112-489: Seven Swords is a 2005 wuxia film produced and directed by Tsui Hark , starring Donnie Yen , Leon Lai , Charlie Yeung , Sun Honglei , Lu Yi and Kim So-yeon . An international co-production between Hong Kong, China, South Korea and the Netherlands, the story is loosely adapted from Liang Yusheng 's novel Qijian Xia Tianshan and is completely unrelated to the novel except for some characters' names. Seven Swords
224-740: A cameo in Blade II (2002). He continued to be active in Hong Kong cinema in the 2000s, appearing in the critically acclaimed wuxia film as the antagonist Long Sky in Hero (2002), opposite Li once again. In 2003, he played the antagonist Wu Chow in the American action comedy film Shanghai Knights , opposite Jackie Chan . He later appeared in the American films Rogue One (2016), XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017), Mulan (2020), and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). In television, Yen starred as Chen Zhen in
336-499: A strategy game featuring several martial arts schools which commonly appear in wuxia fiction. The wuxia genre continues to be drawn as a pool of inspiration or source material for Chinese video game studios. In June 2022, Tencent's Lightspeed Studio released a demo trailer on Code: To Jin Yong . In the following month, Everstone Studio unveiled Where Winds Meet , a game compared to Ghost of Tsushima and Assassin's Creed . 2023 saw
448-485: A 25% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews. Tsui Hark intended Seven Swords to be a heptalogy and confirmed a sequel script was in progress. Although confirming a sequel was in the works, a completed script, and ready to be filmed at the end of 2006, the movie was never completed. By 2019, a new seven swords trilogy was made unrelated to Tsui Hark's work. Wuxia Wuxia ( 武俠 [ù.ɕjǎ] , literally "martial arts and chivalry")
560-738: A Chinese general known for his size and spear-fighting abilities. In 2015, Yen reduced his muscular physique yet again to reprise the role of Ip Man in Ip Man 3 and for his role as the blind warrior monk Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One . For his role as Xiang in XXX: Return of Xander Cage opposite Vin Diesel , Yen rebuilt his physique. Yen met his first wife, Hong Kong advertising executive Leung Zing-ci (Chinese: 梁靜慈 ), in 1990. The couple began dating in 1990. After three years of dating, they married secretly in
672-783: A Time in China II 10 years earlier back in 1992. In 2003, Yen portrayed the antagonist named Wu Chow against Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in Shanghai Knights . Yen choreographed most of the fight animation in the 2004 video game Onimusha 3 , which featured actors Takeshi Kaneshiro and Jean Reno . Yen continued to be active in Hong Kong cinema in the 2000s, starring as Chu Zhaonan in Tsui Hark 's wuxia epic film Seven Swords , and as Ma Kwun in Wilson Yip 's brutal crime drama film SPL: Sha Po Lang in 2005. Both films were featured at
784-407: A backdrop. Elements of fantasy, such as the use of magic powers and appearance of supernatural beings, are common in some wuxia stories but are not a prerequisite of the wuxia genre. However, the martial arts element is a definite part of a wuxia tale, as the characters must know some form of martial arts. Themes of romance are also strongly featured in some wuxia tales. A typical wuxia story features
896-513: A certain pattern: a tragic event occurs, usually one that costs the lives of the newly introduced characters, and then it sets events into motion that will culminate in the primary action of the story. Other stories use different structures. For instance, the protagonist is denied admission into a martial arts school. He experiences hardships and trains secretly and waits until there is an opportunity for him to show off his skills and surprise those who initially looked down on him. Some stories feature
1008-583: A corrupt government, played an influential role in the development of jianghu (Jianghu is the setting that wuxia stories inhabit. Literally meaning "rivers and lakes", Jianghu settings are fictionalized versions of China which focus on social underworlds and the marginalized figures which inhabit them." ) culture in later centuries. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is also seen as a possible early antecedent and contains classic close-combat descriptions that were later emulated by wuxia writers in their works In
1120-438: A formidable martial artist and intelligent problem-solver, embarks on a quest to solve a mystery such as a murder case. Huang Yi's stories are blended with science fiction. Despite these genre-blending elements, wuxia is primarily a historical genre of fiction. Notwithstanding this, wuxia writers openly admit that they are unable to capture the entire history of a course of events and instead choose to structure their stories along
1232-606: A franchise of eight video games, two of which were adapted into the television series Chinese Paladin (2005) and Chinese Paladin 3 (2009). There are also MMORPGs , such as JX Online 3 , Heroes of Kung Fu and Age of Wulin , and hack and slash games, such as Bujingai and Heavenly Sword . Games adapted from the works of wuxia writers include Heroes of Jin Yong , an RPG based on characters in Jin Yong 's novels; Dragon Oath , an MMORPG inspired by Jin Yong's Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils ; and Martial Kingdoms ,
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#17328524934941344-405: A later period. Chen Yu-hui is a contemporary female wuxia novelist who made her debut with the novel The Tian-Guan Duo Heroes (天觀雙俠). There have also been works created after the 1980s which attempt to create a post-wuxia genre. Yu Hua , one of the more notable writers from this period, published a counter-genre short story titled Blood and Plum Blossoms , in which the protagonist goes on
1456-544: A martial artist attending underground fights. The Mulan remake in 2020 was Disney 's attempt in making a wuxia movie. In 2021, Marvel 's Shang-Chi opens with a wuxia sequence and has action sequences inspired by Jackie Chan. Some notable wuxia video games of the action RPG genre include The Legend of Sword and Fairy , Xuan-Yuan Sword , Jade Empire , and Kingdom of Paradise , all of which blend wuxia with elements of Chinese mythology and fantasy. The Legend of Sword and Fairy , in particular, expanded into
1568-681: A master or training with a group of fighters. Menpai is often translated as sect, school, society, church, house, or cult. Members of the same menpai follow the guidance and train under the same leader. If the members of the menpai are related, then it can be translated as clan. Since some of the menpai are religiously affiliated, "sect" has come to be a common translation for the non-family based menpai. However, it would be inaccurate to use sect to denote menpais that are not associated with religion. Notable modern wuxia writers include: New and original wuxia writings have dwindled significantly in modern times, particularly so as patronage and readerships of
1680-485: A mature hero with powerful martial arts abilities confronting an equally powerful antagonist as his nemesis. The plot will gradually meander to a final dramatic showdown between the protagonist and his nemesis. These types of stories were prevalent during the era of anti- Qing revolutionaries. Certain stories have unique plots, such as those by Gu Long and Huang Yi . Gu Long's works have an element of mystery and are written like detective stories. The protagonist, usually
1792-630: A mixed martial artist. He learned Shaolin kung fu and wudangquan from a young age under his mother's tutelage. He then wanted to learn Taekwondo in his teenage years, earning a 6th Dan in the process. At the time, the Beijing Wushu Team had a scout in the United States and invited Yen over to Beijing, China, where he began training at the Beijing Sports Institute, the same facility where champion-turned-actor Jet Li trained; this
1904-434: A mixed martial arts film where Yen plays a high school teacher with unconventional methods and a dark past. In 2017, a live-action film adaption of the video game Sleeping Dogs was announced, with Yen playing the lead character Wei Shen. In February 2018, Yen confirmed the continued production of the film through social media. In 2019, Yen reprised his role as Ip Man for the final time in Ip Man 4: The Finale . During
2016-457: A professional boxer, would accidentally injure Yen. However, it was ultimately Yen who fractured Tyson's finger while using his elbow to block Tyson's punches. Tyson insisted on finishing the scene before he was treated in hospital. Yen was considered one of the premiere action choreographers in the world, having been invited by Hollywood to choreograph blockbusters such as Blade II , Highlander: Endgame , and Shanghai Knights . Throughout
2128-498: A quest to avenge his murdered father. Wuxia as a genre has also spread to Korean literature. The shared themes in both culture seem to be honor, revenge, martial sects and mystical prowess. While Chinese wuxia stories incorporate Daoist and Buddhist philosophy, Korean adaptations tend to put more weight in Confucius principles. Korean historical dramas depict martial arts but tend to downplay the mysticism though there are stories where it
2240-468: A retired executioner, feels an urge to stop Fire-Wind so he sets forth to save Martial Village. He brings with him two young villagers, Han Zhibang and Wu Yuanying, to Mount Heaven to seek help from Master Shadow-Glow, a reclusive swordsman and sword-forger. Shadow-Glow allows his four apprentices – Chu Zhaonan, Yang Yuncong, Xin Longzi and Mulang – to accompany the trio on their quest. He also gives each of them
2352-575: A special sword he forged. The seven of them call themselves "Seven Swords". The Seven Swords return to Martial Village in the nick of time and successfully defeat and drive away Fire-Wind's soldiers. In order to buy time for the villagers to prepare for an evacuation, the Seven Swords head to Fire-Wind's base and cause damage by burning down their barn and poisoning their horses. During the raid, Chu Zhaonan encounters Fire-Wind's Korean slave girl, Green Pearl, and brings her along as they make their escape. As
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#17328524934942464-490: A strict and disciplined fitness regime. However, despite his muscular build, Yen has gained tremendous attention for his dedication to his roles and for the lengths to which he goes to achieve the physical build and appearance of the characters he plays. In 2007, Yen lost over 14 kg (30 pounds) to reach the weight of 54 kg (120 pounds) to better portray the slender Ip Man and the techniques of Wing Chun, which focuses on techniques and not strength. He did so through
2576-617: A symbol of personal freedom, defiance to Confucian tradition, and rejection of the Chinese family system. Xiang Kairan (pen name Pingjiang Buxiaosheng ) became the first notable wuxia writer, with his debut novel being The Peculiar Knights-Errant of the Jianghu (江湖奇俠傳). It was serialised from 1921 to 1928 and was adapted into the first wuxia film, The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (1928). Zhao Huanting (趙煥亭), who wrote Chronicles of
2688-584: A very strict regimen of limiting himself to a plain diet consisting mainly of vegetables. In 2010, still fresh off Ip Man 2 , Yen was cast as Chen Zhen in Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen , which was originally portrayed by Bruce Lee . He had to regain his muscular physique for the role and took 6 months through a precise and dedicated diet routine. He maintained this bulk and physique while filming The Lost Bladesman , in which he plays Guan Yu ,
2800-441: A young male protagonist who experiences a tragedy – such as the loss of his loved ones – and goes on to undertake several trials and tribulations to learn several forms of martial arts from various fighters. At the end of the story, he emerges as a powerful fighter whom few can equal. He uses his abilities to follow the code of xia and mends the ills of the jianghu . For instance, the opening chapters of some of Jin Yong's works follow
2912-515: Is a Fu-style wudangquan (internal martial arts) and tai chi grandmaster, while his father, Klyster Yen (甄雲龍), was a newspaper editor. When he was 2 years old, his family moved to Hong Kong and then to the United States when he was 11 years old, settling in Boston . He attended Newton North High School . His younger sister, Chris Yen , is also a martial artist and actress, and appeared in
3024-499: Is a choreographer who achieved fame by crafting action-sequences in wuxia films. Wuxia was introduced to Hollywood studios in 2000 by Ang Lee 's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , though influence of the genre was previously seen in the United States in the 1970s television series Kung Fu . Following in Lee's footsteps, Zhang Yimou made Hero , targeted for the international market in 2002, House of Flying Daggers in 2004, Curse of
3136-404: Is a compound composed of the elements wǔ ( 武 , literally "martial", "military", or "armed") and xiá ( 俠 , literally "chivalrous", " vigilante " or "hero"). A martial artist who follows the code of xia is often referred to as a xiákè ( 俠客 , literally "follower of xia ") or yóuxiá ( 遊俠 , literally "wandering xia "). In some translations, the martial artist
3248-571: Is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of historical fantasy literature, its popularity has caused it to be adapted for such diverse art forms as Chinese opera , manhua , television dramas, films, and video games. It forms part of popular culture in many Chinese-speaking communities around the world. According to Hong Kong film director, producer, and movie writer Ronny Yu , wuxia movies are not to be confused with martial arts movies . The word " wǔxiá "
3360-640: Is best known for portraying Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the Ip Man film series, namely Ip Man (2008), Ip Man 2 (2010), Ip Man 3 (2015), and Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019). He also served as co-producer for the spin-off Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018). Born in Guangdong , Yen developed an interest in martial arts at a young age, and began experimenting with various styles, including tai chi and other traditional Chinese martial arts . At age 18, he auditioned for action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping in Hong Kong. He landed his first starring role in
3472-529: Is further complicated by a romantic affair between Chu Zhaonan and Green Pearl. At one point, Green Pearl and Chu fall into a trap set by Fire-Wind. Chu uses his sword to free Green Pearl from a net cast by Fire-Wind's men but loses his weapon. While Chu is captured by the enemy, Green Pearl manages to escape and convey her message that Chu has been captured to the other swordsmen before she succumbs to her injuries. The other six swordsmen travel to Fire-Wind's base and engage him in battle to rescue Chu Zhaonan. During
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3584-438: Is instead embraced like the seeries Gu family book . The influence of Wuxia can also be found in games, manhwa and light novel in which the settings are depicted in ancient times with distinct wuxia aesthetics. Modern wuxia stories are largely set in ancient or pre-modern China . The historical setting can range from being quite specific and important to the story, to being vaguely-defined, anachronistic, or mainly for use as
3696-644: Is referred to as a jiànxiá ( 劍俠 ) or jiànkè ( 劍客 ), either of which can be interpreted as a "swordsman" or "swordswoman", even though they may not necessarily wield a sword. The heroes in wuxia fiction typically do not serve a lord, wield military power, or belong to the aristocratic class. They often originate from the lower social classes of ancient Chinese society. A code of chivalry usually requires wuxia heroes to right and redress wrongs, fight for righteousness, remove oppressors, and bring retribution for past misdeeds. Chinese xia traditions may be compared to martial codes from other cultures, such as
3808-492: Is the most authentic type of practical combat. Yen was a rebel in his youth due to the huge expectations and pressures from his parents, as his mother is the founder of the Chinese Wushu Research Institute in Boston , and his father was a scholar and a musician. Other martial arts film stars such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li have also stated that Yen may be the best fighter in terms of practical combat in
3920-633: Is very packed. The second is that the first film is already such a classic. I am afraid of the pressure, that the original cannot be surpassed." In May 2013, during the annual Cannes Film Festival , the Weinstein Company announced that Yen would play the lead role of Silent Wolf in the Crouching Tiger sequel, titled Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny , alongside leading female action star Michelle Yeoh reprising her role as Yu Shu Lien, and with director Yuen Woo-ping , Yen's mentor. It
4032-526: Is where the two of them crossed paths for the first time. Upon his return to the United States, Yen won gold medals in various wushu competitions. Over the course of his life, Yen would subsequently embark on a quest to explore and acquire expertise in various other forms of martial arts disciplines; he would later obtain black and purple belts from Judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu , respectively, and went on to study Parkour , Wrestling , Muay Thai , Kickboxing , and Boxing under various trainers. His exposure to
4144-507: The 1972 film of the same title that starred Bruce Lee as Chen Zhen. Yen later reprised his role as Chen Zhen in the 2010 film Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen by replacing Li who starred as Chen Zhen in the prequel film Fist of Legend , which was released in 1994. In 1997, Yen started the production company Bullet Films, and made his directorial debut in Legend of the Wolf (1997) and Ballistic Kiss (1998), in which he played
4256-559: The 2005 Toronto International Film Festival . Later that year, Yen co-starred with Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue in Wilson Yip's Dragon Tiger Gate , an adaptation of Wong Yuk-long 's manhua series Oriental Heroes . Yen also worked as action choreographer in Stormbreaker , starring Alex Pettyfer . Yen continued to work with Wilson Yip in Flash Point (2007), in which he starred as
4368-581: The Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The former is a romanticised historical retelling of the events in the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period, while the latter criticises the deplorable socio-economic status of the late Northern Song dynasty. Water Margin is often seen as the first full-length wuxia novel: the portrayal of the 108 heroes , and their code of honour and willingness to become outlaws rather than serve
4480-616: The Hong Kong protests of that year , protesters urged a boycott of the film, citing the pro-Beijing stances of Yen, co-star Danny Chan , and producer Raymond Wong . Nonetheless, the film was a box office success, grossing over three times its budget of $ 52 million and becoming the highest-grossing Chinese film of all time in Malaysia as well as the third-highest-grossing Chinese film in North America in five years. In March 2020, as part of
4592-613: The Qing dynasty (1644-1911), further developments were the gong'an (公案; literally "public case") and related detective novels, where xia and other heroes, in collaboration with a judge or magistrate, solved crimes and battled injustice. The Justice Bao stories from Sanxia Wuyi (三俠五義; later extended and renamed to Qixia Wuyi ) and Xiaowuyi (小五義), incorporated much of social justice themes of later wuxia stories. Xiayi stories of chivalrous romance, which frequently featured female heroes and supernatural fighting abilities, also surfaced during
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4704-712: The Shaw Brothers Studio featured sophisticated action choreography using wire and trampoline assisted acrobatics combined with sped-up camera techniques. The storylines in the early films were loosely adapted from existing literature. Cheng Pei-pei , Jimmy Wang and Connie Chan are among the better known wuxia movie stars in the 1960s–70s, when films made by King Hu and the Shaw Brothers Studio were most prominent. More recent wuxia movie actors and actresses include Jet Li , Brigitte Lin , Michelle Yeoh , Donnie Yen , Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi . Yuen Woo-ping
4816-892: The Shi Ji , Sima Qian detailed several embryonic features of xia culture from his period. These popular phenomena were also documented in other historical records such as the Book of Han and the Book of the Later Han . Xiake stories made a turning point in the Tang dynasty (618–907) and returned in the form of chuanqi (傳奇; literally "legendary tales"). Stories from that era, such as Nie Yinniang (聶隱娘), The Kunlun Slave , Thirteenth Madame Jing ( 荊十三娘 ), Red String (紅線) and The Bearded Warrior (虬髯客), served as prototypes for modern wuxia stories. They featured fantasies and isolated protagonists – usually loners – who performed daring heroic deeds. During
4928-585: The Song dynasty (960–1279), similar stories circulated in the huaben , short works that were once thought to have served as prompt-books for shuochang (traditional Chinese storytelling). The genre of the martial or military romance also developed during the Tang dynasty. In the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), Luo Guanzhong and Shi Nai'an wrote Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin respectively, which are among
5040-1037: The Spring and Autumn period . Some well-known stories include Zhuan Zhu 's assassination of King Liao of Wu , and most notably, Jing Ke 's attempt on the life of the King of Qin (who later became Qin Shi Huang ). In Volume 86 of the Records of the Grand Historian ( Shi Ji ), Sima Qian mentioned five notable assassins – Cao Mo , Zhuan Zhu , Yu Rang , Nie Zheng and Jing Ke – in the Warring States period who undertook tasks of conducting political assassinations of aristocrats and nobles. These assassins were known as cike (刺客; literally "stabbing guests"). They usually rendered their loyalties and services to feudal lords and nobles in return for rewards such as riches and women. In Volume 124 of
5152-504: The jianghu , martial artists are expected to be loyal to their master ( Shifu ). This gives rise to the formation of several complex trees of master-apprentice relations as well as the various schools such as Shaolin and Wudang . If there are any disputes between fighters, they will choose the honourable way of settling their issues through fighting in duels. The martial arts in wuxia stories are based on wushu techniques and other real life Chinese martial arts . In wuxia tales, however,
5264-571: The 1920s. Extant early wuxia films produced in China include Red Heroine (1929), Woman Warrior White Rose (1929), and Woman Warrior of the Wild River 6: Rumble at Deerhorn Gully (1930), the sixth film in a series. Hua Mu Lan (1939), another surviving film, is considered a representative of the second wave of wuxia films, during the Anti-Japanese War. Films directed by King Hu and produced by
5376-588: The 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action film Drunken Tai Chi . He made his breakthrough role as the antagonist General Nap-lan in Once Upon a Time in China II (1992), opposite Jet Li . He went on to appear in several other notable Hong Kong kung fu films , including Iron Monkey (1993) and Wing Chun (1994). In 1997, he starred in his directorial debut film Legend of the Wolf . Yen made his American debut in Highlander: Endgame (2000), followed by
5488-464: The 2007 film Adventures of Johnny Tao: Rock Around the Dragon . At a young age, under the influence of his mother, Yen developed an interest in martial arts and began experimenting with various styles, including tai chi and other traditional Chinese martial arts . At age 16, Yen began practising Wushu after his parents sent him to Beijing to train with the Beijing Wushu Team . At age 18, when Yen
5600-471: The East Asian cinematic universe, he remained the principal action choreographer for most of his movies and has won multiple awards for his action choreography. Yen's most famous works include films such as Flash Point and SPL: Sha Po Lang . He has mentioned that the main differences in East Asian styles of filmmaking and Hollywood are with regards to freedom and control. In the East Asian film industry,
5712-468: The East Asian cinematic universe. World class fighters, such as former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le and former World Boxing Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson , who have worked with Donnie Yen in the films Bodyguards and Assassins and Ip Man 3 , respectively, have both claimed that Yen is an incredible martial artist and would do well in authentic combat. While filming Ip Man 3 , crew members were worried that Tyson, who had been
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#17328524934945824-449: The Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen in 2010 and The Monkey King in 2014). For the promotion of XXX: Return of Xander Cage , Paramount focused marketing efforts on Yen in China and most parts of Asia, placing him at the front of the film posters ahead of Vin Diesel , and shared clips and reviews of Yen's performance in the movie on the popular Chinese social media site Weibo . Paramount's efforts worked very well in China. The film
5936-425: The Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen . For this film, Yen mentioned that he included Jeet Kune Do elements as a tribute to the American actor and martial artist Bruce Lee , who played Chen Zhen in the 1972 film Fist of Fury . Furthermore, he incorporated many MMA elements in the film, coupled with the use of Wing Chun . Yen also stated that the concept behind Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do is similar to that of MMA, hence
6048-523: The Golden Flower in 2006 and Shadow in 2018. Western audiences were also introduced to wuxia through Asian television stations in larger cities, which featured miniseries such as Warriors of the Yang Clan and Paradise , often with English subtitles. Ash Is Purest White (Chinese: 江湖儿女; 'Sons and Daughters of Jianghu'), a 2018 Chinese drama directed by Jia Zhangke, is a modern film that refers to
6160-455: The Japanese samurai bushidō . Even though the term "wuxia" as the name of a genre is a recent coinage, stories about xia date back more than 2,000 years. Wuxia stories have their roots in some early youxia tales from 300–200 BC. The Legalist philosopher Han Fei spoke disparagingly of youxias in his book Han Feizi in the chapter On Five 'Maggot' Classes about five social classes in
6272-978: The Loyal Knights-Errant (奇俠精忠傳, serialised 1923–27), was another well-known wuxia writer based in Shanghai. Starting from the 1930s, wuxia works proliferated and its centre shifted to Beijing and Tianjin in northern China. The most prolific writers there were collectively referred to as the Five Great Masters of the Northern School (北派五大家): Huanzhulouzhu , who wrote The Swordspeople from Shu Mountains (蜀山劍俠傳); Gong Baiyu (宮白羽), who wrote Twelve Coin Darts (十二金錢鏢); Wang Dulu , who wrote The Crane-Iron Pentalogy (鹤鉄五部作); Zheng Zhengyin (郑証因), who wrote The King of Eagle Claws (鹰爪王); Zhu Zhenmu (朱貞木), who wrote The Seven 'Kill' Stele (七殺碑). Wuxia fiction
6384-606: The Qing dynasty. Novels such as Shi Gong'an Qiwen (施公案奇聞) and Ernü Yingxiong Zhuan (兒女英雄傳) have been cited as the clearest nascent wuxia novels. The term "wuxia" as a genre label itself first appeared at the end of the Qing dynasty, a calque of the Japanese " bukyō ", a genre of oft-militaristic and bushido -influenced adventure fiction. The term was brought to China by writers such as Liang Qichao and students who hoped that China would modernise its military and place emphasis on martial virtues, and it quickly became entrenched as
6496-404: The Seven Swords defeat and slay Fire-Wind, and force his army to retreat temporarily. The swordsmen return to the hideout, only to find that all the villagers have been killed, except for Yufang and the children. Han Zhibang calms Yufang down, while the other six swordsmen realise the only way to save the wulin is to persuade the Qing emperor to withdraw the ban on martial arts. They depart towards
6608-448: The Seven Swords' absence, the spy, Qiu Dongluo, sets fire to the entrance of the cave to inform the enemy of the villagers' whereabouts. After Qiu is discovered by the village chief Liu Jingyi and his daughter Yufang, he kills Liu Jingyi and proceeds to murder the unsuspecting villagers systematically. While the children distract Qiu, Yufang manages to kill him. However, the experience traumatises her so much she becomes hysterical. Meanwhile,
6720-535: The Ultimate Fighting Championship if he did not have a recurring shoulder injury. In 2012, Yen and his wife Cissy co-founded Go.Asia, an online charity platform encouraging people to participate in charity work and serve local communities. In October 2014, Yen was invited to be a guest speaker in front of a crowd of 20,000 youths for WE Day Vancouver , where he spoke about the hardships he faced growing up and how he overcame difficulties to become
6832-655: The United States in November 1993. The marriage ended in less than a year. After their divorce was finalized, Leung realized that she was pregnant with their son, Jeff, who was born in 1995. Yen later married former beauty queen Cissy Wang after three months of dating in 2003. The couple have two children, Jasmine and James. Yen has stated that he is a big fan of the MMA organization Ultimate Fighting Championship and has watched almost every UFC event available. In various interviews, he has mentioned that he would have loved to compete in
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#17328524934946944-424: The Weinstein Company confirmed that it had purchased the rights to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon sequel and contacted Yen to play the male lead. In March 2013, Hong Kong magazines surfaced photos of Harvey and Bob Weinstein traveling to Hong Kong to meet with Yen and persuade him to accept the offer. It was reported that Yen was considering the role and quoted as saying, "The first is that my schedule this year
7056-538: The action choreographer takes over the scene during the fight scene. This means that for action scenes filmed in East Asia, the choreographer becomes the director and is in full control over camera placements, camera angles, and the relationship between the drama and the action; therefore the main director is not needed at all. While in Hollywood, on the other hand, Yen explains that the action choreographer simply choreographs
7168-522: The actions with the director, who still maintains full control of such settings and camera angles. Yen's work as a choreographer won him the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography at the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Horse Award for Best Action Choreography at the 2008 and 2011 Golden Horse Awards . Yen was the fight choreographer for the 2010 film Legend of
7280-479: The biggest box office hit to date featuring Yen in the leading role, grossing HK$ 25 million in Hong Kong and 100 million yuan in China. In 2010, Ip Man 2 was released. Similar to the first movie, it was directed by Wilson Yip . In August 2011, while Yen was on a vacation with his family in the United States, he reportedly received an invitation by producer Avi Lerner to star in The Expendables 2 . It
7392-440: The capital, but Han Zhibang decides to stay behind and protect the survivors. Yufang tells Han she and the children can be strong by themselves and persuades him to rejoin the other swordsmen, so he rushes and catches up with them. The film was the first of a planned six-part film franchise. During the shooting of the ending fight scene, Donnie Yen accidentally injured Sun Honglei near the eye after mistakenly assuming that Sun
7504-815: The cast of John Wick: Chapter 4 , which was released in March 2023. Yen and the film both received rave reviews from critics, with many considering Yen both a highlight of the film and his performance being one of the best in his career. In May 2024, it was reported that Yen would star in a John Wick spinoff movie around his assassin character Caine. Yen has exemplified his aptitude, expertise, and skill in an array of combat and martial arts disciplines, being well-versed in tai chi , Boxing , Kickboxing , Jeet Kune Do , Hapkido , Mixed martial arts , Taekwondo , Karate , Muay Thai , Wrestling , Brazilian jiu-jitsu , Hung Ga , Sanda , Judo, Shaolin kung fu , wudangquan , Wing Chun , and Wushu . Yen describes himself as
7616-510: The combat sport mixed martial arts (MMA) was heightened when he went back to the United States from 2000 to 2003. While making his Hollywood debut, he also took time off to learn the various martial arts forms in preparation for subsequent and future film roles. Yen's progress was evident when he returned to the East Asian film industry, where he implemented his newfound knowledge of MMA, showcased in films such as SPL: Sha Po Lang (2005), Flash Point (2007), and Special ID (2013). Near
7728-432: The common people from practising martial arts. The warlord Fire-Wind sees the new law as an opportunity to make a fortune so he offers to help the Qing government enforce the new law. Greedy, cruel and immoral, Fire-Wind ravages northwest China with his army and kills thousands of resistance fighters and innocent civilians. His next goal is to attack Martial Village, which houses a large number of martial artists. Fu Qingzhu,
7840-408: The directors, and they invited him for cameo appearances in both movies. In 2002, Li was filming the movie Hero and insisted to the director ( Zhang Yimou ) that he wanted Yen to play the role of Sky, his adversary, due to Yen's martial arts ability. Li personally invited Yen back from Hollywood to star in the movie, marking the second time the two actors appeared onscreen together since Once Upon
7952-430: The end of 2007, Yen added a new martial arts system to his arsenal. He was offered the role of Wing Chun grandmaster and mentor of film star Bruce Lee , Ip Man , in a 2008 film named after the grandmaster . He worked hard and studied Wing Chun under Ip Man's eldest son, Ip Chun , for 9 months before tackling the role. Ip Chun has since praised Yen for his effort, his skills as a martial artist, and his ability to grasp
8064-403: The film Iron Monkey in 1993. Yen and Li appeared together again in the 2002 film Hero , where Yen played a spear (or qiang ) fighter who fought with Li's character, an unnamed swordsman. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2003 Academy Awards . In 1995, Yen starred as Chen Zhen in the television series Fist of Fury produced by ATV , which is adapted from
8176-517: The first three in The Matrix film series (1999–2003, the fourth film from 2021 was choreographed by Joshua Grothe ) and the Kill Bill films from 2003 to 2004, all of which were choregraphed by Yuen Woo-ping . Perhaps the most successful example was DreamWorks Animation 's media franchise Kung Fu Panda . Created as an earnest, if humorous, emulation by producers who were knowledgeable admirers of
8288-667: The former and Sandra Ng in the latter. Both films obtained huge critical and box-office success and proved Yen's versatility as an actor. Yen took a six-month break in the second half of 2011 after the filming of The Monkey King , where he portrayed the title character and main protagonist Sun Wukong , replacing Li once again, in which the film was released during the Chinese New Year period in January 2014, he explained that he wanted to spend more time with his family and be with his children more as they grew up. In 2012, Yen returned to
8400-461: The founding of a "new school" of the wuxia genre that differed largely from its predecessors. They wrote serials for newspapers and magazines. They also incorporated several fictional themes such as mystery and romance from other cultures. In Taiwan, Wolong Sheng , Sima Ling , Zhuge Qingyun (諸葛青雲), Shiao Yi (萧逸) and Gu Long became the region's best known wuxia writers. After them, writers such as Woon Swee Oan and Huang Yi rose to prominence in
8512-530: The full concept of Wing Chun much faster than anyone else he has taught. With the huge success of the Ip Man films both critically and commercially, Yen has been credited by many for contributing to the popularisation of Wing Chun in China. Yen believes that combining many martial arts together will produce the most effective and harmonious style. Yen has said, "When you watch my films, you're feeling my heart." He believes in practical combat, and in his opinion, MMA
8624-444: The future. Yen was on holiday with his wife to celebrate their anniversary, but cancelled his plans to take part in the film. Yen declined any salary for this participation for GSD as he stated that "friendship is not measured by money" and that he hopes his participation can help promote Chinese martial arts to worldwide audiences. In return, Li and Ma surprised Yen and his wife Cissy, by helping to celebrate their wedding anniversary on
8736-457: The genre decimated due to readily available alternatives in entertainment such as DVDs, gaming consoles, and other newer forms of entertainment. However, the genre has persisted in the form of manhua (Chinese comics) in places like Hong Kong and Taiwan, with the core essentials of the wuxia genre living on in weekly editions equivalent to the Japanese manga . Some notable comic artists are listed as follows: The earliest wuxia films date back to
8848-537: The genre, the series has been particularly hailed in China as an excellent contribution to the form. From the 1990s–2000s, Hong Kong stars Daniel Wu and Stephen Fung have worked with AMC Networks to bring wuxia to a US television audience with Into the Badlands , which premiered in 2015 and ran for three seasons. In 2013, Keanu Reeves directed and starred as the main antagonist in Man of Tai Chi , with Tiger Chen as
8960-586: The highlight of the movie and stealing every scene he is in. In the case of Rogue One , other than praises from critics, Yen's performance was also applauded by audiences worldwide. In an official poll on the Star Wars webpage, in which more 40,000 people voted, Yen's character Chirrut Îmwe was voted as audiences' favorite Rogue One character. While Yen was filming XXX: Return of Xander Cage in Canada, he received many offers from Hollywood studios and directors. At
9072-408: The importance of vengeance is controversial, as a number of wuxia works stress Buddhist ideals, which include forgiveness, compassion and a prohibition on killing. While borrowing ideas from the better known Confucian values, the root of Xia originated from the lesser known Mohism , which in the Warring States period saw a few Mohists stood up to defend kingdoms being attacked by other kingdoms. In
9184-448: The incorporation of many forms of martial arts was a necessity in the film. He won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography four times, being one of the most frequent winners of this coveted award. He has won awards for his choreography in films such as The Twins Effect , SPL: Sha Po Lang , Flash Point , and Kung Fu Jungle . Yen is renowned for his physical fitness, strength, and speed achieved through his use of
9296-433: The late Ng Sek Ho, the main character of the film. Chasing the Dragon was also a huge hit with audiences in most parts of Asia. In Hong Kong, Chasing the Dragon is ranked as one of the top 5 Hong Kong films in 2017. In 2017, Yen received a call from Li and Alibaba CEO Jack Ma about a potential collaboration on a short martial arts film known as Gong Shou Dao – to promote a new form of tai chi as an Olympic sport in
9408-758: The lead character and served as producer and action choreographer for the film. He won the award for Best Action Choreography at the Golden Horse Film Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards for his performance in Flash Point . In 2008, Yen starred in Ip Man , a semi-biographical account of Ip Man , the Wing Chun master of Bruce Lee . Ip Man marked Yen's fourth collaboration with director Wilson Yip, reuniting him with his co-stars in SPL: Sha Po Lang , Sammo Hung and Simon Yam . Ip Man became
9520-486: The lead character. At age 34, Yen almost went bankrupt. Films produced by his own production company and directed by him were critically acclaimed but did not do well at the box office. Yen was forced to borrow money from loan sharks and his production crew to get by. Yen later went back to the United States, where he was invited to choreograph fight scenes in Hollywood films, such as Highlander: Endgame (2000) and Blade II (2002). His choreography and skills impressed
9632-624: The mastery of such skills are highly exaggerated to superhuman levels of achievement and prowess. The following is a list of skills and abilities a typical fighter in a wuxia story possesses: In wuxia stories, characters attain the above skills and abilities by devoting themselves to years of diligent study and exercise, but can also have such power conferred upon them by a master who transfers his energy to them. The instructions to mastering these skills through training are found in secret manuals known as miji (秘笈). In some stories, specific skills can be learned by spending several years in seclusion with
9744-423: The movie industry and commenced the filming of Special ID , in which he played the main lead, an undercover cop, and also took on the role of action choreographer . In 2013, it was reported that Yen would be playing the lead role for Iceman , a sci-fi action film dealing with time travel and which was filmed in 3D . Yen confirmed that MMA would be used in both of the aforementioned films. In February 2013,
9856-427: The offer due to scheduling conflicts for the filming of Ip Man 3 . Yen earned HK$ 220 million (US$ 28.4 million) from four films and six advertisements in 2013. In late March 2015, Ip Man 3 was announced. Yen reprised his role as the titular character, Bruce Lee 's wing chun master, Ip Man . Retired boxer and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was confirmed to join the cast. Yen mentioned that he
9968-427: The offer to join because he felt it was a rare opportunity for him to work with such a strong cast. The role of Prince Dokado was initially offered to Hu Jun , who rejected it for reasons unknown. It was later offered to Wang Xueqi , who similarly turned down the offer. The role eventually went to Michael Wong . Cheung Chi-sing, the production manager and scriptwriter, revealed that the initial cut made by Angie Lam
10080-488: The pattern of the protagonist's progression from childhood to adulthood instead. The progression may be symbolic rather than literal, as observed in Jin Yong's The Smiling, Proud Wanderer , where Linghu Chong progresses from childish concerns and dalliances into much more adult ones as his unwavering loyalty repeatedly thrusts him into the rocks of betrayal at the hands of his inhumane master. The eight common attributes of
10192-414: The piano. Yen's first step into the film industry was when he landed his first starring role in the 1984 film Drunken Tai Chi . After filming Drunken Tai Chi and Tiger Cage (1988), Yen made his breakthrough role as General Nap-lan in Once Upon a Time in China II (1992), which included a fight scene between his character and Wong Fei-hung (portrayed by Jet Li ). Yen had a starring role in
10304-483: The press tour for Disney's live-action remake of Mulan , when Yen was asked by reporters whether he was interested in appearing in a superhero movie, Yen revealed that he had been offered a role in Warner Brothers ' Justice League and Aquaman films by Zack Snyder , but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. The role offered was that of Nuidis Vulko , which eventually went to Willem Dafoe . Yen joined
10416-503: The release of " Hero's Adventure: Road to Passion " in November, a wuxia-inspired open world RPG as well as Wandering Sword in September, a RPG using HD2D pixel art style. Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan ( Chinese : 甄子丹 ; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. He is the recipient of various accolades, including three Golden Horse Awards and five Hong Kong Film Awards . He
10528-516: The same time, Hong Kong director Wong Jing personally flew to Canada to invite Yen to star in his film Chasing the Dragon , a remake of the award-winning film To Be Number One . Yen eventually accepted the offer and played a non-traditional role of a villain with limited fighting scenes and the opportunity to work alongside Andy Lau . In September 2017, Chasing the Dragon was released with extremely positive reviews from critics, citing Yen's versatility as an actor and his incredible portrayal of
10640-409: The set. The full GSD 20 minutes short film was released on 11 November – China's Singles' Day , debuting on Youku and Li's official Facebook page, garnering a total of more than 100 million views worldwide. Netizens in China praised Yen's speed and technique in the film, with most audiences (over 190,000) voting Yen as the highlight of the short film. In late 2017, Yen began filming Big Brother ,
10752-402: The start of the filming period to work on other projects. Donnie Yen was then offered to play Chu Zhaonan, and he accepted the offer without hesitation after "understanding the gravity" of the situation. Lu Yi , who portrayed Han Zhibang, once said that he would never act in wuxia or martial arts films again. However, when he saw the all-star cast tied to the project, he immediately accepted
10864-630: The television series Fist of Fury (1995). He later reprised the role in the 2010 film Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen . For portraying Ip Man in the Ip Man film series (2008-2019), Yen is credited by many for contributing to the popularisation of Wing Chun in China. In 2019, he was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame . Born on 27 July 1963 in Guangzhou , Guangdong , China . His mother, Bow-sim Mark ,
10976-535: The term used to refer to xiayi and other predecessors of wuxia proper. In Japan, however, the term "bukyō" faded into obscurity. Many wuxia works produced during the Ming and Qing dynasties were lost due to the governments' crackdown on and banning of such works. Wuxia works like Water Margin were deemed responsible for brewing anti-government sentiments, which led to rebellions in those eras. The departure from mainstream literature also meant that patronage of this genre
11088-552: The underworld interpretation of jianghu. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. The story is loosely based on the leader of a gang from Jia Zhangke's childhood, whom he had admired as a role model. Like the rest of Jia's films, it opened to widespread acclaim. There have been Western attempts at the genre, such as the 2008 film The Forbidden Kingdom , which starred Jackie Chan , Jet Li and Michael Angarano ; other movies including wuxia elements are
11200-442: The villagers evacuate Martial Village and make their way into the hills, strange things start happening along the way. Their food and water supplies are poisoned and their trail is marked by signs leading the enemy to them. The Seven Swords realise there is a spy among them and agree they must root out the spy before Fire-Wind catches up. Green Pearl immediately becomes the suspect because she does not speak their language. The situation
11312-589: The xia are listed as benevolence, justice, individualism, loyalty, courage, truthfulness, disregard for wealth, and desire for glory. Apart from individualism, these characteristics are similar to Confucian values such as ren (仁; "benevolence", "kindness"), zhong (忠; "loyalty"), yong (勇; "courage", "bravery") and yi (義; "righteousness"). The code of xia also emphasises the importance of repaying benefactors after having received deeds of en (恩; "grace", "favour") from others, as well as seeking chou (仇; "vengeance", "revenge") to bring villains to justice. However,
11424-599: Was number one in its opening weekend with $ 61.9 million, and crossed the $ 100 million mark in just six days with $ 22.2m coming from Valentine's Day alone after rave reviews praising Yen's performance swept through Chinese social media, driving moviegoers to the cinema. Yen's performance in both Rogue One and XXX: Return of Xander Cage received extremely positive responses from critics and general audiences. For XXX: Return of Xander Cage , many media sites including Variety, Los Angeles Times, Screen Anarchy and Budomate praised Yen's performance and credited him as
11536-403: Was a big fan of Tyson, watched many of his professional boxing bouts, and was excited to work with him. Tyson stated during a press conference that he was a huge fan of Yen and has watched Ip Man and Ip Man 2 more than three times each and was honored to be invited for the final installment of the trilogy. Principal photography for Ip Man 3 began on 25 March 2015, and the finished movie
11648-507: Was banned at various times during the Republican era and these restrictions stifled the growth of the genre. In 1949, China also banned martial arts novels as vulgar reading. In Taiwan, the government banned several wuxia works in 1959. Despite this, wuxia prevailed in other Chinese-speaking regions. In Hong Kong, between the 1960s and 1980s, the genre entered a golden age . Writers such as Liang Yusheng and Louis Cha ( Jin Yong ) spearheaded
11760-594: Was four hours long. However, the distributors were worried that such a lengthy running time would limit screening arrangements and affect box office performance, so Tsui re-edited it to two versions – 150 minutes and 120 minutes. After finding that the 120 minutes version suffered from underdevelopment, the investors chose the 150 minutes version for the theatrical run. Seven Swords was well received in Asia, being nominated for many awards in both Hong Kong and China. Its US limited-release received generally negative reviews and holds
11872-462: Was limited to the masses and not to the literati, which led to the stifling of the development of the wuxia genre. Nonetheless, the wuxia genre remained enormously popular with the common people. The modern wuxia genre rose to prominence in the early 20th century after the May Fourth Movement of 1919. A new literature evolved, calling for a break with Confucian values, and the xia emerged as
11984-591: Was released in December 2015 in parts of Asia and around the world in early 2016 to generally favorable reviews. In 2016, Yen co-starred in the Star Wars anthology film Rogue One as Chirrut Îmwe , the Zatoichi-like blind transient warrior. On 12 February 2016, it was confirmed that Yen would once again replace Li for the third time as Xiang in the upcoming action film XXX: Return of Xander Cage (after Legend of
12096-448: Was returning to the United States to visit his family, he made a stop in Hong Kong, where he met and auditioned for action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping . Yen also came from a family of musicians. His mother is a soprano, in addition to being a martial arts teacher in Boston, while his father is a violinist. From a young age, he was taught by his parents to play musical instruments, including
12208-410: Was revealed that the movie would be filmed in both English and Mandarin to appeal to the international market. It was also revealed during the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II press conference that the Weinstein Company had obtained rights to Akira Kurosawa 's Seven Samurai , was planning a remake and was negotiating with Yen, George Clooney , and Zhang Ziyi to star in the film. Yen declined
12320-487: Was stated that Yen was considering the offer, had many films at hand, and would wait until deciding whether the script appealed to him. Later on, Yen revealed to the Hong Kong media that he had rejected the role. In 2011, Yen revealed that he was venturing into other genres of movies and had taken up two comedy roles in a row, in All's Well, Ends Well 2011 and All's Well, Ends Well 2012 , and would be working with Carina Lau in
12432-716: Was trained in martial arts. Sun was rushed from Xinjiang to a hospital in Beijing on the night of 7 December. His eyesight was not affected so he returned to the set a day later and insisted on finishing his scenes. The role of Chu Zhaonan was initially offered to Korean actor Song Seung-heon at a reported salary of US$ 400,000. Director Tsui Hark recruited Leon Lai to portray Yang Yuncong after watching his performance in The Sword of Many Loves and wanting to "see another side of him". Song and Lai were trained in horse riding and swordplay for their respective roles but Song dropped out near
12544-513: Was used as the opening film to the 2005 Venice Film Festival and as a homage to Akira Kurosawa 's 1954 film Seven Samurai . In the mid-17th century, the Manchus conquer the territories of the former Ming Empire in China and establish the Qing Empire . When anti-Qing sentiments start brewing within the wulin (martial artists' community), the Qing government immediately imposes a law forbidding
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