By Andrew Hamlin
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Mak Hin Fai in Hing Hay Park (Photo Credit: Han Eckelberg)
Martial arts and filmmaking both require knowledge, patience, and attention to detail. For martial artist and filmmaker Han Eckelberg, a part Chinese Seattle native, dedication to these principles, and Chinese culture, goes back to his own childhood.
Eckelberg, whose short film “The Golden 50: A Mak Fai Anniversary” celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Mak Fai kung fu and dragon dancing organization, recalled growing up on Beacon Hill, but often “taking the 106 bus route (now the 107) to Chinatown with my popo (grandmother). My sister and I would get dim sum with my popo’s friends and we would take turns pulling the yellow cord on the bus to signal our departure.
Han Eckelberg talking about what it means to be a member of Mak Fai (Photo Credit: Han Eckelberg)
“I also remember spending Halloween walking all over the Beacon Hill neighborhood, singing with many of my ‘Soufend’ (South End) friends, knocking on my high school science teacher’s door and getting healthy snacks. Many of my memories in the neighborhood revolve around close friendships, as well as the multiculturalism celebrated and honored in different spaces.”
He watched a great many old martial arts films with his mother, but one stuck out in his memory.
“‘Wing Chun’ (1994), starring Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen, really stands out to me. I was probably around 5 or 6 years old watching Michelle Yeoh fly and fight across the screen—very memorable and educational, plus my mom always recognized strong women of color.”
He’d trained in lion dancing as far back as middle school, but didn’t start at the Mak Fai Kung Fu school until high school in 2016, encouraged by friends.
Grandmaster Mak Hin Fai (Photo Credit: MXT Visuals)
The school’s founder and head instructor, Mak Sigung, “emphasizes simultaneous attack and defensive combinations with a low, powerful stance. He would halt everyone in the group if he saw one person perform a move incorrectly or not to his liking. Advancing under his teachings was grueling, but very rewarding.”
Mak Hin Fai training with his students (Photo Credit: Han Eckelberg)
And such mastery extends to the lion dancing. “In a way, a well-choreographed kung fu form is simply dancing. I think that is what separates us from many [lion dancing] groups: We train hard to synchronize our teams’ expressions. It is not an individual sport, each one of us understands our part and we aim to play it well.”
As for filmmaking, Eckelberg started that back in middle school, making short films of martial arts fighting and comical skits, with friends. He learned shooting and editing alongside his friend Angelo Salgado, working on an old digital camera.
“I take inspiration from many local filmmakers such as Kcoyi, MXT Visuals, and learned a lot from my high school journalism teacher, Teresa Scribner, along with my entire Photo/Media crew and professors in college.
Current members of Mak Fai Dragon and Lion Dance Association (Photo Credit: MXT Visuals)
“In recent years, one major influence for filmmaking is from my master’s program professor, Jacob Christensen, who really guided me into making short documentaries. His teachings are what really pushed me to make my first major Mak Fai film, ‘Mak Fai Insider,’ and his guidance is what led me to ultimately make ‘The Golden 50.’”
Filming master Mak Sigung was “a hilarious, serious, and somewhat emotional experience. He went on five-minute tangents on what he did while living in Hawai’i, and sometimes would forget the question we asked him moments ago. The interview started with us asking him to introduce himself, which led to him immediately speaking for 30 minutes non-stop about his whole life story. What you see on screen is a condensed, more straightforward version relevant to our organization.”
“The Golden 50” played Seattle and other cities, as part of the festival circuit. Eckelberg plans to release the short to Instagram soon.
As for future plans, “all I know is that I will still be fully supporting the troupe to the best of my abilities. From graphic designing, teaching, self-defense workshops, international competitions, and filming, I give a lot to Mak Fai because Mak Fai has given so much back to the community. We are currently transitioning into a nonprofit, so stay tuned for another progress update from Mak Fai. For the love of our culture and the city, thank you.”
Leave a Reply