This documentary, by Yung Chang who gave us the wonderful doc "Up the Yangtze", illustrates the rising popularity of boxing in China and contains a number of surprises along the way.
Boxing candidates, both male and female, are recruited as early as elementary school. If selected they will begin rigorous training on the local level, in this case Sichuan province, under the guidance of expert instructors such as the former boxer Qi Moxiang. The film focuses on two talented young boxers, Miao Yunfei and He Zonglil. We learn about their individual styles and personalities, as well as how congruous boxing is with their families, especially their mothers.
One aspect of the movie that I found fascinating was the interest and employment of women in virtually all aspects of boxing. They were not only being trained for bouts, but were shown enthusiastically attending matches and cheering for their favorites. There were women referees, ringside announcers, and strangely cheerleaders in the middle of the ring entertaining the crowd at times. This certainly seemed in direct contrast to our country where it's much more of a male dominated sport.
When Miao and He graduate middle school, they are now ready to train at the National Training Camp, under the tutelage of Coach Ye. At this same time, their previous instructor Qi has decided to return to the ring despite being retired for several years and being in his late 30's. He rigorously trains for a shot at the Super Bantamweight crown, vs. Akihiro Matsumato, when the WBC will come to the local city of Huili, in China.
Regarding both the futures of young Miao and He, as well as Qi's quest to return to boxing, let's just say that the film goes in some unexpected directions that I'll leave to the viewer. I was surprised by some of these results.
All in all, I found this documentary to be an informative and interesting watch, where I learned quite a bit. The overall subject of who benefits from the recruitment of young boxers for the State remains a question mark that isn't answered in the film.
Boxing candidates, both male and female, are recruited as early as elementary school. If selected they will begin rigorous training on the local level, in this case Sichuan province, under the guidance of expert instructors such as the former boxer Qi Moxiang. The film focuses on two talented young boxers, Miao Yunfei and He Zonglil. We learn about their individual styles and personalities, as well as how congruous boxing is with their families, especially their mothers.
One aspect of the movie that I found fascinating was the interest and employment of women in virtually all aspects of boxing. They were not only being trained for bouts, but were shown enthusiastically attending matches and cheering for their favorites. There were women referees, ringside announcers, and strangely cheerleaders in the middle of the ring entertaining the crowd at times. This certainly seemed in direct contrast to our country where it's much more of a male dominated sport.
When Miao and He graduate middle school, they are now ready to train at the National Training Camp, under the tutelage of Coach Ye. At this same time, their previous instructor Qi has decided to return to the ring despite being retired for several years and being in his late 30's. He rigorously trains for a shot at the Super Bantamweight crown, vs. Akihiro Matsumato, when the WBC will come to the local city of Huili, in China.
Regarding both the futures of young Miao and He, as well as Qi's quest to return to boxing, let's just say that the film goes in some unexpected directions that I'll leave to the viewer. I was surprised by some of these results.
All in all, I found this documentary to be an informative and interesting watch, where I learned quite a bit. The overall subject of who benefits from the recruitment of young boxers for the State remains a question mark that isn't answered in the film.