(DALIANNEWS)- Dalian integrates the Northeast heritage with Qilu culture, which includes 45 ethnic minorities, such as Manchu, Hui, Xibe and others. The intangible culture here with a long history is rich and colorful, which embodies the creativity, cultural value and aesthetic taste of the people of all ethnic groups in our city. From now on, we are going to introduce a series of intangible cultural heritage projects of Dalian, showcasing you a world of Chinese traditional folk arts and culture.
Martial Art Master Deng Deqing Seeks Dream in Dalian
"Gonglimen martial art has a long history of more than 100 years. It was once a brilliant art and was praised by the former premier Zhou Enlai. However, it is in a dilemma now. I hope to try my best to let more and more young people know about this martial art, love it and let it go further.", said Deng Deqing, 70 years old, who is known as a martial art master in Dalian.
Deng Deqing, known as a martial art master in Dalian, is the representative inheritor of Gonglimen martial art.
Deng, the representative inheritor of the fourth generation of the famous centenary Nanshan boxing and the fifth generation of Gonglimen martial art in Dalian, has always taken the inheritance and development of the martial art as his obligatory responsibility.
Born in a family of martial arts, Deng Deqing was influenced by his family. He began to get up early every day to practice boxing with his father and grandfather when he was six or seven. "Later my father sent me to Nanshan boxing workshop, where my grandfather stayed, to study martial arts systematically." Since then Deng Deqing had an indissoluble relationship with martial arts.
Deng Deqing practises martial arts for exercise in Dalian.
Before his retirement, Deng was appointed as the president of the art school affiliated to Dalian Minzu University. During this period, he set up a major of martial arts, teaching Gonglimen martial art, yanqing boxing and others in Nanshan boxing workshop. It was also the first secondary school of arts to establish martial art major in China. His martial art students have won the second place in China and the first place in Liaoning Province, gaining nearly 100 medals and the opportunity to perform abroad because of their excellent professional skills.
After retirement, Deng Deqing should have been in comfort, but he was still active in the front line of the inheritance of martial arts. Deng Deqing set up workshops and taught classes in communities, schools and universities for retired cadres. The age of the students ranged from kindergarten children to retirees in their 70s and 80s.
Deng Deqing practises martial arts for exercise in Dalian.
"I have taught martial arts for ten years since I retired ten years ago. I started with two classes in the beginning. Afterwards more and more students took part in. Now I have eight classes." Deng said with a smile that he was busier after retirement than at work.
"Many students don't want to leave after finishing the class and would like to continue studying. I had no choice but to rent a space at my own expense as a workshop to give lessons. I would like to teach as long as they want to learn. Though I am tired, I am happy." , said Deng.
When teaching, Deng also paid attention to his own improvement of practice. In 2017, at the age of nearly 70, he was promoted to the seventh segment of Chinese martial arts for winning the first place with the top score in Liaoning Province and became the "master of martial arts".
Deng Deqing practises martial arts for exercise in Dalian.
Gonglimen martial art was added into the intangible cultural heritage list of Dalian in 2017. In order to inherit traditional Chinese martial arts, Deng Deqing, now 70 years old, starts to learn Wechat and makes martial arts understood by more and more young people through this new media platform. The followers in the centenary Nanshan workshop are overage and now they need some young people, which makes Deng's burden heavier and heavier. "There will be a bright future for martial arts only if more young people join in ."
In 1957, under premier Zhou Enlai's affirmation and entrust, Li Wenzhen and Wang Zizhang, both martial arts masters, wrote a book named Thirteen Swords of Tai Chi. Sixty years later, with the agreement of Li Wenzhen, Deng Deqing, Ren Bingyi and Liu Youzhen, descendants of the centenary Dalian Nanshan Martial Arts Research Institute rebuilt this classic, and named it Gong·Strength· Sword –Thirteen Swords of Tai Chi and Its Historical Story.
In 2018, Deng Deqing's new book on Gonglimen martial art was published again. Facing new challenges over and over, Deng just wants to leave the future generations a spiritual wealth of martial arts.
(translated by Bai Weiru and Grace)
