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Text: Qi Qi Kan Entertainment
Edited by Qi Qi Kan Entertainment
Preface
When that once peerless martial arts superstar, now he is struggling and his eyes are tired, have you ever thought about his inner struggle and hesitation? When a person's career is at its peak, but he has to come to an end, do you understand his helplessness and reluctance? Jet Li, this name may have been blurred in your mind for many years, but the legend of his life is always worth remembering.
Today, let's trace his legendary life and explore the decisive reasons why the once dazzling superstar finally chose to retire.
1. Peak: Jet Li's brilliance
Before telling Jet Li's legendary experience, we have to go back to the era when he rose to prominence in the Hong Kong film industry.
In 1982, Jet Li, who was just a newcomer, played the leading role for the first time and starred in the movie "Sister Tong Dang 2".
Although the box office results at the time were almost negligible, the work opened the door to success and became an important milestone in his career.
Only a year later, Jet Li made a splash in the comedy action film "Dragon's Family", earning a staggering HK$161 million at the box office.
This is undoubtedly the best affirmation of his talent and strength.
Since then, he has found his own unique development path and began to gradually develop his own martial arts style.
In the blink of an eye, the 90s came, and Jet Li's career climbed to a new peak.
This once an obscure small role in the Hong Kong film industry has now grown into an action superstar spokesperson that everyone dreams of.
According to statistics, in this glorious period, the films he starred in have won a total of 173 million Hong Kong dollars at the box office.
What's even more commendable is that Jet Li at that time completely relied on his enthusiasm and hard work to establish a very high work discipline in the crew.
Whenever he shoots action scenes, he always goes into battle in person, using a hands-on approach to ensure that the action scenes are wonderful and proficient.
This enthusiastic work attitude not only earned him supreme respect among his peers, but also gave him the reputation of "action star".
In particular, it is worth mentioning the action film "New Dragon Gate Inn" directed by him in 1990.
This majestic epic masterpiece shows his profound martial arts skills to the fullest.
The shocking action scenes and interlocking exquisite plots all demonstrate Jet Li's unique understanding and innovation ability to martial arts movies.
Therefore, "New Dragon Gate Inn" is not only regarded as a classic of 20th century foreign language films, but also pushes Jet Li's martial arts star aura to a whole new height.
With a wealth of experience and great prestige accumulated in Hong Kong, Jet Li quickly set his sights on the broader international stage.
In 1998, he made a splash with the action film "Battle of Rome" and won the Best Supporting Actor Award at the 55th Golden Globe Awards.
This is undoubtedly the highest recognition of his years of dedication, and it also marks that he has finally been recognized by Hollywood.
Since then, Jet Li's status in the international film industry has become more and more prominent, and he has won a number of heavyweight awards one after another.
In 2001, his action blockbuster "Celsius 911" became a global sensation upon its release.
In the film, Jet Li's excellent acting skills let the audience see the image of a warrior with a firm attitude and never fear.
With his sonorous and powerful movements, he explained to everyone the strong abhorrence and resolute struggle against terrorism.
Film critics have praised Jet Li as if he has integrated the unique charm of all martial arts stars, making "Celsius 911" a classic that reflects the theme of the times.
It can be said that it is with this masterpiece that Jet Li won the honor of "one of the greatest action movie superstars of the 20th century".
2. Retirement: The hidden reason why Jet Li left the film industry
However, just when Jet Li's career is in full swing, a suffocating turning point is destined to occur.
As early as the late 1990s, the outside world continued to spy on why he gave up his brilliant career as an actor.
But whenever he was asked about this, Jet Li was always vague and avoided answering.
It wasn't until 2017 that this long-haunted mystery was finally publicly revealed by him himself.
What shocked fans around the world was that the direct trigger for Jet Li's withdrawal from the film and television industry turned out to be his increasingly bad health! As a well-known action movie star, he has devoted his body, mind and spirit to filming for many years.
The frequent and intense action scenes made him feel physically exhausted from time to time.
What's more, years of high-intensity work have caused him to suffer countless old wounds.
The most serious of them even left him almost completely paralyzed.
Years later, that difficult and thrilling experience still often comes to Jet Li's mind, like a nightmare that cannot be let go.
Crushed bones, torn muscles, and intense pain made him feel pain and torture like never before.
Whenever he felt unbearable pain all over his body, the old wounds on his arms and back seemed to multiply all the pain, and became a curse that tormented him all the time.
Jet Li was sincerely frightened, he found that he was already hanging on the edge of life and death, and if he continued such a high-pressure lifestyle, he could pay the price of his life at any time.
In addition to physical factors, another important reason for Jet Li's retirement is his desire for ordinary life.
Immersed in the hustle and bustle of the film and television industry for a long time, he began to get tired of this vain and chaotic world, and he also accumulated endless fatigue and troubles in his heart.
As an international superstar, Jet Li's words and deeds have received great attention and judgment from the society.
Living every day surrounded by eager eyes, he inevitably felt a lot of mental pressure.
And those pervasive media are always watching his every move, leaving him almost no breathing space.
After this state of life lasted for many years, Jet Li began to yearn to live an ordinary life, away from distractions, and live a free and easy life.
More importantly, he also hopes that his wife and children can get the peace and security they deserve.
As a husband and father, it is his responsibility to create a humble and peaceful environment for his family, rather than continuing to expose them to unnecessary harassment from the outside world.
It can be said that the happiness and well-being of his wife and children have become the top priority of Jet Li's withdrawal from the film industry.
For him, compared to the temptation of fame and fortune, the joy of family is the most valuable wealth.
Only by getting rid of the complicated life in the entertainment industry can he truly live a life without distractions and devote himself to family life.
Even so, as a battle-hardened martial arts master, Jet Li did not give up on the path of self-pursuit.
Instead, he set his sights on higher ideals and ambitions.
As early as the official announcement of his retirement, he had already hinted that he would shift his focus to philanthropy in the future.
Although Jet Li has been quietly sponsoring poor children behind the scenes for many years, he hopes to make a greater contribution to the world.
At the same time, this martial arts master also hopes to pass on what he has learned in his life to more future generations without reservation.
He once said affectionately that martial arts is not a simple "killing technique", but is pregnant with broad and profound wisdom, and is a treasure of the splendid culture of the Chinese nation.
Therefore, Jet Li is determined to turn his martial arts career into his new pursuit after retirement, and use his actions to promote this ancient but timeless martial arts culture.
3. A new life after retirement
Although he has said goodbye to his acting career, Jet Li's life after retirement has not stopped, on the contrary, he is striding towards a new stage of life.
Since 2009, he has founded his own charitable foundation, quietly providing financial support to underprivileged children around the world, conveying warmth and hope with practical actions.
Over the years, Jet Li has never stopped on the road of funding.
In 2017 alone, he reportedly donated 180 million yuan to build a modern and beautiful school in Jiren County, Inner Mongolia, providing high-quality educational resources for local children.
Whenever he has free time, the former superstar personally visits the school, checks on the functioning of the facilities, and interacts with the children.
He will listen carefully to the children's voices, patiently answer their doubts, and inspire them with humorous words.
After years of getting along, Jet Li has become like a relative of the children, and they have established a deep emotional bond.
In addition to sponsoring underprivileged school children, Jet Li also holds important positions in many charities, such as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
He supports various public welfare projects with practical actions, and calls on more people to participate in charity with his influence.
With these outstanding contributions, he was hailed by the United Nations as "China's first anti-poverty ambassador".
It can be said that philanthropy has become Jet Li's greatest career pursuit after retirement.
After retiring from the hustle and bustle of the entertainment industry, he chose a more noble and meaningful life path.
Warm the world in your own way, and live a quiet but shining life.
However, although he has left the first-line film and television industry, Jet Li has always had a pure heart for the development of China's film industry.
This veteran martial arts master naturally hopes to pass on what he has learned throughout his life without reservation, so as to carry forward the torch of Chinese martial arts culture.
To this end, he has been quietly supporting and funding various martial arts talent training projects, hoping to inject new vitality into this ancient quintessence culture.
At the same time, he is also willing to share his decades of experience in martial arts, and whenever young martial arts practitioners come to seek advice, Jet Li always unreservedly imparts his experience to them.
What's even more commendable is that this former film superstar has never turned a blind eye to the development of China's film industry.
Although he has retired from the background, he still keeps an eye on the movements of this familiar industry and is eager to give advice.
Jet Li hopes that one day he will be able to return to the film industry as a producer or other capacity and continue to contribute to the Chinese film industry.
It can be said that Jet Li did not end with the movie after retiring, and he is using his own unique way to continue to pay attention to and promote the development of this industry.
For martial arts movies, he naturally has infinite enthusiasm and affection.
It is precisely because of this that this martial arts superstar, who was born and grew up in Sri Lanka, is eager to one day personally promote the development of martial arts movies again.
After retiring, Jet Li lived a very calm and quiet life.
Far from the hustle and bustle of the past, he can finally live the quiet life he has longed for.
But at the same time, his heart is also shining and happy because he has found a new pursuit of life.
Every morning, he habitually practices some simple tai chi movements, which is his secret to maintaining his physical and mental health.
Afterwards, the family will have breakfast together, and the family will start the day happily and carefree.
Even most of the time, Jet Li lives in obscurity in the world of ordinary people, but as long as there is a call for charity and public welfare activities, he will not hesitate to stand up.
Looking at the innocent smiles of those lovely children, his heart will also surge with unprecedented happiness and joy.
Sometimes, Jet Li will also revisit some of his old films at home, feeling the bits and pieces of most of his life.
Although time flies, whenever I see that young and heroic self, I still feel a surge of passion and motivation in my heart.
Although the film and television industry is in the past, his enthusiasm for the Chinese film industry has never faded.
Because of this, he secretly hopes that one day he can return to the film industry as a producer or other capacity and contribute to the industry.
From the former peak star to the current indifferent life, Jet Li has come a long way in life.
But the dreams and pursuits in his heart have always shone brightly and tirelessly guided him forward.
epilogue
Life is like a long river, and everyone will go through different forks in the road.
Jet Li, on the other hand, has embarked on a path of "retreat".
When the aura of the peak faded, only the years carved the marks of the years on him.
But this is not the end of him, but only the beginning of a new chapter.
After retiring, he chose a more noble and meaningful path, warming the world in his own way and inheriting martial arts culture.
Today's Jet Li is indifferent and quiet, but shining inside.
His story will always be remembered, because it will inspire more people to pursue their inner ideals and ambitions, and write their own legendary lives with actions.