Shaolin Temple

Shaolin Temple (少林寺, Shàolínsì) is a 1982 film directed by Chang Hsin-yen and produced by the Hong Kong company Chung Yuen Motion Picture Company. According to English Wikipedia, it was one of the first major co-productions between Hong Kong and mainland China, and most of the cast were actors from the mainland. The story is set in the late Sui period. After the death of his father, who was killed by Wang Renze, the young Xiaohu flees to the Shaolin monastery, is ordained as the monk Jue Yuan and begins martial training. The story also includes a love story with the shepherd's daughter Bai Wuxia and a conflict around the warlord and future emperor Li Shimin. Alongside fictional characters, the film features the historical figures Li Shimin, later Emperor Taizong, and Wang Shichong; according to English Wikipedia, it is fiction set against a historical background. The film depicts Shaolin kung-fu. The lead role was played by Jet Li, for whom it was an acting debut. He had previously belonged to the Beijing wushu team, and between 1975 and 1979 he became a four-time national all-around champion, excelling especially in changquan and fanziquan. We have not been able to document which specific styles the film shows. Britannica credits the film with reviving interest in martial arts in China. It was followed by two sequels with Jet Li, Kids from Shaolin (1984) and Martial Arts of Shaolin (1986).

Martial arts in this work

Origin

According to English Wikipedia, the film's budget was 1.6 million Hong Kong dollars (about 264,000 USD) and shooting took two years. The same source lists it as the first film shot directly in the Shaolin monastery in the Songshan area near Dengfeng. Jet Li was reportedly paid only one yuan a day for the shoot; we could not verify this in other sources. The fight scenes were prepared by a team of four action choreographers: Yue Hoi, Ma Xianda, Pan Qingfu and Wong Seung-hoi. At the 2nd Hong Kong Film Awards, all four were nominated for best action choreography. We did not find details of how the individual fights were shot in the sources.

Influence

Besides the revival of interest in martial arts that Britannica credits to the film, English Wikipedia states that the film inspired further Shaolin films in China and Hong Kong. The same source claims the film has a large share in making the Shaolin monastery an important tourist destination for visitors from China and abroad; we did not find numerical attendance figures for the monastery in the sources. According to English Wikipedia, it also made Jet Li the first star from mainland China in Hong Kong and later in Hollywood. According to English Wikipedia, an estimated 500 million tickets were sold in the PRC and 700,000 in Hong Kong, and in Japan it was among the four most successful films of 1982. The subject was later revisited by the films Shaolin (2011) and Rising Shaolin: The Protector (2021).

People and martial arts

• Chang Hsin-yenDirector
• Yue HoiAction director· Wushu Taolu
• Ma XiandaAction director· Wushu Taolu
• Pan QingfuAction director· Wushu Taolu
• Wong Seung-hoiAction director· Wushu Taolu
• Jet LiActor — as Jue Yuan (Xiaohu)· Wushu Taolu (real practitioner)

Awards

• Nominated · Hong Kong Film Awards (2.), Best Action Direction (Yue Hoi, Ma Xianda, Pan Qingfu, Wong Seung-hoi) (1983)