User:Yang Ning

Hong Kong Martial Arts Films

Yang Ning

As we know, Hong Kong Martial Arts films is the representative of Chinese Martial Arts ones’ highest level and the crystal of Chinese traditional culture. In fact, Hong Kong Martial Arts films has gone through a long development history and leaped over a few eras. During a few decades, there has been many outstanding filmmakers, playwriters and directors appearing in the Hong Kong film industry. Except for these explicit achievements, Hong Kong Martial Arts films inherits core spirit of Chinese culture and promotes international influence of Chinese culture.

The Early Period(1930s—1950s) The earliest martial arts film in Hong Kong was Heroes and Heroines directed by Huang Yicuo in 1938. In 1949, Hu Peng made the first film featuring Wong Fei hung as the protagonist, marking the beginning of the filming process for the Wong Fei hung film series. The series continued from 1949 to 1994 and became an important brand of martial arts and kung fu films in Hong Kong. During this period, Confucian philosophy was the mainstream ideology in films, with the core theme of promoting goodness and educating people. Hu Peng's Wong Fei hung is a prominent representative of this type of film. The Wong Fei hung film series, which was popular in the 1950s, injected Confucian consciousness and transformed the rugged heroes in traditional martial arts films into chivalrous characters with traditional concepts of benevolence, righteousness, and morality. The success of this series demonstrated the deep appeal of Confucian culture to the people of Hong Kong.（Wang & Yu, 2023, 52） The Wong Fei hung film series had a significant impact on later Hong Kong martial arts films. In the 1990s, director Tsui Hark remade the Wong Fei hung series and invited actors such as Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan to star. On the basis of inheriting the old version of the film, it reignited a new wave of enthusiasm in the Hong Kong film market.

The Rise of New Martial Arts Films(1960s) In 1966, Shaw Brothers released Cheh Chang's One-armed Swordsman and King Hu's Come Drink with Me, marking the birth of a new genre of martial arts films. Cheh Chang and King Hu are both representative filmmakers of this period. Cheh Chang's style is known for male friendship and violent aesthetics, while King Hu's style has literary characteristics, blending classical opera and painting imagery. In contrast, the artistic quality of King Hu's films is more prominent. A Touch of Zen should be a milestone for King Hu, with more exquisite techniques. The first half is secular, not only writing about martial arts, but also directly about scholars, with both literature and martial arts, using force and strategy to resist evil forces. The latter half turned into a metaphysical and mysterious world. King Hu believed that the literati, martial arts, scholars, and heroes in the world still have their fatal limitations. Struggle leads to struggle, and the causes follow each other. So as to truly achieve liberation, one must seek the manifestation of gods and Buddhas, so that "light can overcome darkness".(Chen, 2011, 98) A Touch of Zen blends Confucian culture with Buddhist Zen philosophy and made a stunning debut at the Cannes Film Festival that year, winning the 1966 Cannes Film Festival Technical Award and becoming the first Chinese language film to win a major award at the Cannes Film Festival. A Touch of Zen is not only of great significance to King Hu's creative career, but also a timeless classic in the history of Chinese language cinema.

The Bruce Lee era (1970s) In 1971, the release of The Big Boss starring Bruce Lee marked the shift of Hong Kong martial arts films towards Fist and Foot Kung Fu Films. Bruce Lee's films focus on bare-handed combat and actual combat effectiveness, bringing Hong Kong martial arts films into the international film industry. Bruce Lee's main works include Fist of Fury, The Big Boss, and Enter the Dragon, among which Enter the Dragon is his last work. In Enter the Dragon, Bruce Lee contributed almost insane acting skills and brought Chinese Kung Fu culture to the international stage. Bruce Lee elevated cinematic combat to an art form and promoted his Chinese heritage worldwide. In hindsight, however, Lee’s greatest legacy is his uphill struggle to bridge racial divides. In that alone, Enter the Dragon remains a milestone.（Jarek Kupść, 2023, 29） Bruce Lee's films are full of strong national integrity and patriotic spirit. His self-created Jeet Kune Do martial arts have also been passed down to this day, and his belief-based martial arts philosophy has had a profound impact.

Diversified development (1980s to present) After Bruce Lee's death, various branches of Hong Kong martial arts films emerged. In 1978, Drunken Master directed by Woo-ping Yuen and starring Jackie Chan was released, marking the birth of comedy kung fu films. In 1981, director Hsin-Yen Chang's The Shaolin Temple was released, which featured all domestic professional martial arts athletes as characters and martial arts designers, becoming a milestone film in the history of martial arts films. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, ancient martial arts films experienced a true glory. The works of directors such as Tsui Hark and Siu-Tung Ching became representative of this period. The representative works include The Swordsman co-directed by Tsui Hark and Siu-Tung Ching, as well as New Dragon Inn co-directed by Tsui Hark, Siu-Tung Ching, and Raymond Lee. During this period, martial arts films achieved a high level of visual effects and narrative, integrating various elements such as fantasy and love. After the 1990s, Hong Kong martial arts films were no longer limited to the category of genres, but instead moved towards increasingly diverse creations and rich content, presenting Chinese culture in various new forms.

Terms and Expressions Heroes and Heroines 《儿女英雄》 Wong Fei hung 《黄飞鸿》 One-armed Swordsman 《独臂刀》 King Hu 胡金铨 A Touch of Zen 《侠女》 Buddhist Zen philosophy 佛教禅意 Bruce Lee 李小龙 Fist and Foot Kung Fu Films拳脚功夫片 Fist of Fury 《精武门》 The Big Boss 《唐山大兄》 Enter the Dragon 《龙争虎斗》 Jeet Kune Do 截拳道 Drunken Master 《醉拳》 The Shaolin Temple 《少林寺》 The Swordsman 《笑傲江湖》 New Dragon Inn 《新龙门客栈》

Questions 1, What are the main stages of development for Hong Kong martial arts films? 2, What ideology was the core of early Hong Kong martial arts films and what themes were commonly conveyed? 3, In what ways does King Hu's A Touch of Zen have significant implications for Chinese language films? 4, What contributions did Bruce Lee make to Hong Kong martial arts films? 5, What branches of Hong Kong martial arts films emerged after Bruce Lee's death?

Answers 1, Four stages, namely The Early Period(1930s—1950s), The Rise of New Martial Arts Films(1960s), The Bruce Lee era (1970s), and Diversified development (1980s to present). 2, Confucianism, advocating goodness and educating people. 3, Innovation in narrative techniques; Breakthrough in philosophical propositions; The expansion of international influence. 4, Created the Jeet Kune Do and developed Chinese Kung Fu culture; Promoted national spirit and bridged racial discrimination; Created a belief-based martial arts philosophy and deepened the theme of martial arts films. 5, Comedy kung fu films; Professional martial arts films; Ancient martial arts films.

References 1, Wang Hai Zhou, Yu Jian. Century-old Hong Kong Films and Chinese Cultural Tradition[J]. Journal of Shanghai University(Social Sciences Edition), 2023, 40(02):50-60. 2, Chen Fei Bao. The Aesthetic of King Hu's Kung-fu Film and Its Influence on Chinese Film[J]. Contemporary Cinema, 2011, (08):98-101. 3. Jarek Kupść. Enter the Dragon, Exit the Stereotypes[J]. Cinéaste, 2023, 48(04):26-29.

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