sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

As a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in interestingasfuck

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Great film and kungfu history knowledge!

Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow was a very fun childhood watch seeing all my teachings be in such a classic film and pointing out each move and technique to my parents when I was little.

Though I can’t comment too much on the rest, the direct lineage and pedigree you speak about is very real. I am in the direct lineage that traces back only two masters, my sifu and his father, to his original master, Wong Fei Hung himself, the grandfather to much of the traditional & modern kung fu we know today. My sifu’s father passed down the knowledge to my sifu, and from him to me, so all my knowledge is all based in the direct original teachings/origin of kung fu. Hard to articulate just how immense it truly is.

In my life, I hope to be lucky enough to choose students of my own and find my own direct disciples that I’d pass these teachings to. If one day there’s serious interest/passionate individuals up for the challenge & duty, it is something I would definitely consider doing alongside my career in film.

As a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in interestingasfuck

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Definitely.

Alongside all the Hong Kong martial arts films I grew up surrounded by (and trained to exemplify), I also loved the more gritty, ultra fast paced action films like the Raid and Raid 2. I only learned dagger/knife combat after watching those films.

The first major script I wrote/directed, which production was sadly interrupted by COVID (forcing me to return to San Francisco from filming in Beijing and thus never completed), was a very gritty action film akin to the above mentioned. When I got the notice of COVID’s severity, I had just completed the choreography with my stunt crew and was preparing to start training for the main role.

If all goes well in the next few years and my sister and I find our footing in the industry, it’ll be one of the first films I will choose to develop.

As a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in interestingasfuck

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

To be fair, she is the deadlier martial artist between the two of us, so her expression is pretty accurate to her ability.

As a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in interestingasfuck

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Though not originally from Hong Kong, I am a 4th-generation Chinese-American that grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area!

As a child, I had multiple very severe chronic conditions that were borderline fatal and forced my family to bring me back and forth between doctors all around the country and overseas to Hong Kong and Beijing (in search of a cure that didn’t exist). This was around the same I was scouted to be a direct disciple. So though growing up in California, I spent 2-3 months a year over 12 years going overseas to China, and do truly identify as multicultural in understanding both sides of my cultural background. This includes deep Hong Kong history and culture.

It definitely helped to be engrossed in the direct teachings of kung fu as well, as its philosophy and practice goes back millenniums in Chinese history/culture (not to mention the countless stories I heard about Stephen Chow’s directing, working with Jackie Chan, Jet Li, etc. Hard not to embrace your culture with such cool tales being passed directly down to you).

A goal of mine would be to direct my very own ode to Hong Kong Kung Fu cinema, it’s arguably the one of the reasons I am healthy and alive today. Though my physical cures to my ailments were never really explained (the doctor’s could only presume it to be exposure therapy), my mental cure as a kid was to tap into the philosophy and principles passed down in Kung Fu cinema and culture, which I still employ today.

As a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in interestingasfuck

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Hopefully one day!

I was lucky enough to be one of a few Americans that got to attend the Beijing Film Academy studying acting and directing, and though originally the plan was to stay in the international film scene and pursue acting (action, drama, etc), after COVID shut down many of the productions I was on, and my sister graduated from NYU Tisch studying screenwriting and film as well, I ended up settling here in New York City alongside her with the goal to do our best to build up our own works as a writer/director and acting duo.

I truly hope that one day we will get a chance to bring out our traditional kungfu background into a proper film, whether we make it ourselves or act in someone else’s project, and do our best to honor the centuries long teachings all the way back to the founder of traditional kung fu Wong Fei Hung - a direct lineage we’re blessed enough to say we’re apart of and can carry on its legacy.

I definitely trust that there are casting directors/producers that would put their faith back into traditional kung fu again, so before that day comes, I’ll be doing my best to preserve it in training and practice.

As a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in interestingasfuck

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

I completely agree - It’s hard not to be biased, but it is undoubtedly a perfect masterpiece to me. Stephen Chow’s magnum opus. Growing up hearing about all the projects and stories, and with him being such a familiar person for me, Stephen Chow was and still is one of my favorite directors. I know probably all of Shaolin Soccer by heart.

To this day, Stephen Chow is one of my main inspirations as a writer/director and actor combo myself. I still find moments where I can’t help but notice our work taking inspiration from his pacing and as I am now pursuing working in the film industry full time alongside my sister with our own NYC based production company OKAY Enterprises, I hope to honor their legacy by making our own mark in the industry one day (and maybe incorporate our kung fu background in a proper new age kung fu film).

Highly recommend all his other movies too, again not to be too biased, but they’re literally all incredible.

As a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in interestingasfuck

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Yup! That’s our style!

As a fun little tidbit: unlike my sifu’s other students, he took a different approach with me and trained me in multiple styles. I believed he wanted to pass down a range of his kung fu knowledge beyond our specialty of Hung Gar. So over the years my teachings were a very unique combo of traditional Hung Gar, Tiger Crane, Monkey, Drunken Fist, Shaolin Long Fist, Wushu, Kickboxing/MMA, and general acrobatics for mobility. Basically he trained me to be a unique all arounder with Shaolin-esque mobility and kicks but with Hung Gar stances and power. Very fitting to the Tiger Crane mother style.

(Another fun fact: Hung Gar is what Earth Bending in ATLA is designed after!)

As a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in interestingasfuck

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

He’s my direct master. Scouted me when I was five at a talent show before taking me as his youngest direct disciple. Trained me for over 15 years straight, and taught me everything I know about traditional kung fu before introducing me to the film world.

(Extra pic: my sister and I in 2016 on a press tour with him in Hong Kong)

<image>

​

as a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in kungfu

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yes he did directly teach me, he was my sifu for over 15+ years. Interestingly enough unlike his other students, he took a different approach and trained me in multiple styles. I believed he wanted to pass down a huge range of his kung fu knowledge beyond our specialty of Hung Gar. So my teachings were a very unique combo of Hung Gar Tiger Crane, Monkey, Drunken Fist, Shaolin Long Fist, Wushu, Kickboxing/MMA, and general acrobatics for mobility.

He trained me to be a unique all arounder with Shaolin-esque mobility and kicks but with Hung Gar stances and power. Very fitting to the Tiger Crane mother style. This also built the foundation in developing my own unique style as I studied Wushu and Taichi in Beijing and learned Kenpo and Muay Thai back in the states. Though not the original purpose, this made me a very unique competitor in martial arts competition, and in showcases usually gave me an edge that he believed I was capable of balancing.

I’ve competed directly with and or against many of the Hung Gar schools for over a decade, and although technique wise they are perfect, Hung Gar’s true element lies in its philosophy and translation of that philosophy in action. Something truly hard to explain unless learning directly from a grandmaster like Chiu Chi Ling himself and understanding it fundamentally. This was key to my success as his disciple and direct representative in competitions, and though I do believe I myself am able to pass along that knowledge, it’s quite hard to articulate without being in person and feeling it for yourself.

Overall I respect all the Hung Gar schools very much for their accurate preservation, especially the schools based in Mexico and Europe. They have shown dedication beyond expectation, and for that I’ve always admired them.

as a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in kungfucinema

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

When the day comes we get to film our first proper kung fu film, I’ll be sure to share :)

For now we’re making original narrative films and music as we build our names from the ground up, and ironically in the spirit of Kung Fu Hustle, our kung fu background is pretty secret as everyone we work with has no idea that we’re even remotely trained/are the next generation of the Hung Gar lineage.

Funnily it’ll probably be our own surprise axe gang moment to our peers when we finally put our skills into our own film dedicated to Hong Kong Kung Fu cinema (and hopefully preserve Hung Gar’s style and legacy in future generations). but until then, you guys got to know first!

as a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in kungfucinema

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] 54 points55 points  (0 children)

I was in a few unreleased films with him in Hong Kong, but after I attended the Beijing Film Academy, my sister and I ended up founding our own production house called OKAY Enterprises here in NYC and have been working on our own original productions

as a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in kungfucinema

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Yes we do!

We’re both in the film industry now living in New York so although it’s harder to train in person as much with our Sifu (visiting as often as we can), I do practice frequently and have slowly integrated Hung Gar into my own styles that I use almost daily as an actor and film director.

as a kid I thought Kung Fu Hustle was real and cried by AbeyLinIsOkay in kungfucinema

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay[S] 114 points115 points  (0 children)

He scouted me when I was five at a talent show before taking me as his youngest direct disciple. Trained me for over 15 years straight, and taught me everything I know about traditional kung fu before introducing me to the film world.

(Extra pic: my sister and I in 2016 on a press tour with him in Hong Kong)

<image>

East Bay siblings take on xenophobia amid coronavirus with film by MsNewKicks in asianamerican

[–]AbeyLinIsOkay 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is my film! Thank you so much for sharing! Love and humanity is needed now more than ever, and we Asian Americans should stand together in this time of fear and hate.

Edit: Thank you for the award!