MIAMI (CBSMiami) – As we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we put the spotlight on a man who is inspiring generations through his martial arts and the tradition of his culture.
For more than five decades, Master Li Siu Hung has been sharing his love of martial arts with thousands around the world, from Hong Kong to South Florida.
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Master Li began training in Hong Kong when he was just 7 years old and began teaching as a teen.
“I teach kung fu for a long time since Hong Kong,” said Master Li.
Master Li who is a full-contact fighting champion and a champion of forms and weapons was taught by his brother Grandmaster Lee Koon Hung.
Training and knowledge he is now passing on to the students at his martial arts school he took over from his brother in Sunrise.
Cesar Valero, 24, is one of his many students and assistant instructors who has been taking classes with Master Li since he was 4.
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“Every year. I can see myself getting better and that just physically there’s a lot of respect that you learn by practicing this and a lot of morals and self-discipline,” said student Cesar Valero. And although he was born in Venezuela and raised in the U.S., Cesar has embraced the Asian culture as his own.
“We should always upkeep the values, especially in America that we’re a melting pot it’s very important that we are pulled and respect everyone’s traditions and then the more we know the more accepting we could be,” said Valero.
Values and traditions Master Li hopes will live on in hundreds of students for generations to come.
“I would like to keep the tradition going we don’t want it to get lost somewhere along like another hundred years we want to keep it going,” said student Zhijian Doylet.
Since 1996, Master Li’s martial arts school named after his brother Lee Koon Hung has doubled in size and offers a number of classes not only kung fu but also kickboxing, MMA fighting and lion dancing.
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They also perform at many local and international events.
