"Scorpion Warrior" - Yuan Zhen, this name can easily make people mistaken for a member of the "Seven Little Blessings". He is actually a Korean, formerly known as Kim Won-jin, who was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1964. In the 1980s, Hong Kong kung fu films swept South Korea, so he gave himself this Stage Name "Yuan Zhen", which is full of Hong Kong flavor.
"Eighteen Female Masters of Wulin"
《Guangdong Pavilion Xiaohezi》
Yuan Zhen's father was also a martial artist. Under the supervision of his father, Yuan Zhen practiced taekwondo from the age of 7. At that time, Yuan Zhen was obsessed with Bruce Lee and the double knuckle stick, and he trained hard, hoping to create his own style. In 1979, in the "Eighteen Female Masters of Wulin" starring Dragon, Yuan Zhen debuted as an actress stand-in. In 1981, he made a cameo appearance in Huang Zhengli's self-directed and self-starred "Killing with a Knife". After that, he starred in some Korean kung fu films, all of which were small roles. On the poster of "Guangdong Pavilion Xiaohezi" in 1983, Yuan Zhen finally signed his name.
Scorpion Warrior
Yuan Zhen
In 1990, Hong Kong's "Baohe Pictures" recruited kung fu masters, and after Yuan Zhen saw the advertisement, he sent out his own performance video, which was selected by one of the directors of Baohe and the famous director Lai Tai Wei. Lai invited Yuan Zhen to Hong Kong and signed a contract for three films. In order to prove himself, Yuan Zhen first made a cameo appearance in "The Crazy Mood Sword of the Ninety-Two Divine Eagles", and then got the opportunity to star in "Scorpion Warrior". Under the careful design of Liu Jialiang, Yuan Kui and Yuan De, this role of Yuan Zhen is extremely outstanding. His sharp leg skills were so vivid that he became one of the most charismatic villains in kung fu films, so much so that when the movie was officially released, it was renamed "Scorpion Warrior" from the original title of "Manga God Fist".
The picture on the left shows the IGS game "Shape Intention Fist"
The image of the Scorpion Warrior has a profound impact. In 2001, the arcade fighting game "Shape Intention Fist" produced by IGS Company, Bai Shaoting's prototype was from the Scorpion Warrior.
"Lang Heart Wolf Heart"
Through "Scorpion Warrior", Yuan Zhen became famous in Hong Kong and also established good relations with Liu Jialiang, Yuan Kui, Qian Jiale and others. In 1992, Liu Jialiang went to the United States to direct "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3" and invited Yuan Zhen to participate, but Yuan Zhen could not get a work visa to the United States and had to cancel the plan. Later, he received a call from Jackie Chan inviting him to participate in "Police Story 3". However, at that time, Yuan Zhen had promised Li Dawei to star in "Lang Xin Wolf Heart (Naked Running)", and in order to repay Li Dawei's kindness, Yuan Zhen refused Jackie Chan. It is precisely because he is busy with this movie that Yuan Zhen also missed the opportunity to cooperate with Jet Li on "Fang Shiyu". Unfortunately, "Lang Xin Wolf Heart" is only a mediocre work, far less influential than "Police Story 3" and "Fang Shiyu". This is a lot of emotion. Imagine what a wonderful and spectacular scene it would be if Yuan Zhen confronted Jackie Chan and Jet Li on the big screen.
"Zhengpai Wei Xiaobao's FengzhiGou Girl"
"The Master"
After a cameo appearance in "The Bongzhigou Girl of The Right Wei Xiaobao", Won-jin returned to South Korea in 1994. Such a rising kung fu star suddenly disappeared, lest rumors spread. Some say he lost both legs, others say he died of AIDS. In fact, Yuan Zhen only suffered from liver disease because of the water and soil disobedience, and had to return to his hometown for recuperation. At that time, kung fu movies were in decline, and Korean dramas were becoming popular. The Yuan Zhen hero was useless and fell silent for several years. It wasn't until 1997 that he starred in a "Master", in which the characters were somewhat similar to "Scorpion Warrior".
"No Problem 2", the picture below is Yuan Biao on the right
In 2000, Yuan Zhen learned through friends that Tang Jili was preparing "Thunder X-Men". Because he missed the cooperation between "Police Story 3" and Tang Jili before, and he learned that there was a leg master Lu Huiguang involved, Yuan Zhen cherished this opportunity. As a result, the film did not play to his advantage, so much so that he was reluctant to mention the film again. In 2002, Qian Jiale was preparing for the filming of "No Problem 2", called yuanzhen to invite yuanzhen to participate, and he also told yuanzhen that yuanbiao liked his "Scorpion Warrior". Yuan Zhen is also a fan of Yuan Biao, and the two have a very pleasant cooperation.
Fist and Foot Police: Chinatown
After filming "No Problem 2", Won Jin returned to South Korea, mainly as an action director, occasionally making cameo appearances in some films. His major works include: "My Wife is a Gangster" trilogy, "Hancheng Raiders", "Landing Day", "Broken Arrow", "Suspect", "Wandering Blade", "Revenge Island", "Detective 2" and so on. One of his most recent films was the 2015 South Korean action film Fist and Foot Police: Chinatown.
Yuan Zhen recently took a picture
Yuan Zhen has always maintained the habit of fitness, good physical condition, and hopes to see his heroic posture on the big screen one day.
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Sources for this article:
Korean Film Archive
Exclusive: Interview with Won Jin – The Scorpion King by Paul Bramhall