Goodnight Story Tree | the "Xiaoxiang Strange Hero" who wrote Huo Yuanjia (Part 1)

Text/Zeng Bailong

Speaking of Huo Yuanjia, he is well known in China.

Mention Xiang Kairan, and those who know it are rare.

Xiang Kairan, also known as "Pingjiang BuXiaosheng", is the originator of modern Chinese martial arts novels, his novels are full of the idea of "martial arts to save the country", and his martial arts images such as Huo Yuanjia and DaDao Wang Wu are the memories of a generation. He was born in Xiangtan City, Chengzheng Street, an ordinary merchant family, who opened a Xianglongtai umbrella factory. From a young age, he practiced both literature and martial arts, and trained a chivalrous body, and was known as "Xiaoxiang Qixia".

Where is zuye "to Longtai" umbrella factory?

Walk into the main street of Xiangtan City and visit Xianglongtai Umbrella Factory. Today' Chengzheng Street and Horn Street have become the old town, where there are many old buildings, some of which are still well preserved and some of which are dilapidated.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the area around Horn Street and Chengzheng Street was bustling, and it was an important paper umbrella production base in Xiangtan. From Guanxiangmen to Zhanyuemen outside the city wall, there is a narrow half-width street built according to the root of the city wall, known as oil press lane, today its southern section is called Horn Street, its northern section is Yuhu Street, in the oil press lane, there was once a "Xianglongtai umbrella factory", in addition to making oil paper umbrellas, but also operated oil shoes, clogs, umbrella factory is Xiangjia's ancestral business in Xiangtan, Guangxu fifteen years of February 16, Xiang Kairan was born here.

Walking along Yuhu Road to the east, is the intersection of Chengzheng Street and Horn Street, an old man who passed by said that Xianglongtai Umbrella Factory is 50 meters ahead - the former site of the former Xiangtan Umbrella Factory. After the Xiangtan Umbrella Factory declared bankruptcy in 2006, the buildings were empty and several warehouses became dilapidated.

Is this the former Xianglongtai Umbrella Factory? In the janitor room of the Xiangtan Umbrella Factory, 77-year-old Tang Guizhen said that it was originally a temple, and the scale of the temple was very large, with three entrances before and after and more than 20 Zen rooms. The temple is connected to the adjacent Temple of Literature, but it is several times the size of the Temple of Literature. The temple was later converted into an umbrella factory, and across the wall from the temple umbrella factory was the Su Hengtai umbrella factory. When Tang Guizhen was young, she worked in the umbrella factory in the temple. She said that the umbrella factory in the temple is made up of 7 small umbrella factories, which make raincoats and bamboo slats in addition to oil-paper umbrellas. At that time, the bamboo used for umbrellas was purchased from Chaling County, and the bamboo in Chaling took the waterway to the shore near Guanxiangmen and then transported to the umbrella factory, but this umbrella factory was not called Xianglongtai Umbrella Factory.

In Chengzheng Street, the distribution of umbrella factories before and after liberation is little known, and the distribution of umbrella factories in Chengzheng Street before the Guangxu Year is even less talked about. According to local historian Zhou Lei, the location of the Xianglongtai umbrella factory should be opposite the statue of Yang Du, and the specific location and scale cannot be verified. Xiang Kairan's grandson Xiang Xiaoguang provided us with precious information. Originally, Xiangjia's umbrella factory had two names, one name was "Xianglongtai" and the other was called "Xiangtailong", at that time, the scale of the umbrella factory was the front factory and the back shop, the factory name was Xianglongtai, and the store name was Xiang Tailong. Xiangjia's ancestral home is Pingjiang, why did he come to Xiangtan to set up an umbrella factory?

The ancestors were given the property to Xiangtan for their merits

Mr. Xiang Xiaoguang provided a memoir written by Mr. Guo Shulin (Xiang Kairan's eldest son Xiang Weiyu's father-in-law), which detailed Xiang's ancestors' journey from Pingjiang to Xiangtan Chengzheng Street to make a living.

Xiang Kairan's grandfather Xiang Guibai was poor since childhood, and when he was a little older, he came from Pingjiang to Xiangtan Chengzheng Street to work in an umbrella factory called Huang Zhengxing. Huang Zhengxing Umbrella Factory was one of the largest oil-paper umbrella factories in Xiangtan County at that time, and the owner Huang Zhengxing was a local industrialist who started by relying on a small workshop for making umbrellas and accumulated a lot of wealth.

Huang Zhengxing personally did everything and had very strict requirements for the quality of umbrella making, thus establishing integrity and attracting many merchants to communicate with him. When Huang Zhengxing was 71 years old, he organized a meeting between his descendants and the employees of the umbrella factory, and the elderly Huang Zhengxing said: "I am 71 years old this year, I have entered the old age, and I have gathered everyone today to announce something. I huang someone can have today, is to rely on their own blood and sweat to win, now my assets can not be spent on their own, children and grandchildren can not spend, this is the reason why I want to retire to retirement. Huang Zhengxing umbrella factory can have today's scale, to help (to Guibai) Wang two love disciples, now specially deliver the umbrella factory to them, I am also at ease. Huang Zhengxing was afraid that his descendants would have opinions, and said to his children and grandchildren: "I gave the umbrella factory to the meritorious people in the hope that the poor people would get some benefits." I am a family person, and the money I have left to you is enough for you to study and study, and in the future, through your own knowledge, you can make a fortune. Speaking of this, the audience resounded with warm applause.

Xiang Kairan's grandfather Xiang Guibai relied on his own solid work, from an umbrella factory guy to an umbrella factory manager, and since then he has branched out in Xiangtan and taken root. Later, Huang Zhengxing Umbrella Factory was renamed Xianglongtai Umbrella Factory, and the business became bigger and bigger. Xiang Guibai attaches great importance to the education of his descendants, and his son Xiang Guobin (zi biquan) is a talent in the late Qing Dynasty and has a certain foundation in traditional Chinese studies. Xiang Guobin's son is Xiang Kairan. Xiang Guobin always wanted his son to read more books, and sent him to a private school to study at a very young age.

The young man appeared to Kairan

In 1895, Xiang Kairan just turned 6 years old, in a private school in Xiangtan, because people are extremely smart, good memory, read the books, almost never forget, Xiang Kairan likes to practice boxing, even to the point of intoxication, every time the teacher finishes teaching the text, Xiang Kairan can't sit still, wait for the teacher to turn around, Xiang Kairan will run to the pingli to play boxing sticks.

Xiang Xiaoguang told me: Once, Xiang Kairan had just finished reciting the text and went to Pingli to practice boxing. After the teacher found out, he said sternly: "Kairan, I have a pair, right, I do not punish, can not be punished, must be punished." Xiang Kairan said, "Teacher, come out." The teacher said, "Bad boy, I like to fight the most." Xiang Kairan replied, "Evil old man, he loves to scold people." The teacher also said, "If you don't study, how can you start a career?" Xiang Kairan replied without thinking: "If you love martial arts, you can also start a family." Because of Xiang Kairan's quick thinking, the teacher was not angry, and the teacher said to Xiang Kairan: "Kairan, you are very smart, but if you want to play boxing, you must always have a time, and every night after coming to my house, I will personally teach you martial arts." But during the day, you have to read and write carefully. From then on, Xiang Kairan practiced Literature during the day and Wu Jia Fist at night.

In 1905, Xiang Kairan left Xiangtan and went to the provincial capital to study at the Chuyi Industrial School in Changsha, and was later admitted to the Changsha Higher Industrial School.

One day, after Xiang Kairan was asleep with the other classmates, he pulled out a book from the bottom of the suitcase and read it respectfully, and when he was looking at it vigorously, suddenly the book was snatched away. The person who snatched the book was Xiang Kairan's classmate, who was usually jealous of Xiang Kairan, but this time he finally seized the opportunity to retaliate against him and quickly handed the book to the teacher. It turned out that the book that Xiang Kairan read was the revolutionary book "Turning Back" written by Chen Tianhua, and the Manchu Qing government at that time classified this book as a banned book, calling it a "flood beast". In 1907, Xiang Kairan was expelled from the school and changed the trajectory of his life.

After Xiang Kairan was expelled from the school, he traveled east to Japan and was admitted to the Japanese Hongwen Academy, and during his studies, he became acquainted with Wang Runsheng, Du Xinwu and other boxers. Wang Runsheng was the most famous boxer in Hunan at that time, and once defeated the Russian boxing king. Du Xinwu was a native of Cili, Hunan, known as Confucian Xia, who served as a bodyguard for Dr. Sun Yat-sen. While studying in Japan, Du Xinwu once defeated Japanese sumo wrestling and was known as the Divine Leg. The two stars of the Hunan martial arts circle whom Xiang Kairan met in Japan undoubtedly had a profound impact on the later path of martial arts practice. During this period, Xiang Kairan studied japanese judo, karate, and archery while studying martial arts.

"No XiaoSheng" set a precedent for international students' novels

In 1909, Xiang Kairan returned to China, and the ancestral property xiang longtai umbrella factory business was sluggish, and Xiang Kairan sold it.

In 1912, Xiang Kairan and Wang Runsheng co-founded the National Technical Association in Changsha, advocating Chinese martial arts, and wrote his first book", "Boxing", signed "Pingjiang Xiangkui". Soon after, Xiang Kairan worked as a small clerk in a tannery in Yueyang.

In 1913, Xiang Kairan went to Japan again to study, entered the Department of Political Economy of Central University in Tokyo, he witnessed the boring life of some playboys among Chinese students, so he wrote the "History of Staying in the East" to expose and lash out, which involved many face-faced characters at that time, so that they could sit on the right seat, and readers could also find out who was in reality in the novel according to Tu Suoji, which became a happy thing for international students with a sense of justice for a while. Hunan compatriot Qiu Ao and others pooled money to help him publish it, and this book later became Xiang Kairan's famous work.

Xiang Kairan felt that once the novel came out, it would offend many people, and it was inconvenient to sign his real name and use the pseudonym "Not Xiaosheng". After that, he wrote "Supplement to the History of Liudong Foreign", "New History of Liudong", and "History of Liudong Yan". "The History of Staying in the East" set a precedent for modern international student novels.

Xiang Kairan was out of control from then on, simply selling literature for a living, he relied on his friends in the martial arts community, familiar with the secrets of martial arts and the advantages of martial arts, in the spring of 1922 he published "The Legend of the Strange Heroes of the Jianghu", in which he introduced the Kunlun Faction, the Kun Gong Faction, and the Cai Gang to the readers, and also wrote the techniques of "Dark Clouds Cover Snow", human skin masks, night clothes, and light gong, which were later carried forward in Jin Yong's martial arts novels, and even a pair of big eagles on the shoulders of Jin Luohan in Xiang Kairan's pen also became Guo Jing in "The Legend of the Archery Hero" A pair of white eagles raised by Huang Rong.

After that, Xiang Kairan entered the peak period of literary creation, and wrote "The Legend of the Great Hero of the Jianghu", "The Biography of the Righteous Hero of the Jianghu", "The Biography of the Strange Man of the Jianghu", "The Legend of the Strange Legend of the Jianghu", "The Biography of Huo Yuanjia", "The Biography of the Iron-Blooded Hero", and "The Record of the Golden Ring of the Jade Bracelet". "The Legend of jianghu qixia" is the most popular, and Shanghai Star Film Studio made a movie "Burning Red Lotus Temple" based on "The Legend of Jianghu Qixia", which was once a sensation.

Xiang Kairan's works set off a wave of jianghu novel fever, so there is a saying of "Northern Zhao South direction", Northern Zhao refers to Zhao Huanting in Hebei, and xiang Kairan in Xiangtan, Hunan. In 2003, when Taiwan World Bookstore republished "The Legend of jianghu qixia", it called him "the originator of China's modern 'jianghu martial arts novels' and became the source of enlightenment for Jin Yong's writing and Ang Lee's drama." ”

The hero twice threw pen at Kai Ran

In 1927, Xiang Kairan threw himself into the pen and served as a judge of the 36th Army of the National Revolutionary Army, and participated in the vigorous Revolution.

Xu Xinting, who had worked under Xiang Kairan, recalled: In the summer of 1927, the 36th Army of the National Revolutionary Army was stationed in Xiaogan Branch Street, and Xiang Kairan served as the secretary of the lieutenant colonel of the military department, assisting General Liao Lei in handling daily military affairs. At that time, there was a Wenchang Hall where the 36th Army was stationed, and there was a Taoist priest in the hall, and the world did not know the name and number of the Daoist, but it was rumored that this person had mastered his skills.

After Xiang Kairan learned about it, he decided to visit this Daoist. The first time, Xiang Kairan went to visit the Daoists with one of instructor Li of the troops, but the Daoists pretended to be deaf and dumb, and Xiang Kairan and Instructor Li had to eat a closed door, and had to return with disappointment.

After a few days, Xiang Kairan went to visit alone, and the Daoist said, "I am a common man, a monk and a Taoist monk, in order to mix bowls of rice and eat." "The visit was still fruitless.

On the third visit, he brought some fruits to Kairan and Instructor Li, and the Daoist said, "No merit is not allowed." "Refused the kindness of the two. When Xiang and Li were preparing to return, they saw a tile basin on the roof of the Wenchang Hall, and the two asked the people, what is the purpose of putting a tile basin on the roof? The Taoists say it is a sauce pot (Xiaogan has the custom of drying sauce as a seasoning). Xiang Kairan found that there was no ladder around the temple, and the roof was more than two inches high from the ground, how did people go up? At this moment, Instructor Li asked loudly, "Dao Chief, I see that the basin on your roof must contain something ulterior motive." When The Dao Commander heard Instructor Li's words, he was very angry and angrily said, "I'll show you!" Only to see the Dao Commander pull the Daoist robe and plunge into the roof. The Dao Commander held the sauce pot in one hand, jumped down again, and gently fell to the ground. The Daoist pointed at Instructor Li and said, "You see if it's sauce." Xiang Kairan said, "Dao Commander, you have won the Li Instructor's 'Radical General' Method, we have come twice, you have not talked about martial arts, today you still showed us a light hand." After saying that, all three of them laughed.

In 1929, Xiang Kairan, who had been dismissed from the military, returned to writing and began to concentrate on introducing Chinese martial arts, writings such as "Records of Boxing Knowledge", "Records of Boxing Skills", "Records of Words and Deeds of Boxers", and Xiang Kairan became the master of the Wulin League in Hunan because he was also proficient in martial arts.

In 1932, after the outbreak of the "128" incident in Shanghai, Xiang Kairan returned to Hunan at the invitation of He Jian to set up a national art association, established a "national art training center", and invited a group of martial arts masters to serve as instructors. The following year, Hunan held its second wushu competition, and the top three were all Xiang Kairan's disciples.

In 1932, Nanjing held a national martial arts examination, Hunan organized a group to participate, Xiang Kairan served as the general leader, and achieved good results in the top three. When the Anti-Japanese War broke out, he re-enlisted in the army, serving as an adviser to the Anhui Provincial Government and director of the General Office of the 21st Group Army, and moved with the army to dabie Mountain.

In 1947, he was captured by the People's Liberation Army, released after examination, and then returned to Hunan to accompany Tongcheng to revolt. He was a librarian of the Hunan Provincial Museum of Culture and History and a member of the Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In 1956, at the invitation of Marshal He Long, Xiang Kairan served as a member of the judging committee, and in 1957, when he began to write the "History of Chinese Martial Arts", he died of cerebral hemorrhage.

1941 Xiang Kairan (courtesy of Grandson to Xiaoguang. )

Referral Index: ★★★

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Pingjiang Shusheng laughed,

The righteousness of the jianghu is passed down to this dynasty.

The world is difficult to recognize the true hero,

Empty talk about yuanjia and golden eagles.

——Zeng Bailong tribute