Besides food, Asian culture is noted for its ancient martial arts. Cambodia has Bokator. It dates back to the Khmer Empire more than 17-hundred years ago, but was in danger of dying out. Today, thanks to the efforts of grand master San Kim Sean, it's undergoing a revival. CGTN's Miro Lu talked to the grand master to find out more.

All the old men knew martial arts. They fought and killed lions to rescue people in villages. That is why all the elders in that generation named it BOKATOR.

MIRO LU SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA "The martial art of Bokator can be seen in stone carvings at the ancient temples in and around Angkor Wat, displaying epic battle scenes as well as individual training poses. These carvings show that Bokator has been around since the beginning of the Angkor Civilisation."

But the ancient martial art dwindled over generations and the Khmer Rouge almost killed it off.

SAN KIM SEAN BOKATOR GRAND MASTER "I'm very concerned about our culture because we are the Khmer Empire, that's why I decide I spend my life for the young generation and for the world to understand Bokator."

Grandmaster San Kim Sean learned Bokator at the age of 13. He fled to the United States during the war and lived there for almost 20 years, teaching other forms of martial arts. In 1993, he returned to his homeland with one mission: to bring back Bokator. As the founder of the Cambodia Bokator Federation and the Cambodia Bokator Academy, Grandmaster San has single-handedly written the rulebook.

SAN KIM SEAN BOKATOR GRAND MASTER "Now, I'm so happy because we planning to take Bokator to worldwide and later on we will get the good news from UNESCO, Bokator will be World Heritage. That's what my dream is and I want that for my country."

With a syllabus of over 10,000 techniques, Bokator is a complex martial art form. San and his followers believe that while regional sports such as Muay Thai are famous throughout the world, their origins come from Bokator.

"The world has known this Muay Thai or other martial arts before us because they have their determination and they support their own culture. We've been asleep because most Cambodians got traumatized from the war."

Grandmaster San has taught thousands of Cambodian students since returning to his homeland. Some of them are starting to attract mainstream attention. 28-year-old Tharoth Sam has become famous in Cambodia as a Bokator athlete and her kicks have landed her roles in Netflix and Hollywood productions.

THAROTH SAM MIXED MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTER & ACTRESS "I've been working on one with Hollywood company that the movie called, First They Killed My Father, directed by Angelina Jolie, and she gave me the opportunity to show my ability, my talent, so I use Bokator in the movie like to fight in the war, fight scene, teach the kids in the camps, so that's when people get to know more about Bokator and they would love to visit Cambodia so that I can show people to know more about Cambodia."

With a rising martial art star championing the sport and international students picking up the ancient fight form, Grandmaster San's mission to survive Bokator is coming true. Thanks to his dedication and personal sacrifice, it seems that the world is starting to take note of what is possibly Southeast Asia's oldest martial art. Miro Lu, CGTN, Siem Reap, Cambodia.