Cheng Pei Pei
The unmatched queen of Shaw Bros swordplay epics, the former Shanghainese ballerina made her wu xia debut in King Hu’s classic ‘Come Drink With Me’. She went on to star in a string of actioners for the studio, before retiring from the industry (albeit briefly) and relocating to Los Angeles. Cheng was lured back to the jade screen by... Read More »
Crafting The Medallion (part one)
It’s funny the way that the most meaningful episodes in your life only become apparent in hindsight. When I started work on the film that would become ‘The Medallion’, it was hugely exciting to be on-board an epic starring and action directed by two of the idols of my youth, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, and directed by ‘Fist... Read More »
Lady Reporter (AKA Blonde Fury)
This late 80s mixed bag of a martial arts movie sees the American action actress Cynthia Rothrock directed by her then-boyfriend, former stuntman Mung Hoi. It was the last film in Rothrock’s multi-picture deal with Golden Harvest, and, in the wake of her success in ‘China O’Brien’, it was widely released internationally as ‘Blonde Fury’. The original version of... Read More »
Queen’s Ransom
Former James Bond George Lazenby travelled east, hoping to make films with Bruce Lee, who obligingly signed the Australian to a three picture deal. Sadly, Lee passed away the same night he was meant to meet Lazenby for dinner, and a bemused Lazenby is visible attending the star’s funeral. Golden Harvest boss Raymond Chow insisted that George honour their... Read More »
Kara Hui
Former nightclub dancer Wai Yin-hung made her name as a kung fu queen at the mighty Shaw Bros studio, where she became the foremost female protégé of martial arts legend Lau Kar-leung. Her most memorable movies for Shaws include ‘My Young Auntie’, ‘Lady is the Boss’ and ‘Eight Diagram Pole Fighter’. It was her ‘Auntie’ performance that won her... Read More »
Byong Yu
Korean martial arts expert Byong Yu is one of the true One Miss Wonders of Hong Kong cinema history. Like several of his countrymen before him, Yu was flown in by Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest studios, offered a lead role in a movie and then choreographed by the great Sammo Hung. His director, fellow Korean Cheng Chang-ho, had helmed... Read More »
Kirk Wong
UK-educated Kirk Wong has been such a familiar face playing cameo roles in Hong Kong movies, usually as a gangster; some fans may not have realized that this mad dog actor and the maverick director wear the same face. Kirk was never very prolific, especially compared to some of his contemporaries, but quickly established a raw cinematic style that... Read More »
Then and Lau: Visiting With ‘The...
Though I’ve trained in a number of different martial arts over the years, I’ve always been drawn back to the Southern Chinese kung fu system of Hung Kuen. One of the most illustrious names in the style is that of Lau Kar-leung, AKA Liu Chia-liang, AKA (to his British fans, at least!) ‘The Pops’. Lau, a bona fide Hung... Read More »
Spooky Encounters
Hong Kong movie maestro Sammo Hung has long been at the forefront of each new trend in Asian action cinema. In 1980, at the height of his powers, he hit on the idea of blending kung fu, comedy and Chinese black magic for a film he initially entitled ‘Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind’ (inspired by a similarly titled... Read More »
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan has been the king of Asian action for so many years; it’s hard to imagine the hard road that took him to fame and fortune. Chan’s parents sent him to master Yu Jim-yuen’s Chinese Opera School, where the young Jackie endured ardurous training and constant beatings. He started his performing career as one of an Opera troupe,... Read More »
Polly Kuan
Taiwan-raise Polly Shang-kuan Ling-feng was the product of a broken home. When her father (a pilot) and mother (a singer) split, she was raised by her aunt and grandmother. After signing with United Film Company (UFC!), she trained in several martial arts before she made her film debut in King Hu’s classic ‘Dragon Gate Inn’. She went on to... Read More »
Yuen Woo-Ping
Yuen, known in the business as ‘Baat Jeh’ (Uncle Eight), was born into the martial arts movie world. His father, Yuen Siu-tien, was one of the first generation of Hong Kong kung fu movie performer/choreographers and, as soon as Woo-ping and his eight siblings could walk, they were learning acrobatics and martial arts moves. Yuen Woo-ping started his career... Read More »
Angela Mao
Taiwan native Angela Mao Ying was trained from an early age in the rigorous art form of Chinese Opera. Her father was a famed Opera performer, and Angela inherited his grace and skill. This discipline stood her in good stead when she was signed by the newly formed Golden Harvest production company to be their dynamic new diva of... Read More »
The Tournament
This is one of the neglected Golden Harvest actioners of 1974, a martial arts masterwork that provides a showcase role for the studio’s most famous fighting female, Angela Mao. Director Huang Feng was inspired to make the film when he read newspaper reports of how kung fu fighters from Hong Kong had been badly beaten when they fought in... Read More »
Watching dragons fly at the 1997...
The 1997 Handover of Hong Kong from Great Britain to China was celebrated with a huge show business spectacular staged at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. I was lucky enough to attend with action star Donnie Yen. We had been friends for years, and worked together whenever there was an opportunity. Donnie’s dressing room was located in a cabin outside... Read More »
Prodigal Son
With ‘Prodigal Son’, martial arts movie maestro Sammo Hung delivered the finest period kung fu actioner of his career. The film details the transformation of Wing Chun legend Leung Jaan (Yuen Biao) from kung fu crazy youngster to bona fide kung fu master. The film’s Chinese title is ‘Bai Kar Jai’, a colloquial phrase referring to any son of... Read More »
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris was a karate champion with only a couple of film roles to his credit (‘The Student Teachers’, ‘The Wrecking Crew’) when his friend and teacher Bruce Lee invited him to fly to Rome and Hong Kong to make ‘Way of the Dragon’. Norris’ role in Lee’s directorial debut saw him duel the kung fu icon in The... Read More »
Nora Miao
This bright beauty of 70s Hong Kong cinema is best known worldwide as Bruce Lee’s leading lady in ‘Fist of Fury’ and ‘Way of the Dragon’. While neither of these films gave Miao a chance to show her martial artistry, Nora’s other early roles for Golden Harvest saw her groomed to become a swordplay heroine in the manner of... Read More »
Kwan Tak-hing, the real deal Wong...
When I first visited Hong Kong, I wanted to meet the kung fu icons I’d seen in the movies. I was lucky enough to be introduced to Jackie Chan, but the other Golden Harvest and Shaw Bros action idols seemed to have vanished from the scene. There was only one veteran of the kung fu movie era listed in... Read More »
Tsui Hark
Hong Kong’s legendary film-maker, Tsui was once described by The Village Voice, in reference to his film ‘Peking Opera Blues’, as “the world’s wittiest director”. Since making his debut with ‘We’re Gonna Eat You’ (1980), Tsui has consistently delivered a unique brand of quirkily commercial fare. Internationally, Tsui is best-known for his ground-breaking ‘Once Upon A Time in China’... Read More »
Cynthia Rothrock
It’s a long road from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to a soundstage in Sai Kung, Hong Kong, but that was the one travelled by American martial arts champion Cynthia Rothrock. Cyndy was one of the pioneers of women’s ‘forms’ competition, using her wu shu skills to win a roomful of trophies on the US tournament circuit. In terms of her film... Read More »
Iron Monkey
One memorable Hong Kong summer, I spent my evenings set hopping back and forth between the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest studios, where my friends Richard Norton and Gary Daniels were making the Jackie Chan comedy ‘City Hunter’, and a town constructed out in the badlands of the New Territories, where Donnie Yen was shooting a kung fu epic... Read More »
(Ringo) Lam To the Slaughter
Director Ringo Lam’s dark fables have won equal favor in east and west, and his is a unique legacy among Hong Kong film-makers. Lam’s classic crime thriller ‘City on Fire’, starring Chow Yun-fat, is widely acknowledged as an inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Reservoir Dogs’, while his film ‘Wild Search’, which also stars Chow, is the director’s take on Peter... Read More »
Jimmy Wang Yu
A former swimming champion, Shanghai-born Wang Yu made his name at the Shaw Bros studio with such hits as ‘The One-Armed Swordsman’ and ‘The Chinese Boxer’. When he moved to the newly formed Golden Harvest studio, he combined elements of these two hits to craft ‘The One-Armed Boxer’. Written and directed by Wang himself, who by now went by... Read More »
Fist of Fury
After Bruce Lee exploded onto the Asian action cinema scene in ‘The Big Boss’, Golden Harvest studios devoted even more time, effort and money to the follow up: ‘Fist of Fury’. Unlike ‘The Big Boss’ (released in the US as ‘Fists of Fury’), the new film was shot almost entirely at the Golden Harvest studios in Hammerhill Road, Kowloon,... Read More »
Lo Wei
Having started his career as a matinee idol in the Shanghainese cinema, Lo Wei made a successful transition to directing after he relocated to Hong Kong. After a money-making run of hits at Shaw Bros, Lo moved to Golden Harvest, where he helmed Bruce Lee’s breakthrough hit ‘The Big Boss’. After Lee’s Hong Kong action debut broke box office... Read More »
Carter Wong
Carter Wong was a young karate instructor hired to teach the Hong Kong police. A friend introduced him to Golden Harvest director Huang Feng. Huang was sufficiently impressed with Carter’s looks and skills that he cast him as the male lead in the ground-breaking martial arts actioner ‘Hapkido’. The success of that film led to Wong being paired with... Read More »
Lau and Then: Encounters with an...
When I started attending the midnight Chinese movies in Birmingham England, back in the early 80s, the biggest male star in the industry was Andy Lau. Today, as I live and work in the Hong Kong film industry, the biggest male star remains… Andy Lau. I first saw Andy at a hotel coffee shop in Jordan, while I was... Read More »
Michelle Yeoh
When the Malaysian born Yeoh Choo-keng won first place in a beauty pageant, no-one could have guessed that she would parlay this into a career as Asia’s action queen. After being crowned Miss Malaysia, Michelle won a contract with Hong Kong’s D&B Films. Her first role for the company, in ‘Owl VS Dumbo’, saw her play a stereotypical shy... Read More »
Meeting Bruce Lee co-star Tony Liu
As a young Bruce Lee fan, I had seen the face and form of Tony Liu (AKA Lau Wing) countless times. He was (in his debut role) the villainous son of ‘The Big Boss’, a noble student at the ‘Fist of Fury’ school, ‘Tony the Waiter’ in ‘Way of the Dragon’… When I was visiting the ATV studios near... Read More »
Hong Kong’s Favourite Cousin...
Character comedy maestro Alfred Cheung Kin-ting made his name with the surprise hit ‘Let’s Make Laugh’, produced during the latter era of Shaw Bros, and shot several similar light-hearted features for the studio. Moving to Golden Harvest, he showed his range by helming successful films in a variety of different genres. These included the futuristic ‘Strange Bedfellow’, the noir... Read More »
Cheng Pei Pei
The unmatched queen of Shaw Bros swordplay epics, the former Shanghainese ballerina made her wu xia debut in King Hu’s classic ‘Come Drink With Me’. She went on to star in a string of actioners for the studio, before retiring from the industry (albeit briefly) and relocating to Los Angeles. Cheng was lured back to the jade screen by... Read More »
Cheng Pei Pei
The unmatched queen of Shaw Bros swordplay epics, the former Shanghainese ballerina made her wu xia debut in King Hu’s classic ‘Come Drink With Me’. She went on to star in a string of actioners for the studio, before retiring from the industry (albeit briefly) and relocating to Los Angeles. Cheng was lured back to the jade screen by... Read More »
Crafting The Medallion (part one)
It’s funny the way that the most meaningful episodes in your life only become apparent in hindsight. When I started work on the film that would become ‘The Medallion’, it was hugely exciting to be on-board an epic starring and action directed by two of the idols of my youth, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, and directed by ‘Fist... Read More »
Lady Reporter (AKA Blonde Fury)
This late 80s mixed bag of a martial arts movie sees the American action actress Cynthia Rothrock directed by her then-boyfriend, former stuntman Mung Hoi. It was the last film in Rothrock’s multi-picture deal with Golden Harvest, and, in the wake of her success in ‘China O’Brien’, it was widely released internationally as ‘Blonde Fury’. The original version of... Read More »
Queen’s Ransom
Former James Bond George Lazenby travelled east, hoping to make films with Bruce Lee, who obligingly signed the Australian to a three picture deal. Sadly, Lee passed away the same night he was meant to meet Lazenby for dinner, and a bemused Lazenby is visible attending the star’s funeral. Golden Harvest boss Raymond Chow insisted that George honour their... Read More »
Kara Hui
Former nightclub dancer Wai Yin-hung made her name as a kung fu queen at the mighty Shaw Bros studio, where she became the foremost female protégé of martial arts legend Lau Kar-leung. Her most memorable movies for Shaws include ‘My Young Auntie’, ‘Lady is the Boss’ and ‘Eight Diagram Pole Fighter’. It was her ‘Auntie’ performance that won her... Read More »
Byong Yu
Korean martial arts expert Byong Yu is one of the true One Miss Wonders of Hong Kong cinema history. Like several of his countrymen before him, Yu was flown in by Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest studios, offered a lead role in a movie and then choreographed by the great Sammo Hung. His director, fellow Korean Cheng Chang-ho, had helmed... Read More »
Kirk Wong
UK-educated Kirk Wong has been such a familiar face playing cameo roles in Hong Kong movies, usually as a gangster; some fans may not have realized that this mad dog actor and the maverick director wear the same face. Kirk was never very prolific, especially compared to some of his contemporaries, but quickly established a raw cinematic style that... Read More »
Then and Lau: Visiting With ‘The...
Though I’ve trained in a number of different martial arts over the years, I’ve always been drawn back to the Southern Chinese kung fu system of Hung Kuen. One of the most illustrious names in the style is that of Lau Kar-leung, AKA Liu Chia-liang, AKA (to his British fans, at least!) ‘The Pops’. Lau, a bona fide Hung... Read More »
Spooky Encounters
Hong Kong movie maestro Sammo Hung has long been at the forefront of each new trend in Asian action cinema. In 1980, at the height of his powers, he hit on the idea of blending kung fu, comedy and Chinese black magic for a film he initially entitled ‘Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind’ (inspired by a similarly titled... Read More »
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan has been the king of Asian action for so many years; it’s hard to imagine the hard road that took him to fame and fortune. Chan’s parents sent him to master Yu Jim-yuen’s Chinese Opera School, where the young Jackie endured ardurous training and constant beatings. He started his performing career as one of an Opera troupe,... Read More »
Polly Kuan
Taiwan-raise Polly Shang-kuan Ling-feng was the product of a broken home. When her father (a pilot) and mother (a singer) split, she was raised by her aunt and grandmother. After signing with United Film Company (UFC!), she trained in several martial arts before she made her film debut in King Hu’s classic ‘Dragon Gate Inn’. She went on to... Read More »
Yuen Woo-Ping
Yuen, known in the business as ‘Baat Jeh’ (Uncle Eight), was born into the martial arts movie world. His father, Yuen Siu-tien, was one of the first generation of Hong Kong kung fu movie performer/choreographers and, as soon as Woo-ping and his eight siblings could walk, they were learning acrobatics and martial arts moves. Yuen Woo-ping started his career... Read More »
Angela Mao
Taiwan native Angela Mao Ying was trained from an early age in the rigorous art form of Chinese Opera. Her father was a famed Opera performer, and Angela inherited his grace and skill. This discipline stood her in good stead when she was signed by the newly formed Golden Harvest production company to be their dynamic new diva of... Read More »
The Tournament
This is one of the neglected Golden Harvest actioners of 1974, a martial arts masterwork that provides a showcase role for the studio’s most famous fighting female, Angela Mao. Director Huang Feng was inspired to make the film when he read newspaper reports of how kung fu fighters from Hong Kong had been badly beaten when they fought in... Read More »
Watching dragons fly at the 1997...
The 1997 Handover of Hong Kong from Great Britain to China was celebrated with a huge show business spectacular staged at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. I was lucky enough to attend with action star Donnie Yen. We had been friends for years, and worked together whenever there was an opportunity. Donnie’s dressing room was located in a cabin outside... Read More »
Prodigal Son
With ‘Prodigal Son’, martial arts movie maestro Sammo Hung delivered the finest period kung fu actioner of his career. The film details the transformation of Wing Chun legend Leung Jaan (Yuen Biao) from kung fu crazy youngster to bona fide kung fu master. The film’s Chinese title is ‘Bai Kar Jai’, a colloquial phrase referring to any son of... Read More »
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris was a karate champion with only a couple of film roles to his credit (‘The Student Teachers’, ‘The Wrecking Crew’) when his friend and teacher Bruce Lee invited him to fly to Rome and Hong Kong to make ‘Way of the Dragon’. Norris’ role in Lee’s directorial debut saw him duel the kung fu icon in The... Read More »
Nora Miao
This bright beauty of 70s Hong Kong cinema is best known worldwide as Bruce Lee’s leading lady in ‘Fist of Fury’ and ‘Way of the Dragon’. While neither of these films gave Miao a chance to show her martial artistry, Nora’s other early roles for Golden Harvest saw her groomed to become a swordplay heroine in the manner of... Read More »
Kwan Tak-hing, the real deal Wong...
When I first visited Hong Kong, I wanted to meet the kung fu icons I’d seen in the movies. I was lucky enough to be introduced to Jackie Chan, but the other Golden Harvest and Shaw Bros action idols seemed to have vanished from the scene. There was only one veteran of the kung fu movie era listed in... Read More »
Tsui Hark
Hong Kong’s legendary film-maker, Tsui was once described by The Village Voice, in reference to his film ‘Peking Opera Blues’, as “the world’s wittiest director”. Since making his debut with ‘We’re Gonna Eat You’ (1980), Tsui has consistently delivered a unique brand of quirkily commercial fare. Internationally, Tsui is best-known for his ground-breaking ‘Once Upon A Time in China’... Read More »
Cynthia Rothrock
It’s a long road from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to a soundstage in Sai Kung, Hong Kong, but that was the one travelled by American martial arts champion Cynthia Rothrock. Cyndy was one of the pioneers of women’s ‘forms’ competition, using her wu shu skills to win a roomful of trophies on the US tournament circuit. In terms of her film... Read More »
Iron Monkey
One memorable Hong Kong summer, I spent my evenings set hopping back and forth between the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest studios, where my friends Richard Norton and Gary Daniels were making the Jackie Chan comedy ‘City Hunter’, and a town constructed out in the badlands of the New Territories, where Donnie Yen was shooting a kung fu epic... Read More »
(Ringo) Lam To the Slaughter
Director Ringo Lam’s dark fables have won equal favor in east and west, and his is a unique legacy among Hong Kong film-makers. Lam’s classic crime thriller ‘City on Fire’, starring Chow Yun-fat, is widely acknowledged as an inspiration for Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Reservoir Dogs’, while his film ‘Wild Search’, which also stars Chow, is the director’s take on Peter... Read More »
Jimmy Wang Yu
A former swimming champion, Shanghai-born Wang Yu made his name at the Shaw Bros studio with such hits as ‘The One-Armed Swordsman’ and ‘The Chinese Boxer’. When he moved to the newly formed Golden Harvest studio, he combined elements of these two hits to craft ‘The One-Armed Boxer’. Written and directed by Wang himself, who by now went by... Read More »
Fist of Fury
After Bruce Lee exploded onto the Asian action cinema scene in ‘The Big Boss’, Golden Harvest studios devoted even more time, effort and money to the follow up: ‘Fist of Fury’. Unlike ‘The Big Boss’ (released in the US as ‘Fists of Fury’), the new film was shot almost entirely at the Golden Harvest studios in Hammerhill Road, Kowloon,... Read More »
Lo Wei
Having started his career as a matinee idol in the Shanghainese cinema, Lo Wei made a successful transition to directing after he relocated to Hong Kong. After a money-making run of hits at Shaw Bros, Lo moved to Golden Harvest, where he helmed Bruce Lee’s breakthrough hit ‘The Big Boss’. After Lee’s Hong Kong action debut broke box office... Read More »
Carter Wong
Carter Wong was a young karate instructor hired to teach the Hong Kong police. A friend introduced him to Golden Harvest director Huang Feng. Huang was sufficiently impressed with Carter’s looks and skills that he cast him as the male lead in the ground-breaking martial arts actioner ‘Hapkido’. The success of that film led to Wong being paired with... Read More »
Lau and Then: Encounters with an...
When I started attending the midnight Chinese movies in Birmingham England, back in the early 80s, the biggest male star in the industry was Andy Lau. Today, as I live and work in the Hong Kong film industry, the biggest male star remains… Andy Lau. I first saw Andy at a hotel coffee shop in Jordan, while I was... Read More »
Michelle Yeoh
When the Malaysian born Yeoh Choo-keng won first place in a beauty pageant, no-one could have guessed that she would parlay this into a career as Asia’s action queen. After being crowned Miss Malaysia, Michelle won a contract with Hong Kong’s D&B Films. Her first role for the company, in ‘Owl VS Dumbo’, saw her play a stereotypical shy... Read More »
Meeting Bruce Lee co-star Tony Liu
As a young Bruce Lee fan, I had seen the face and form of Tony Liu (AKA Lau Wing) countless times. He was (in his debut role) the villainous son of ‘The Big Boss’, a noble student at the ‘Fist of Fury’ school, ‘Tony the Waiter’ in ‘Way of the Dragon’… When I was visiting the ATV studios near... Read More »
