Fighting for friendship
Former consul general of the Philippines in Beijing, a master of that nation’s martial arts skills, connects the two cultures
“I think China has been one of the modern success stories of developing countries. You can see that it has been successful in terms of implementing development strategies. It is quite common for foreigners to be in awe of China’s infrastructure development during their first visit here.” Frank Olea, former minister and consul general at the Embassy of the Philippines in China
As a professional diplomat, the major responsibility of Frank Olea is to promote understanding between different peoples.
Unlike most people in his profession, however, Olea doesn’t just accomplish that goal through traditional diplomatic methods — he’s also a practitioner of Filipino martial arts.
The former minister and consul general at the Embassy of the Philippines in China, who had been stationed in Beijing since March 2012, is an active advocate for the fighting methods, and together with another Filipino expat in Beijing, has launched training sessions for a number of Chinese and foreign nationals in the Chinese capital.
“The whole objective is to introduce Filipino martial arts to Chinese people as a way to promote better understanding between our peoples,” said Olea, who recently returned to Manila after his tenure in Beijing ended in January.
Olea, who was first introduced to the fighting methods in his college days, said there are many similarities between diplomacy and FMA.
“Diplomacy is pushing for one’s national interests, but one cannot be successful without first seeking common grounds with other parties,” he said.
“I teach FMA because I want to promote Filipino culture through it, and to try to give the students an understanding of who Filipinos are, what is their behavior and how do they think,” he said.
He added that all of his efforts are geared toward giving participants a genuine interest in visiting the Philippines and practicing with other FMA teachers.
He began his endeavor to teach the martial arts soon after his rotation in Beijing started.
“I realized that hardly anybody knows FMA in China, and that has given me an impetus to pick it up again and try to introduce it to as many people as possible,” he said.
He started by publicizing his intention for a private lesson on FMA to locals at an online community in Beijing, and was surprised to find that many people responded.
A schoolteacher even flew from his hometown in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province to Beijing to spend two days practicing with him.
“It was his dream to study FMA five years ago when he saw it on a documentary. He also plans to bring his family to the Philippines this year so that he could better study the martial arts while his family enjoys the sunshine and beach,” he said.
Olea said it is his primary goal to offer training at the level of an instructor so that his students might go on to teach the martial arts to more Chinese people.
“That is because, as a diplomat, the time I can spend here is limited. If the instructors can speak the Chinese language, they can play a much bigger role in helping promote the martial arts,” he said.
So far, he has offered training to nine instructors, and he spent about 800 to 900 hours on the training of each instructor. The fact that he could only offer his training during his spare time has been a constraining factor.
Quite different from the Chinese martial arts, practitioners of FMA start their instruction by learning to fight with weapons, and only advance to empty-hand training once the stick and knife techniques have been sufficiently mastered.
“We are gradually being recognized. Through our videos posted online, we are gradually getting more inquiries from interested Chinese friends,” he said.
He noted that teaching FMA also offered him a window to learn more about the Chinese people.
“I have learned to understand the Chinese people through Chinese friends and through interacting with my Chinese student in FMA. I have also learned that both Chinese and Filipinos share similar dreams of wanting to have a better life,” he said.
Olea, who was in charge of economic affairs at the embassy, said he was able to travel extensively across China during his six-year tenure.
Of all the Chinese cities, he was most impressed by Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan province, as the city offers a lifestyle that is cozier than usual for major urban areas.
He has also been impressed by China’s achievement in economic growth over the years. His tenure in China is the longest he has stayed in any single country overseas.
“I think China has been one of the modern success stories of developing countries. You can see that it has been successful in terms of implementing development strategies. It is quite common for foreigners to be in awe of China’s infrastructure development during their first visit here,” he said.
He has also witnessed the ups and downs in relations between China and the Philippines.
Olea said he is glad that relations between the two nations have picked up significantly since President Rodrigo Duterte visited China for the first time in October 2016.
President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to the ASEAN country in November, which has further cemented the foundation of bilateral relations.
China has become the Philippines’ largest trading partner, largest export market and largest source of imports, and the second largest source of tourists, Xi noted in a signed article before his visit.
“Our relations have now seen a rainbow after the rain,” Xi said.
Olea noted that people of the two countries share similar values in that both are willing to invest heavily in education and put family first above anything else.
“These are values that are very Asian, and provide a strong link to enable us to move forward together and pursue our common goals,” he said.
Zhang Yang, a Beijing resident who has been receiving training from Olea, said she chose to practice FMA due to its emphasis on fighting skills.
“It enables me to avoid panic in the face of dangers and to make the right judgment, and thus better protect myself and my family,” she said.
The practicing of the martial arts discipline has also given her a better understanding of the country’s history, culture and geography, she said.
“It is prerequisite to learning about its origins and backgrounds before learning about the martial art itself. It is also my way of paying homage to the FMA,” she said.