Chinese Kung Fu Movies
Chinese Kung Fu movies, a sub-genre of action movies, are produced to present traditional Chinese martial arts. Fights between characters are usually of great entertainment value and most appealing. The scenes often tell the conflicts between justice and evil and the solution to deal with that is always fighting. Most scenarios are set in the ancient times. They frequently use surroundings such as Kung Fu training centers, rings for martial arts contests and others where fights may happen. Bare-hand fights together with stunt works, chases, and gunfights are included in the films.
Kung Fu movies have been a good medium to show Chinese martial arts to the world. “The Burning of Red Lotus Temple” was shot around the 1920s, when there were only silent films. During the 1950s, "Once Upon A Time in China", directed by Hu Peng in Hong Kong, achieved great success. From then on, Kung Fu movies started to make a difference in the field of film. A little later, “The One-Armed Swordsman” directed by Cheh Chang and “Come Drink with Me” by King Hu caused great sensations in this field. In the 1970s, Bruce Lee, a world famous Kungfu master and film star, successfully introduced Chinese martial arts films to the world with “Fists of Fury”, "The Way of the Dragon” and others. Nowadays, "Hero” directed by Zhang Yimou and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” by Ang Lee are highly spoken of throughout the world.
In current Kung Fu movies, fights for fairness and justice are still the mainstream. Generally, Wing Chun, Shaolin Martial Arts, Hung Kuen and other skills are well performed to the audience. Jackie Chan, Jet Lee, Donnie Yen and some other actors played many great masters’ characters with their real skills.
Hero
Director: Zhang Yimou
Brief Content: At the end of Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC), the Qin State owned the mightiest military power and intended to merge other six main states, Yan, Zhao, Chu, Han, Wei and Qi to unify the whole country. Therefore, the King of Qin became the six states’ enemy and was almost murdered for several times. The three assassins from the State of Zhao, Long Sky, Broken Sword and Flying Snow, made the King of Qin never have a sound sleep for almost ten years. One day, the king heard that a person named Nameless had killed the three assassins. He called in Nameless to safeguard him, but still had his suspicions. The king and Nameless started to have their mind battle…
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Director: Ang Lee
Brief Content: Li Mubai, a great Kungfu master, would like to give up his warrior life. He asks Yu Shu Lien, a female warrior, to give his favorite sword, which has a history of around 400 years to a friend to keep. On the same night, Jen steals the sword. When Shu Lien chases her, Jade Fox, the master of Jen, causes many troubles and the sword fails to be recovered. Later, after Shu Lien’s hard investigation and persuasion, Jen guarantees to return the sword. When giving back the sword, Jade Fox and Mubai have a fight and Mubai recognizes that Jade Fox had murdered his master and he wants to revenge. After a complicated period, Jen betrays her master, so Jade Fox wants to kill her. Mubai saves Jen, but dies because of Jade Fox’s poison needle. Jen finally realizes her wrong actions and goes to Mt. Wudang under the guidance of Shu Lien. There she still feels ashamed and eventually jumps off a cliff to death.
Fists of Fury
Brief Content: Huo Yuanjia, the founder of the Jingwu Kung Fu Club, suddenly passes away. Chen Zhen, Huo’s favorite apprentice, returns from abroad to attend his master’s funeral. He feels confused about the death of his master. At that time, the Japanese send a stele on which the Sick Man of East Asia is written and they insult the Jingwu Club by saying humiliating words. Chen Zhen is very angry and he goes to beat them. Being afraid of Japanese coming to avenge his actions, Chen temporarily leaves the club. Later he finds the proof that the Japanese murdered his master. He kills a couple of Japanese to revenge Huo. At last, to fully safeguard the Jingwu Club, Chen is willing to sacrifice himself…
Way of the Dragon
Director: Bruce Lee
Brief Content: Several days before the Spring Festival, Tang Long gets an invitation from Rome that he needs go there to help Chen Qinghua’s restaurant which is being provoked by a local commercial group, which intends to buy the restaurant’s land but gets refusal. In order to reach their evil goal, the commercial group frequently damaged the restaurant. Although the restaurant’s staff practise Karate, they still are not able to defend. When Tang Long gets there, he helps to beat the gangsters. However, the group still does not give up. Instead, they hire many hatchet men to kill Tang. Tang cannot bear that any more and fights with them all…
Drunken Fist
Director: Woo-ping Yuen
Brief Content: At the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), there was a Kungfu club in Guangdong, where Wong Feihung learned Chinese martial arts as an apprentice. He always played tricks on others with his unseasoned skills. One day, he bullied a girl on the street, but found she was his cousin when he returned home. To punish him and let him practice more skills, Wong’s father invited Su Can as his master at home. Wong went through a hard period in learning all necessary skills and eventually got Su’s Drunken Fist essence, which required the practitioner to drink first, and then attack the opponent with staggering steps but organized fists. When a person wanted to murder his father, Wong defeated the enemy using the Drunken Fist.
Shaolin Temple
Brief Content: In the Qing Dynasty, martial arts were forbidden to be practised among the common people. In this case, the Shaolin Temple had to enrol lay disciples to carry forward their martial arts. Fang Shiyu, Hu Huiqian, Hong Xiguan and Cai Dezhong were among the lay disciples. They insisted in practising Shaolin martial arts, as a result, all of them became skillful Kungfu men. Later a traitor, Ma Fuyi, conspired to let the Qing Army in and destroy the Shaolin Temple. The lay disciples did their best to protect the Shaolin Temple and fight with the Qing Army…
Ip Man (Ye Wen)
Brief Content: In 1930, Foshan was the center of the national martial arts. Many Kungfu schools enrolled disciples to develop their own styles. Ye Wen (also known as Yip Man), a skillful and modest Kung Fu master, never enrolled disciples or fought with others. Jin Shanzhao wanted to be the King of martial arts at that time, so he beat many fighters to force Ye to fight with him. Ye defeated Jin and since then, Wing Chun started to be popular. Upon the First Sino-Japanese War (1894 – 1895), Ye’ friend, Wu Chilin was shot in a martial arts ring. He cannot bear that the Japanese killed Chinese in a cruel way and finally decided to fight. He fought with many Japanese and showed unyielding national spirit.
Chinese Zodiac (Armour of God III or CZ 12)
Brief Content: JC, a treasure hunter recruited by MP Corporation, is seeking for the last four of the 12 bronze animal heads looted by the Joint Anglo-French forces during the second Opium War. During his adventure of treasure hunting, JC meets Coco who is a specialist in cultural relics appraisal. Coco discovers his real motive and confronts him. Moved by Coco’s patriotism, JC decides to help her retrieve the bronze animal heads.