HONG KONG — Bruce Lee was 14 years old， and on the losing end of several street fights with local gang members， when he took up kung fu。

　　香港——李小龙14岁那年，在和香港当地黑帮街头大战中屡屡处于下风，于是他开始学习功夫。

　　It was 1955， and Hong Kong was bustling with schools teaching a range of kung fu styles， including close-combat techniques and a method using a daunting weapon known as the nine-dragon trident。

　　时值1955年，香港遍布传授各种功夫招式的学校，包括近身格斗术和使用一种叫做九龙大叉的可怕武器的方法。

　　Mr。 Lee’s decision paid off。 After perfecting moves like his one-inch punch and leaping kick under the tutelage of a grand master， he became an international star， introducing kung fu to the world in films like “Enter the Dragon” in 1973。

　　李小龙的决定收到了成效。在一位武术宗师的指导下，他不断改进自己的招式，比如寸劲和飞踢。后来他成了一名国际巨星，在《龙争虎斗》(1973年)等电影中向全世界介绍中国功夫。

　　Decades later， cue the dragon’s exit。

　　几十年之后，功夫文化的衰落初见端倪。

　　The kung fu culture that Mr。 Lee helped popularize — and that gave the city a gritty， exotic image in the eyes of foreigners — is in decline。 Hong Kong’s streets are safer， with fewer murders by the fierce crime organizations known as triads that figured in so many kung fu films。 And its real estate is among the world’s most expensive， making it difficult for training studios to afford soaring rents。

　　李小龙帮忙推广的功夫文化曾使得香港这座城市在外国人看来显得坚韧不拔又充满异域风情。然而，这种文化正走向衰落。如今，香港的街道很安全，凶残的犯罪组织(人称三合会，曾在多部功夫影片中出现)制造的谋杀也少多了。香港是世界上房地产价格最高的地区之一，很多武馆因此难以负担急剧上涨的房租。

　　Gone are the days when “kung fu was a big part of people’s cultural and leisure life，” said Mak King Sang Ricardo， the author of a history of martial arts in Hong Kong。 “After work， people would go to martial arts schools， where they’d cook dinner together and practice kung fu until 11 at night。”

　　曾就香港武术史写过书的麦劲生说，“功夫曾在人们的文娱生活中占据重要部分”的日子已经一去不返了。“过去，人们下班后常去武术学校，在那里一起做饭、练功夫，直到晚上11点。”

　　With a shift in martial arts preferences， the rise of video games — more teenagers play Pokémon Go in parks here than practice a roundhouse kick — and a perception among young people that kung fu just isn’t cool， longtime martial artists worry that kung fu’s future is bleak。

　　如今，人们的偏爱渐渐转移到了其他武术项目上，电子游戏也迅速兴起——在香港公园里，玩口袋妖怪的年轻人比练回旋踢的要多得多——在年轻人看来，功夫就是不够酷。这一切都让老一辈的武术大师们担心功夫的未来将颇为黯淡。

　　“When I was growing up so many people learned kung fu， but that’s no longer the case，” said Leung Ting， 69， who has been teaching wing chun， a close-combat technique， for 50 years。 “Sadly， I think Chinese martial arts are more popular overseas than in their home now。”

　　“在我还小的时候，很多人学功夫，但今时不同往日了，”69岁的梁挺说。他教咏春拳已经50年了。咏春拳是近身格斗术的一种。“可悲的是，我觉得中国武术现在在国外比国内更受欢迎。”

　　According to Mr。 Leung’s organization， the International WingTsun Association， former apprentices have opened 4，000 branches in more than 65 countries， but only five in Hong Kong。

　　据梁挺所在的机构国际咏春总会介绍，他们教过的学员已经在65个以上的国家开办了4000个分会，但在香港开办的分会只有5个。

　　Few kung fu schools remain in Yau Ma Tei， a district of Kowloon that was once the center for martial arts。 Nathan Road — where the young Bruce Lee learned his craft from Ip Man (often spelled Yip Man)， the legendary teacher who was the subject of Wong Kar-wai’s 2013 film “The Grandmaster” — is now lined with cosmetic shops and pharmacies that cater to tourists from the mainland。

　　位于油麻地的功夫学校已经所剩无几了，而香港九龙的这个地区曾经是武术的中心。弥顿道是当年年轻的李小龙师从叶问的地方。这位充满传奇色彩的老师正是王家卫2013年的电影《一代宗师》中的主人公。如今的弥顿道沿街都是为迎合大陆游客开设的化妆品商店和药店。

（编辑：何莹莹）