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With jumps and falls on screen, Hong Kong actor Andrew Clifford Pong King-fung is focused on helping the next generation of martial artists and stunt performers at his studio.
He wants to celebrate the strong history of the city’s action and kung fu movies.
The New Era Martial Club was started in 2022 in Quarry Bay.
It gives people a chance to try out fun movie stunts in a safe place. Pong also teaches his skills to those who want to be action performers.
“Our primary mission is to promote and cultivate a new generation of Hong Kong martial artists and to make them become more aware of Hong Kong’s cultural diversity, especially in Hong Kong action cinema and kung fu in general,” said the 34-year-old founder of the club.
Pong added that the group welcomed individuals of all ages and backgrounds.
Taking the legacy forward
Hong Kong is famous for its martial arts films.
These films include stories about heroes and epic kung fu battles, with stars like Bruce Lee, Sammo Hung, Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen.
Pong has loved action movies ever since he was a kid. He got really interested by watching films with his parents, Chin Siu-ho and Sharon Kwok Sau-wan, and his uncle, Chin Ka-lok.
“They were just superheroes that saved the day, and that resonated a lot with me as a kid,” Pong recalled.
“I wanted to become a superhero. That’s what I thought. And then I became more passionate about researching Hong Kong cinema. So it turned me to watching Jackie Chan films and old Yuen Woo-ping films, and then it turned me into a Bruce Lee fan in the end.”
Pong has built up almost 30 credits in action movies and dramas since he started in 2007. Most of these were from Hong Kong and mainland China and featured wire work, which makes actors look like they’re flying, as well as lots of fighting. He also acted in a US science fiction action film called Agent Recon.
Empowering the next generation
His studio teaches younger kids the basics of gymnastics, lion dance, and martial arts. It also provides special training in magic tricks and action techniques for teens and young adults.
In addition to action acting classes, there are also several special courses like wire work, gymnastics, taekwondo, kung fu, weapon skills, extreme martial arts and hapkido, which focuses on safe falls and reactions. There’s also Filipino arnis, which teaches stick and knife fighting, along with simulated firearms handling for older students.
He stressed the importance of providing students with practical, real-world experience, bridging the gap between training and professional work by offering them opportunities to become involved in film and television productions.
“A good way for them to start is to probably become a stunt actor or follow our team to go on site. They could actually experience first-hand how a movie is filmed or what the logistics are for TV sets. This is a really valuable experience for students because it doesn’t happen everywhere,” he said.
Pong urged budding performers to take the initiative to learn different skills.
“If you want to become an action actor, learn the entire industry and don’t just learn one particular thing. It’s not just kung fu itself. You can learn wire work, weaponry, horse riding. The list goes on and on,” Pong said.
