A foreigner's search for kung fu

Get to the root

The decision to produce "Searching for Kung Fu" was not impulsive. Brahm has a fourth-degree black belt in karate and has been practicing various Chinese kung fu styles for more than 40 years. The movie is the culmination of his passion, insight and discoveries.

Brahm's relationship with kung fu dates back to the 1970s when he was a karate student in Hawaii.

"My master always told me that if you want to fully understand karate, you have to go to Shaolin in China. That's where the origin is," Brahm said. "Karate was developed in Okinawa under the influence of both northern and southern Shaolin. I wanted to get to the root of it."

This intention, to go to Shaolin and learn about martial arts, saw Brahm travel across the Pacific Ocean to China.

In 1981, two years after China and the United States established diplomatic relations, Brahm landed in Tianjin, north China, becoming a student at Nankai University. Later the same year, he managed to visit the Shaolin Temple for the very first time.

Today's Shaolin, situated at the foot of the Songshan Mountain in Central China, is somewhat of a shrine to kung fu. Hundreds of thousands of martial-arts practitioners, fans and other adventurers visit every year.

"But at that time, very few people were there training in martial arts. I discovered that there were many masters out there, but they were quiet. People were learning, but it was very hidden. People were just beginning to reawaken to their own culture and the martial arts," Brahm reminisced.

He retreated from the mountain, a little disappointed at not finding the martial-arts paradise he expected. But his passion for kung fu and his desire to find out more were stronger than ever before.

Over the following decades, he spent time as a lawyer, government advisor, explorer and film director, actively participating in and recording China's development.

Throughout the years, there remained one constant: his commitment as an avid student of kung fu, spanning tai chi, Wing Chun, Jeet Kune Do, among a host of other forms, learning under some of the best kung fu masters in China.

"I trained in many different styles over the years to understand all of them," Brahm said.

The thought of making a documentary about kung fu had been in the back of Brahm's mind for years. In 2018, he found a producer, and the dream became a reality.

Filming started in May 2019, with Brahm and his team travelling to several locations: Shaolin Temple, the origin of a large variety of forms of kung fu; Chenjiagou village, the ancestral home of Chen-style tai chi; and Jingwu Town, the hometown of kung fu legend Huo Yuanjia. He also took in several other locations around China that have some significance in the story of martial arts.

"I think, to me, what's really important was going back to Shaolin," Brahm said. "There was almost a reason for not wanting to go back. I had to wait for the right time."

This time, he said he was "really happy" to see Shaolin rebuilt and martial arts thriving. He spent time with Shi Deyang, the 31st lineage holder of Shaolin kung fu.

"You know, to be with him over those days in Shaolin, to be able to train with him, work with him, talk with him, and look at the origins -- we went up to the Bodhidharma Cave and practiced up there -- this is a really important moment in my life," Brahm said.

"We found out that taekwondo, karate and many many different styles all recognize that Shaolin is the source, and it goes back at least to the Yuan Dynasty," Brahm said, citing written records in the Pagoda Forest at Shaolin Temple showing that people came from other countries to visit hundreds of years ago.