Meet Monterey Park’s Sifu | Docs - video Dailymotion

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There is a Sifu hidden in the hills of Monterey Park who remains a true guardian of tradition and community  He dedicates his time to training the next generation of martial artists, teaching kids not only self-defense but also the rich cultural heritage that comes with it. As the community has grappled with change, triumph and tragedy, this community of mostly kids holds on to a ritual and practice that keeps the diasporic community connected to their ancestry and home countries. What’s more? The classes are free in an effort to keep as many people practicing as possible.  Credits Director Keshia Hannam  Producers Keshia Hannam Ryan Alexander Holmes Vivian Pang  Editor Sabrina Sinaga  Director of Photography Justin Guo  Editor-in-Chief Keshia Hannam  Head of Production Stephanie Tangkilisan  Post Production Coordinator Skolastika Lupitawina  Assistant Editor Rendy Abi  Graphics Fajar Alkan Ruolin Xu Luyo  Color Nadya Gumanza  Sound Ernesto Suarez  Additional Music Rhythm Scott - Action in the Jungle Drums Ran Raiten - Lullaby No 3 in E Minor Dear Gravity - Horizon Dear Gravity - If I Wait  Additional Archival Material Axel Koester Kevin Leung ABC News  PBS NewsHour  Special Thanks Kong's Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu Association Monterey Park

Transcript

00:00 How's everyone doing?

00:01 Ready, and...

00:02 One!

00:03 Two!

00:05 Three!

00:06 Four!

00:07 One!

00:08 Two!

00:09 Three!

00:10 Four!

00:11 One!

00:12 Back to two!

00:13 Support!

00:14 When I talked to my Sifu, I said, "What do I know about being a Sifu?

00:23 I don't know what I'm doing."

00:24 And he says, "No, no, you'll figure it out.

00:27 You'll be fine."

00:28 And I realized that what makes a Sifu is not how much he knows or what he knows, it's

00:34 about what he can do for the community.

00:37 You guys know that this has been a very challenging week for a lot of people in the community.

00:45 You may or may not have talked to your parents about it, but that's okay.

00:49 I'm going to let that conversation be with your parents, okay?

00:53 Right now, I want us to focus on being able to move forward and do a good job.

00:58 However, if you want to your parents or you want to talk about it, you can always see

01:03 me or some of the other heads of the class, and we can talk together.

01:10 Sweet!

01:11 Lock!

01:12 Ready?

01:13 Four!

01:14 Five!

01:15 Okay, so if it goes high, I want you to let it go high.

01:22 There's no reason for John to...

01:23 If it's going high, force it anyway.

01:24 Just let it go.

01:25 It's natural force, right?

01:26 It's already following the circle.

01:27 Okay, try it out.

01:40 We've been teaching here in the community for about eight years.

01:43 So when we first started out, it was my son, Nicky, and then the two next-door neighbors,

01:47 and then two other kids who also went to the same preschool as my son.

01:52 And so those first five, I always refer to them as the Furious Five, kind of like in

01:56 Kung Fu Panda.

01:57 Well done, students, if you were trying to disappoint me.

02:12 And then, so we grew and grew.

02:14 We're going to rent our own place, get our own building.

02:16 Then COVID hit, and then just everything went upside down.

02:20 Up!

02:21 Down!

02:22 Up!

02:23 Down!

02:24 Up!

02:25 Down!

02:26 Hold it!

02:27 As COVID sort of settled down and started opening back up again, I kind of had a moment of

02:32 more clarity.

02:33 And so I really thought about what a Sifu should be.

02:36 All right, on your mats for crunches.

02:40 Let's go.

02:42 And so from then on, I decided, you know what, I'm going to try to keep the kids' class

02:51 completely, 100% free for the community.

02:54 I'm a nurse.

02:55 I'm a registered nurse as my regular day job.

02:57 So I thought, OK, I'll be OK, as long as my wife doesn't get too mad at me.

03:01 Step back.

03:02 Back.

03:03 In.

03:04 Up.

03:05 Down.

03:06 Ready.

03:07 First step.

03:08 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

03:12 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

03:15 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

03:18 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

03:46 [MUSIC PLAYING]

03:49 You guys are going back.

03:50 Have you done the bow?

03:52 For the head to go down.

03:54 Remember, it's a sign of respect, right?

03:56 And you don't do like-- OK?

03:59 We've got to bend our waist down so that way the lion looks like it's bowing, right?

04:04 [MUSIC PLAYING]

04:07 Start the line dance.

04:14 Because in line dance, we have a lot of stances that really ties

04:17 to some of the fundamentals in kung fu.

04:19 And it's great to have that culture pass on to the next generation.

04:25 And I think this whole journey for me made me realize like kung fu,

04:30 the fighting, and everything is just a small part.

04:33 And there's the lion dance.

04:34 That's another part.

04:35 But the culture, respect, and everything like that, that's the other part.

04:38 And so the way I used to tell my kids is like, you know, kung fu is just a tool.

04:43 I want to hand this culture and this respect and this honor

04:47 and this reverence for all this philosophy that we hold dear as part of our Chinese culture.

04:53 It's embedded so deeply inside kung fu.

04:56 At the end of the day, you know, if you don't remember anything I've taught you,

05:04 if you can't remember any of those forms, whatever, that's fine.

05:07 But I tell the kids, if you walk out as a good person, then I've done my job.

05:11 Then I was a successful teacher.

05:13 And that's all I really care about.

05:15 The fighting is just a byproduct.

05:18 [MUSIC PLAYING]

05:21 [MUSIC PLAYING]

05:24 [MUSIC PLAYING]

05:28 (upbeat music)

05:30 you

Meet Monterey Park’s Sifu | Docs

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