Overseas movie depicts quest for heart of kung fu

Values of kung fu

Daily kung fu practice has long been routine for Brahm; it is the way he greets the day.

He recalled how he could not use one of his legs for about two years around 2010, and had to walk with crutches and a cane. However, by practicing martial arts, "very, very slowly" at the beginning, he was able to recover step by step.

"Martial arts can help us connect our body, connect our neural system, connect our blood flow, and also help connect us into our environment to increase our awareness. Martial arts is moving meditation," Brahm said, his eyes bright and piercing.

But to him, kung fu's charm and values are far more than that.

In making his film, Brahm has looked into a dozen forms of kung fu, interviewing many masters and scholars in the process. He has combined this knowledge with his own experience as a practitioner and tutor to extract 12 key principles and values of the martial arts: perseverance, roots, loyalty, respect, harmony, change, balance, centering, emptiness, flow, pragmatism and nonviolence.

Kung fu movies have a massive fan base around the world, not just because of the fight scenes, but also because of the wisdom, philosophy, morality and strategy within the movies, according to Brahm.

"I'd like to share these values and wisdom with the whole world, because I believe that they are universal and can be used to handle the challenges people face today," he said.

Brahm hopes his movie will help build bridges and understanding across nations and among people.

He makes use of vivid examples to illustrate the values that he has identified.

"Of all the martial arts I've learned, all styles, we always start with a defensive move, never to strike. And I think that's the essence of it. It's not about hurting someone. It's about preventing violence," he said.

"Kung fu practitioners salute with baoquan, literally meaning 'fist wrapping'. The common etiquette shows two things at least. One is you have a fist, but you're also not using it. And then you're showing 'I have no concealed weapons. I have nothing to hide.' It's trust."

"Whenever a person goes to a martial arts dojo, they must abide by the values－respecting teachers, classmates and heritage."

Mirror of Chinese culture

"Kung fu, in my eyes, is a mirror of Chinese culture," Brahm said. "The traditional values of kung fu, actually, are in the minds of all Chinese people."

"China adopts a policy of not wanting to have conflict with other countries. Why does China want to be in harmony with other nations? It's part of the psychology of the Chinese people. It's also national psychology."

Brahm also believes that today's world urgently needs to restart equal exchanges between countries without stereotypes, and that culture and sports, such as kung fu, can serve as a great channel and platform.

"In the same way ping-pong as a cultural and sports exchange opened relations for China with the West in the 1970s, kung fu can become the new cultural diplomacy of our time, bringing people together in mutual sharing of skills and culture and furthering respect and understanding," he said.

Xinhua