China Heavyweight

On Friday, Jan 27th, my wife and I attended the Sundance Film Festival, arguably the most famous independent film festival in the world.

Here is a more detailed history of the festival if you're interested, courtesy of BYU"s Daily Universe: Sundance: Then and Now.

The film we saw was China Heavyweight, a documentary about boxing in mainland China directed by Yung Chang.  Before the film started Yung explained that the Chinese title, Qian Chui Bai Lian, is an old idiom that means "to be tried and tested a thousand times over" and that this film was about more than just boxing.

The film was a compelling story about a school that takes some students, mostly children of poor farmers, and trains them to box.

This is the trailer:

I really enjoyed the film.

There were many things that caught my eye.

Me in front of the Forbidden City, Beijing

In the summer of 2009, I traveled to China and was able to visit most of the northern half of mainland China.  One of my best friends since middle school, JP Nakhoul, was doing an internship in Shanghai.  So I went to Shanghai and Hangzhou with him, and to Beijing and Xi'an by myself while he was working during the week.

No, I don't speak Mandarin.

Yes, it was a little crazy but lots of fun.

During my journey, by myself and hanging out JP and his friends, I was able to experience the culture pretty extensively.  We partied literally all night at KTV, private karaoke.  I went to a couple clubs.  I traveled on public trains, buses, and boats.  I went to tons of museums, temples, and tombs.

Aquatics Center at Olympic Park, Beijing

This experience taught me a lot about the Chinese.  One thing that I learned and was touched on in the film was that they like women with very, very fair skin.  They eat fairly simply, but deliciously.  They have a determination to excel in what they do.

I visited the Olympic Park in Beijing.  The Chinese have begun to develop a great dedication to excel in international sports.  This was evident by the time and money put into the park and  also depicted by the hard work and dedication of the students, coaches, and administrators in the documentary.

Me with Coach Qi Moxiang, Sundance

Many themes ran through the film.  One of them was something that the coach, Qi Moxiang, taught his students.  "Failure is a noble virtue."  He lost his last fight five years before and at the same time he had lost his father.

His determination and dedication were astounding.

He never gave up.

The documentary captures him mounting a comeback in 2011 and bringing together his family, both blood and boxing.

He said now he is done boxing but is eager to continue to help kids grow and learn.  Qi is an inspiration for all of us.  I encourage you to see the film when it comes out.

Support young people in their endeavors.

Be an active participant in your community.

(All the photos were taken by me with my camera in China, and with my phone and with my wife's help at Sundance.)