Red Fists, Part 4: Wushu movies of the ’80s

Earlier in this series, I discussed Jet Li’s SHAOLIN TEMPLE, probably the first and certainly the best known of the wushu movies made in China in the 1980s. My last post covered a little known 1983 film called YOUNG HEROES. Wushu can be a generic term in Mandarin for Chinese martial arts, but it is often used to refer to the standardized competition style that became very popular in the Mainland about 35 years ago. Local teams compete for national titles, and there is an international wushu competition circuit now. I remember my Sifu, Master Bow Sim Mark, going to Fujian Province in, I believe, 1981 for the first national competition that was open to “outsiders.” I can’t remember if the non-residents were allowed to compete at that time (I think not) but my Sifu, her son Donnie Yen, and her student Frank Hriadl all performed demonstrations there. The art wasn’t very well known in this country at the time, but that started to change with the release of SHAOLIN TEMPLE.

Wushu competitors practice a highly acrobatic form of kung fu, and the best of them are on the same level as Olympic athletes. (There were wushu demonstrations at the Beijing Olympics, but the sport has not been accepted as an Olympic event.) In the 1980s, many wushu champions were cast in martial arts films, despite their lack of dramatic training. The trend produced mixed results. Some of the wushu movies are outstanding; others forgettable. Even the best fighters could get bogged down in boring dramatic scenes and poorly shot action sequences. Here’s a list I’ve compiled, in no particular order, of wushu movies I’ve seen or heard about. A few are intermittently available from online retailers, some can be found as second hand copies, and others have vanished. Happy hunting!

Left: Chiu Jianguo. Right: Wushu actor Hu Jianqiang.

KIDS FROM SHAOLIN, aka SHAOLIN TEMPLE II (1984). Directed by Chang Hsin Yen. Starring Jet Li, Yu Hai, Yu Chenghui, Hu Jianqiang, Wong Qiuyin, Ji Chunhua. Jet Li’s second movie, with many of the same wushu actors from SHAOLIN TEMPLE. Two families are feuding. One is all male, composed of orphans adopted by Shaolin masters Yu Hai and Hu Jianqiang. The other is all female, the many daughters of Wudang sword master Yu Chenghui. The scenes with the kids can be cute or cloying, depending on your tolerance of adorable mugging, but the fight scenes are top notch. Jet Li’s costar Wong Qiuyin became his first wife.

MARTIAL ARTS OF SHAOLIN (1986). Directed by Lau Kar-leung. Starring Jet Li, Yu Hai, Yu Chenghui, Hu Jianqiang, Ji Chunhua. Although this third entry in the SHAOLIN TEMPLE series was directed by Hong Kong stalwart Lau Kar-leung, it plays more like the typical wushu movies. Again, great action scenes interspersed with so-so drama.

Yu Chenghui (right) in YELLOW RIVER FIGHTER.

YELLOW RIVER FIGHTER (1988). Directed by Chang Hsin-yen. Starring Yu Chenghui, Hu Jianqiang, Yu Hai, Ji Chunhua, Sun Jiankui. Justly famous for outstanding swordplay, YELLOW RIVER FIGHTER showcases wushu coach-turned-actor Yu Chenghui as a disillusioned master swordfighter who specializes in drunken style. With much of the SHAOLIN TEMPLE supporting cast and the same director as the original film. The comic scenes can get a little tedious though.

WUDANG, aka THE UNDAUNTED WUDANG (1983). Directed by Sun Sha. Starring Zhao Changjun, Lin Quan, Yang Yung. One of my favorites – this one is worth seeking out. The plot is similar to FIST OF FURY or FEARLESS – a Wudang expert defeats Japanese martial artists in a public match designed by the Japanese to humiliate the Chinese population. The Chinese master is poisoned and suspicion is cast on a young martial artist played by Zhao Changjun. The dead man’s daughter, played by Lin Quan, returns to Wudang Mountain to hone her skills and then tracks down the real killer. Lin now teaches in Hong Kong at the Wushu Arts Centre.

PRIDE’S DEADLY FURY (1983). Directed by Sun Sha. Starring Ge Chunyan, Li Junfeng. Ge Chunyan was the national champion in competition-style tai chi (taiji) and pakua in the early 1980s and Li Junfeng was a coach of the prestigious Beijing Wushu Team (Jet Li’s old crew) for many years. This film, by the director of WUDANG, showcases internal fighting styles. I saw it many years ago and don’t have a clear memory of the story, but it’s worth watching if you get a chance. Li now teaches qigong at the Academy of Oriental Medicine in Austin TX. Ge has a school in Singapore – for more information, see her website.

Left: Ge Chunyan. Right: Yu Rongguang.

SOUTH SHAOLIN MASTER (1984). Directed by Xiao Lung. Starring Chiu Jianguo, Li Yanlong, Zhong Xiaozhen. I haven’t seen this one but it has a good reputation. The lead star was evidently a nanquan (southern boxing) specialist.

HOLY ROBE OF SHAOLIN TEMPLE, aka SHAOLIN AND WU TANG 2 (1985). Directed by Tsui Siu-ming. Starring Yu Rongguang, Xu Xiangdong (Simmon Xu). Another wushu movie with a Hong Kong director. I remember screening this one in Chinatown many years ago. Some of my friends loved it, but it was a little too intensely serious for me. Now I see that the cast included Yu Rongguang (IRON MONKEY) and Xu Xiangdong, who played the pakua expert in Yuen Wo-ping’s awesome TAI CHI MASTER (the TV series with Wu Jing, not the Jet Li flick).

YAO’S YOUNG WARRIORS (1983). Directed by Wang Zhiyu. Starring Cham Fung, Cheung Hei-ling, Cheung Shing-chung. I haven’t seen this film either, but it seems to be well-liked by those who’ve had the opportunity to view it.

DISCIPLES OF SHAOLIN. I remember enjoying this film, but I can’t pin down any information about it (there are Hong Kong movies with the same title, which doesn’t help). The story focussed on a young Shaolin Temple novice who always got into trouble. He finally quits or is kicked out, but when a renegade former disciple goes down the outlaw path and attacks the Temple, the hero returns to defend his former teachers. There was a great drunken boxing scene in an inn.

Documentaries:
THIS IS KUNG FU (1983). Directed by Chung I and Yang Chung. Starring Jet Li, Pan Qingfu.

ABBOT HAI TENG OF SHAOLIN (1988). Directed by Li Hanqun.

Here’s a clip I found on Youtube of Lin Quan from WUDANG.