我叫梁儉豐,1989年於香港出生。爺爺嫲嫲由廣東中山一帶逃難到香港,而公公婆婆就逃到澳門,但公公在我出生前早就離世了。
爺爺和嫲嫲當時是盲婚啞嫁的,那個年代大多數婚姻都是這樣,夫妻婚後才認識,跟現在這一代完全不同。我不能理解怎麼可以跟一個素未謀面的人談一生一世,但難得的是爺爺嫲嫲都很恩愛,我印象中婆婆曾經說過:「以前哪有離婚這回事。」
我問過爺爺關於逃難的經歷,他還記得很清楚,特別是提到當時日本攻打中國那部分,雞飛狗走、屍橫遍野、烏煙瘴氣,人在街頭看到日本旗,在街尾已落荒而逃,整個人被嚇到魂飛魄散。爺爺還說現在在鴨脷洲跟他同歲的老人,都是當年的「死剩種」,每一個都一定經歷過這段可怕的經歷。
鴨脷洲是爺爺嫲嫲在香港最先定居的地方,從此一直住到現在。他形容當時鴨脷洲很小,甚麼都沒有,山多平地少,亦沒甚麼事可以做,但卻有一個很好的漁港,漁業比較發達。爺爺當時跟人岀海,在船上生活、工作,算是水上人,靠岀海捕魚維生,嫲嫲則在陸上幫忙買賣漁獲、照顧小孩。而我也是其中一個靠嫲嫲養大的。
爸爸也有隨爺爺「開身」,「開身」的意思是「投身船上工作」,他形容船上的生活很自由,但也真的很危險,風浪、海盜已屢見不鮮,爸爸還真的曾經被海盜用刀和槍挾持過。
至於風浪,他說我們在電影裏看到的巨風巨浪,他全都真實地經歷過。他跟爺爺遇過最嚴重的一次是被吹到一個荒島上等待救援,聽起來真的很戲劇性。雖然船上的生活聽起來既危險又可怕,但他們說起來又非常回味,都很懷念在船上生活的日子。
不過,這段日子在我出生不久就告一段落了。爸爸媽媽為了我放棄水上生活,移居陸上。
移居陸地後,爸爸和幾兄弟開了搬運公司,由岀海、行船、捕魚,轉為陸上、駕車、物流,媽媽則四處打散工,為我和弟弟供書教學。
我小時候的記憶就是不斷搬遷,搬上陸地後第一個家就是沿岸的鴨脷洲,當時爺爺、嫲嫲、姑媽、叔伯、孫子、孫女等全家十多人全住在同一個地方,後來我們才搬到屯門,然後再搬到現在的西灣河。我讀書的地方也常搬,六年小學就搬了四間,由屯門友愛到薄扶林到北角再到筲箕灣,印象最深刻的是北角校舍基於安全問題,整間學校搬到筲箕灣新校,因為北角舊校舍建於香港舊式井字屋最低一層,樓上住戶嫌我們學校噪音太大,曾經向學校丟豉油、玻璃瓶等,丟到我們學校正中央用來上體育課的操場,聽說最嚴重是丟雪櫃和電視機,還鬧上了報紙。所以我是北角渣華道上午及下午小學的末屆生,也是愛秩序灣官立小學的首屆生。
我中學開始學跳舞,跳中國舞,遇到很兇、但又可以很溫柔的吳老師,她是學校外判的舞蹈老師,她訓練我們跳舞的方式好像操兵一樣,拉筋、踢腿、練技巧、考級試,再拉筋、再踢腿、再練技巧、再考級試,每次練舞都練到很晚,她很嚴格,要求很高。我當時沒興趣讀書,朋友便提議報考演藝學院。幸好家人支持我跳舞,所以我更有動力去選擇自己喜歡的事。
演藝的訓練是中學的好幾倍,雖然辛苦,但並不痛苦,我反而樂此不疲。畢業後我仍堅持跳舞這條路,想離開香港繼續進修,想去不同的地方,見不同的人,跳不同的舞,因此選擇了台灣國立臺北藝術大學,開始接觸現代舞。
在臺灣我是僑生,同時也是異鄉人,雖然人生路不熟,但幸好有很多好老師和朋友照顧我、教導我,我亦獲得不少機會,可以參與校內各個演出,到外地交流,甚至加入當地的專業舞團成為舞者。在校外,我更給介紹到一間舞蹈社當老師,協助中學生排舞、排比賽、演岀等。除了舞蹈之外,我也去當侍應生和校內工讀生,幫補生計和學費。可能因為人在異地吧,我心無雜念,比以往更加專注。回顧整段在臺灣的經歷,其實學習得最多的不是舞蹈技巧,或舞蹈風格,而是體驗生活,以舞蹈認識其他地方的文化。
最後,我離開了香港四年,回來後第一次感到香港原來真的改變得很快很快,我回家的路依舊,但已物是人非,左邊的豬肉佬依舊是豬肉佬,但右邊已經是一幢又一幢新樓盤。不知為何突然想到婆婆說過的一句話:「公仔生鬚——人為嘅。」
老街漸漸地變得不老了,反而隨時間不斷翻新,婆婆想賣菜,都先要開一間舖,街上幾乎沒有小菜檔,人情味的感覺變了,光鮮亮麗的裝潢,對我來說有點冰冷,我在想,是自己不習慣,還是只是太懷念而已?真希望自己永遠記得舊時的樣貌,正如記著自己是從哪裡來一樣。
我是梁儉豐,現在定居香港,自由身舞者。
I am Kenny Leung. I was born in Hong Kong in 1989. My paternal grandparents stowed away from Zhongshan to Hong Kong while my maternal grandparents stowed away to Macau.
My paternal grandparents had an arranged marriage, which is a lifestyle I do not understand. My maternal grandmother once said, “There was no such thing as a divorce.”
I asked my paternal grandfather about his past. He told the stories of WW2 so vividly; the chickens were dashing; the dogs were barking; dead bodies were everywhere – it was a hot mess. The Japanese flag became everyone’s biggest fear. He said all the old people living in Ap Lei Chau had experienced the dark days and escaped from death.
My grandparents have always lived in Ap Lei Chau, which was a small island with a fishing harbour. My grandfather was a fisherman and my grandmother helped sell the catch and looked after the children including me.
My father had been a fisherman for a while. According to him, the life was free buy very dangerous. He had gone through big waves, fierce storms and death threats by pirates, just like what we see in the movies. But the days of being free came to an end soon after I was born.
We moved to the city. My father established a moving company with a few brothers. My mother became a freelancer. My childhood was all about moving. Our family moved from Ap Lei Chau to Tuen Mun, and from Tuen Mun to Sai Wan Ho. I studied in 4 primary schools within six years.
I have started learning Chinese Dance from Miss Ng in secondary school and got admitted to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts thanks to my family’s support. I further pursed my studies in Taipei National University of the Arts after graduation. When I was back in 4 years, for the first ever time I felt Hong Kong was changing very rapidly. The old streets are not old anymore because of renovation. I hope I will always remember the old Hong Kong – the place I am from.
I am Kenny Leung, an independent dancer living in Hong Kong.