Red Fists, Part 6: New Generation

Contemporary wushu, once seen only in exotic imports from Mainland China (see part 4), has proven to be a major influence on modern action cinema. Jet Li is well known for his wushu skills, but some of the hottest new talent in kung fu filmmaking also came out of wushu training programs and competition circuits. By far the most eminent is Donnie Yen.

Left: Donnie Yen in 1982. Right: A teenaged Yen practices wushu with his mother.

Although he is now garnering attention for his innovative use of mixed martial arts in film choreography, Yen originally trained in standardized competition wushu, first under the guidance of his mother, Master Bow Sim Mark of the Chinese Wushu Research Institute of Boston MA, and then in Beijing with the prestigious Beijing Wushu Team. Check out Yen’s first film, DRUNKEN TAI CHI (1984), which he made for Yuen Wo-ping right after leaving China, to see his classic wushu style.

Another wushu veteran of the Beijing Sports Institute is rising star Jacky Wu Jing. Wu was discovered in 1995 by SHAOLIN TEMPLE director Chang Hsin Yen, who introduced him to Yuen Wo-ping.

Jacky Wu Jing demonstrates a wushu kick.

Yuen promptly cast the young athlete in TAI CHI 2, and a career in Hong Kong TV and film followed. In 2004, Wu Jing fought Donnie Yen in SHA PO LANG (KILL ZONE), one of the most highly acclaimed martial arts films of recent years. A Youtube clip of the amazing alley fight is posted below.

Ming Qiu, a former wushu champion, is one of Hollywood’s hardest-working stunt performers, appearing in KILL BILL (2003), SERENITY (2005), and THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (2008), to name just a few. Ray Park (STAR WARS 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE, 1999) and Luke Goss (HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY, 2008) have also drawn on wushu choreography in their screen characterizations. Bringing the art back to its roots is the upcoming Sammo Hung film WUSHU, which follows a group of young students as they train to compete in the national championships. New generations of wushu performers will undoubtedly continue to follow the path blazed by Chang Hsin Yen, the visionary left wing filmmaker.

Left: Luke Goss as Prince Nuada. Right: Ray Park as Darth Maul.

Read the rest of the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

And here’s that clip from SHA PO LANG.

Tags: Donnie Yen, Ming Liu, Wu Jing, wushu