, they always ask with a strong local accent, "Have you survived those two lights?" Because there was a boxing ring in every village at that time, they practiced in the field during the slack season and under the oil lamp during the busy season. After two lamp oils, it shows that you have worked hard. Li Yaochen also dodged lamp oil twice and learned Taizu Boxing, which is a good kung fu in his hometown.
In the 16th year of Guangxu, Li Yaochen just turned 14 and left his hometown to make a living in Beijing. First I was an apprentice in Hebao, and four years later I was introduced to a friend escort agency. At that time, the Qing dynasty was corrupt, social unrest and underdeveloped transportation and postal services. So when businessmen go out, they often seek protection from people who know martial arts. At first, people who knew martial arts often stayed in hotels and waited for guests to hire them. After I was hired, I pushed the car on the road and walked 80 miles a day. This is the origin of bodyguards. Later, when the business became more and more developed, he named his own shop, prepared horses and chariots, and waited for the employment of the merchants. This is an escort company. In Qing dynasty, escort agencies were very developed. Pedestrians and passengers, incoming and outgoing officials, local officials who transport salaries and various funds, businessmen who transport goods, etc. , should entrust the escort agencies to send escorts along the way to protect; Businessmen and people send money to various places through escort agencies; Some big houses and companies have to find escort agencies to protect their homes.
There were eight escort agencies in Beijing in the late Qing Dynasty, and Hui You escort agency was the one with the longest operation time, the highest reputation and the largest scale. It is located in the grain store on the west of Nantou Road, Qianmen, with semicolons in Nanjing, Shanghai, Xi and Tianjin. Even in Juanzi, Li Yaochen's hometown, there are friends accompanying the owner of the organization. The rules of escort agencies are different from those of ordinary firms, and they are all mentoring. At that time, Hui You Escort Agency had more than 1000 apprentices and apprentices. Everyone in the escort agency has time to eat. Master Song, his uncles Lu Yupu, Wang Zhiting, Hu, etc. They are all famous escorts of Friends Escort Agency, and their martial arts are superb. Elder Li Yaochen has a long history with Hui You Escort Agency, and the martial arts practiced by Hui You Escort Agency is called Yellow Three Guns Hammer. Song Mailun, the fourth generation descendant of Huang San cannon hammer, is called "Shen Quansong Lao" by Jianghu people. This created conditions for Li Yaochen to join the Friendship Guard.
Although Li Yaochen learned some kung fu in his hometown, as a full-time escort, he naturally stayed away from his hometown, so the first thing he did after entering the escort agency was to learn from the master. His master Song is a proud disciple of Song Laomai. He learned boxing, of course, is Huang San gun hammer, and later learned Liuhe Dao. Then he practiced the big gun, 36 o'clock, 24 style. When we have finished practicing the eighteen kinds of martial arts, we will learn water kungfu, especially those short guys who use it in the water, such as Fenshuilan, Yanyue thorn, Emei thorn, plum blossom champion pen and so on. After learning amphibious kung fu, I learned to make hidden weapons, such as darts (also called golden darts, because one dart is heavy), crossbows with flowers on my back, and migratory locust stones. I have learned hard and soft kung fu, and I have to practice climbing the eaves and climbing the hurdles. The so-called jumping room means holding the head of the room and turning it up. How high it is, you can go up when you jump, and gently land on the eaves without noise. Crossing the roof is striding towards the roof. If you step on a tile, bang, crush it, it will be easy to be found. Don't make any noise when you roll over and jump. Sometimes you have to ask the stone to test it. Only when there is no movement can you jump.
A car escorting goods and silver from an escort agency is called an escort car, and an escort flag is inserted in the car. An escort car is called an escort car. According to the rules of dart line, you should shout the dart number and itinerary along the way. Bodyguards should be especially kind when they meet robbers and use Jianghu slang to deal with them. The content of slang is nothing more than two points: first, they are all handed down by a teacher and friends on the Jianghu. Should be loyal to the Jianghu; Second, the dart shop must admit that your friend gave you this bowl of rice. The other party asked, "Whose clothes are you wearing?" Just answer, "I'm wearing my friend's clothes." Ask, "Whose meal did you eat?" Just answer "eat a friend's meal." Slang after a period of time, it is generally safe to let you go. But sometimes if you disagree twice, the two sides will fight. When fighting, the apprentice should go all the way forward. Of course, road robbers are desperate, and so are bodyguards. In this case, if you can't get out, you have to lose the darts, and your future work will be ruined. So the bodyguard risked his life. It is also common for bodyguards to die at the hands of robbers.
In the twenty-seventh year of Guangxu, Huiyou Escort Agency transported 102,000 cash from Baoding to Tianjin. In Xiaxihe, someone robbed the escort agency and the two sides fought. As a result, four of the eight bodyguards died. On another occasion, eleven people, including Li Yaochen and Shi Shujiao, protected the hemp dart road at the flower market. After Badaling, they met a man who grabbed a dart with a gun full of sand. Although the dart didn't have an accident, both his brother and Wu were killed. The life of darts is very hard and stressful. Every day before dawn, we must hurry early; All the way through the mountains and rivers, the wind and the sun, the spirit should be highly concentrated, ready to deal with robbers at any time, do not leave, dare not slack off; Stay in the inn at night, drink water and eat, but you can't wash your face because you have been in the corridor outside. When washing your face, it will crack when the wind blows. Be sure to send someone to watch it at night to prevent mistakes.
Li Yaochen worked in Huiyou Escort Agency for 27 years. It was not until 192 1 year that it was opened in the early Qing Dynasty due to the development of trains, posts and telecommunications, and the prevalence of hot weapons. It took more than 300 years for Hui You Escort Agency to finally dissolve. Li Yaochen's bodyguard career is over. Although Li Yaochen left the friend escort agency, his life was lost. What should I do? He believes that one person practicing martial arts can strengthen the body, the whole family can strengthen the country and the whole people can strengthen the country. The escort agency was named "friend", which means "friend with martial arts". Inspired by this, he opened a teahouse in Kaiqiao Shui Xin Pavilion, advocating martial arts, and named it "Wushu Teahouse". Teahouses in Fiona Fang can hold 1000 people and are equipped with various weapons. People who come here can practice martial arts and compete at will. Watching and practicing costs nothing, just two coppers for drinking tea.
Tea house business is very good. Occasionally, I have to smash a venue, but all of them have been dealt with by Li Yaochen. But one August, a boy of 12 years old came to the festival, and he kept shouting. Li Yaochen had to compete with him. I didn't expect to go back and forth for a few rounds, and there was no advantage at all. Finally, I had to take out Huang San's unique skill, the "master three hands", to subdue the boy. As soon as the teenager got off the stage, an old man with a silver beard in his sixties jumped on the stage and said with a smile, "That was my grandson just now. I just studied and practiced, so you smiled. Now my little old son is willing to learn. " The old man said, and set up a portal. Li Yaochen waved his fist and said, "Please!" Two people will hold hands. Li Yaochen used up all the unique skills he learned in the Escort Agency, such as "the master fought three times", "the gun hammered four times" and "the thirty-two tackled", but when he hit his opponent, he met Gao Li, so he jumped out of the circle and clapped his hands and said, "Old gentleman, I didn't practice kung fu at home, so I gave up." Then invite the old man into the house to kowtow to the teacher.
The old man saw Li Yaochen's frankness and sincerity, especially his years of wandering in rivers and lakes, his kung fu and his fame, but he was still open-minded and had no opinions, so he couldn't help being sincerely moved. So he lived in Li Yaochen's home and taught him martial arts. It turns out that this old gentleman is practicing the cotton palm, which is endless and unpredictable and can only be flexible. Li Yaochen learned this technique, and put it into Huang San's gun hammer, which made the stiff gun hammer hard and soft in the middle, and the kung fu was improved several times, forming a new style. Thus, it has made great contributions to the development of gun hammer boxing.
193 1 After the "September 18th Incident" in, the heroic soldiers of the 29th Route Army were ready to meet the Japanese aggression. Tong, the deputy commander, specially invited him to teach broadsword in the army. According to the characteristics of combat knives, Li Yaochen combined with the practice method of endless knives to create a set of routines called endless knives. This knife is very practical. When waving, it can be used as both a knife chop and a sword stab, which greatly enhances the soldiers' hand-to-hand combat skills. In the Battle of xifengkou, the Great Wall Pass, 29 army soldiers gave full play to the role of broadsword, pursued the Japanese army for more than 60 miles, cut down nearly 100 enemies and seized cannons 18. Until the "July 7th Incident", Li Yaochen still kept a lantern of the 29th Army in the national protection temple in Beiping, and often made a generous statement to his disciples and audience, telling the heroic deeds of the 29th Army broadsword in the heroic killing of the enemy.
After the Japanese invaders occupied Beijing, the Japanese puppet garrison headquarters arrested him for espionage. A Japanese officer named Nishi Takeda, who knows gossip and judo, offered to compete with Li Yaochen. If Li Yaochen wins, he can be released; If you lose, kowtow to Takeda West. The competition was held on March 3rd at the Pantaogong Temple Fair. Japanese military and police maintain order with live ammunition. For the first time, Takeda Nishi was no match, and he was knocked down by Li Yaochen twice. Takeda Nishi was annoyed. He walked up to the two gendarmes, pulled out two combat knives and threw them at Li Yaochen, shouting, "Comparison of instruments!" , raise your knife to Li Yaochen's head, the body is like rain. Li Yaochen shifted gears, flashed lights and rocked chairs, and it took less than a minute to go back and forth. He seized the gap, flew up and kicked Takeda's wrist. The knife kicked off, and people squatted on the ground grinning and the pain was unbearable. So we have to let Li Yaochen go.
On another occasion, the Japanese competed in Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Shanghai and China, and those who were willing to participate signed up casually and drew lots to compete with the Japanese. As a result of the lottery, Li Yaochen played against the Japanese in Nanjing. As soon as he came to power, the Japanese saw that he was an old man and said, "Are you okay?" Li Yaochen said, "Come on, boy, I'll let you hit three punches first!" " "When I punched three times that day, Li Yaochen also figured out each other's boxing route. He shouted, "Get down!" With one punch, he fell headlong off the stage.
Although Li Yaochen had extraordinary martial arts, he had no social status in the old society. Only in new China can he dedicate all his skills to the people, and get the care of the Party and the respect of the people.
1953, he led his disciples to actively participate in the voluntary performance of donating anti-American aircraft and artillery to North Korea.
Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, Chairman Zhu, He Long, Chen Yi and other senior officials have repeatedly asked him to perform martial arts and explain its true meaning. Comrade He Long especially appreciated his speech on keeping healthy.
He was a member of the National Wushu Association and a director of the Beijing Wushu Association. He has been invited to be the referee of Wushu competitions for many times. Until he was in his nineties, he often walked between the north and the south, with a white beard fluttering on his chest. Instruct young people to practice martial arts in the Temple of Heaven, Ditan, Dongdan, Jingshan, Taoranting and Zhongshan Park. Whenever he threw away his crutches and appeared in front of people with the unique features of walking the dragon, sitting on the tiger, snake body and carved claws, thunderous applause broke out in the crowd.