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Text: Mo Yun
Edited by Mo Yun
"Chinese know martial arts. ”
In the 70s of the 20th century, a large number of martial arts stars emerged in Hong Kong.
They have not only made great contributions to the development of Chinese films, but also made Chinese kung fu successfully appear on the international stage.
Even, foreign friends mention China as "Chinese kung fu!"
Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Sammo Hung , these four people rely on their achievements and are rated as the "Four Kings of Kung Fu" by the media.
However, this is not the same as in the past, and with the glorious end of Hong Kong films, the status quo of the four kings of kung fu is also different.
One passed away, one was sick, and the other was in a wheelchair, but there was only one "scenery" left of the former superstar......
Forever "Jackie Chan"
"This is a real international superstar!"
Once upon a time, Chinese films were "pressed and beaten" by Hollywood;
Chinese idols, even their own family members ridicule "can't be on the stage".
However, the existence of Jackie Chan undoubtedly gave a hard sigh to the Chinese people.
In 1978, 24-year-old Jackie Chan became an instant hit with the kung fu comedy "Drunken Fist".
After becoming famous, Jackie Chan's momentum is unstoppable.
The following year, the martial arts film "Laughing Boxing Strange Moves" that he wrote, directed and acted in was released;
The lively martial arts scene once again received a lot of praise.
Although the achievements and status of today's "Jackie Chan" are undoubted, there was more ridicule of him in the 70s.
"This can also be called Bruce Lee's successor, far from it!"
was once a stuntman actor, but he was "added to the vinegar" by others, and even said that Jackie Chan could only play a supporting role for Bruce Lee.
However, for the doubts of fans, Jackie Chan chose to accept it calmly and prove himself with practical actions.
When filming "Plan A", at an altitude of 15 meters, Jackie Chan jumped when he said he would.
Even if he had tinnitus and bleeding and dizziness on the spot due to the impact, it did not stop Jackie Chan from "desperately".
In "Police Story 4", Jackie Chan once again showed alpine skiing;
At the same time, it also made the staff present pinch a cold sweat for it.
is not afraid of hardship, does not need a stand-in, and regards scars as "medals", such a dedicated actor, it is difficult to think of being famous.
Soon, Jackie Chan became popular in Hollywood, and "Kung Fu superstar Jackie Chan" became the favorite Chinese actor of overseas fans.
In 2017, Jackie Chan won the Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in one fell swoop, and Jackie Chan's shine shines all over the world.
Although many netizens questioned his private life, they even criticized his character;
But no matter what Jackie Chan's love life is, his achievements are enough to be recorded in the history of Chinese films.
On March 24, photos of 70-year-old Jackie Chan filming on the set circulated on the Internet.
In the face of netizens surprised him for his old age, and he had to film in person, Jackie Chan himself also responded:
"I'll shoot until I can't move. ”
A generation of legendary Bruce Lee
"Bruce Lee's position in Chinese kung fu is irreplaceable. ”
Don't look at how good Bruce Lee was after he became famous, when he was young, he was so thin that his father doubted his future.
In 1948, 7-year-old Bruce Lee was "forced" by his father to learn martial arts in the name of "exercising".
I have to say that Bruce Lee is indeed a rare "martial arts wizard" in the world.
How godly is Bruce Lee?
Studying under Ip Man and creating his own fighting style, Bruce Lee's boxing style soon blew all over the overseas martial arts arena.
His self-created nunchuck style is still an object of imitation among martial arts enthusiasts.
Of course, Bruce Lee's influence on Chinese kung fu is by no means just a martial arts achievement that shocks the world.
Foreign media evaluated him as the "King of Kung Fu", and even called Bruce Lee's martial arts style "Chinese spirit".
In 1962, Bruce Lee established the "Zhen Fan Guoshu Museum" in Seattle to teach Chinese kung fu.
At the same time, he also participated in martial arts competitions in various places to expand the influence of Chinese kung fu.
Bruce Lee's achievements are no longer ordinary martial arts stars, he is more like a symbol of Chinese kung fu.
However, Bruce Lee's peak stopped forever in 1973.
33-year-old Bruce Lee died suddenly at his girlfriend's home, but the cause of death became an unsolved case.
To this day, the cause of his death is still unknown.
But people will express their respect and nostalgia for Bruce Lee at his funeral.
"Kung Fu Emperor" Jet Li
"Jet Li is simply a star model tailored by God for action movies!"
Perhaps, Jet Li does not have Jackie Chan's amazing martial arts talent, nor does he have Jackie Chan's "drunken fist" action design.
But he relied on his comprehensive strength to stand out among the martial arts stars.
A "Shaolin Temple" caused a sensation in the Hong Kong film industry and shocked the world.
"Huang Feihong" in 1991 directly set off a domestic martial arts trend.
But who would have thought that Jet Li first learned martial arts, just to earn money to supplement his family.
In 1971, 8-year-old Jet Li was favored by Wu Bin and successfully started his martial arts career.
After Jet Li, he directly turned on the mode of "Desperate Saburo", and even if he was injured, he had to endure the game.
In 1974, he won three consecutive championships in the National Wushu Competition and became a famous young martial arts genius in Hong Kong.
With special guidance, coupled with Jet Li's own extraordinary martial arts talent, he quickly figured out his own unique martial arts style.
Just like Wu Jing said: "Bang bang, the knife does not leave the back of the head." ”
Jet Li's playing style is clean and neat, and in terms of the beauty of the action alone, he can definitely be called the first.
From the title of "Kung Fu Emperor", you can see what kind of status Jet Li has in the industry.
However, heroes always age.
Jet Li, who was once internationally famous, is now 61 years old.
Although he is not as old as Jackie Chan, his current situation is diametrically opposed to Jackie Chan.
Jet Li suffered from "hyperthyroidism" in his later years, and he needed to control his diet and take medicine often;
There may also be palpitations, life-threatening conditions.
Occasionally, Jet Li will also use the form of live broadcast to tell netizens about his recent situation.
Seeing the "Kung Fu Emperor" suffering from illness, he will also show a painful expression.
Netizens were relieved: "Who can never get old?"
"Big Brother" Sammo Hung
"His stick is almost there, and ordinary people can't catch it at all!"
can get such a high evaluation of "poisonous tongue" Wu Jing, Sammo Hung 's martial arts strength can be seen.
Compared with the first three kung fu superstars, Sammo Hung's martial arts achievements may be a little "not enough".
Even, many netizens refused to list him as the "Four Kings of Kung Fu", feeling that Sammo Hung's strength was far inferior to the other three.
But in fact, Sammo Hung contributes to martial arts and is also an inseparable part of Hong Kong films.
Perhaps many people's impression of Sammo Hung still stops at the director, screenwriter, and producer;
But in fact, he "made his fortune" by relying on martial arts guidance.
In 1966, Sammo Hung was invited to serve as the martial arts instructor of "The Drunken Man".
The film received a lot of praise upon its release, and Sammo Hung skyrocketed in the industry.
Soon after, he established the "Hong Family Class" to provide a more professional martial arts team for martial arts movies.
At the same time, the films in which he personally participated in the battle also achieved excellent responses.
In 1973, Sammo Hung and Bruce Lee collaborated on the action movie "Enter the Dragon".
Bruce Lee's strength is undoubted, and Sammo Hung is no less impressive.
As an actor, he is the winner of the Golden Horse Award and the Academy Award for Best Actor;
And to become a director and producer, Sammo Hung also has a lot of honors.
After becoming famous, he did not forget the "Hong Jiaban" brothers who once struggled together, and always looked for opportunities to find some way out for them.
However, the most important thing Sammo Hung taught members was to "not be afraid of bloodshed." ”
Of course, his words are not just words.
During the filming of "Ip Man 2", he was beaten by his co-actors and his mouth was full of blood, even if he was about to faint, Sammo Hung had to insist on filming.
With the personal demonstration of the class leader, the members of the "Hong Family Class" certainly did not dare to "quit".
After they incarnated as "Desperate Saburo", they gradually made a name for themselves.
For example, Jackie Chan was a member of the "Hong Family Class" at the beginning.
However, those who refuse to accept old age are now old.
Today, 71-year-old Sammo Hung can only rely on a wheelchair to get around, and no longer has the ability to stand up independently.
When he was photographed by netizens, he was alone in the market to buy vegetables, and the current situation was really poignant.
epilogue
The "Four Kings of Kung Fu" once conquered the audience with martial arts.
The hearty action is still in retrospect, and fans still miss the era when action movies were in full bloom.
However, anyone will age, and the achievement of the "King of Kung Fu" has made them not regret going through this experience.
(Disclaimer: The process and pictures described in the article are from the Internet, and this article aims to advocate positive social energy and no vulgar and other bad guidance.) If it involves copyright or character infringement issues, please contact us in time, and we will delete the content as soon as possible! ）
Information sources:
[1] "Jackie Chan set two world records in a movie, and he is proud to be certified by Guinness"
[2] "Filmmaker Close-up: Sammo Hung has been a big brother for many years"
[3] "Dissatisfied with Jackie Chan being criticized for getting old, senior brother Sammo Hung replied domineeringly: Who won't get old?"
[4] "Introduction to Bruce Lee"