Hong Kong sword trainer Lancelot Chan brings 'Game of Thrones'-esque action to life

Hong Kong is a world away from the epic sword and lightsabre fights on the Game of Thrones and Star Wars. But a local sword-fighting master is bridging that gap between fantasy and reality.

His name, aptly enough, is Lancelot Chan Ying-chih, according to his HKID card. The 37-year-old’s full-time job is creating realistic swords for training purposes, and he also teaches students how to fight with the replica weapons.

Chan says a childhood illness, an iconic movie and make-believe duels brought him to where he is today.

As a child, he would often roughhouse with two friends using broken TV aerials and sticks. Chan used to study martial arts as a boy, but one day, while he was Primary Five student, he suddenly found himself unable to move.

He was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. In secondary school, he took medicines to reduce the inflammation, but he lost the flexibility and endurance he once had. He stopped doing hand-to-hand combat and started training with weapons (for fun), which is less physically demanding.

Later, when he began studying at a technical school, he learned how to use a drill and other equipment to craft swords.

“Before class, we’d all go crazy and fight each other,” he told the South China Morning Post. Our teacher would yell, ‘Stop, or you’ll all get detention.’ He did that from a safe distance, of course.