Tai Chi Master
Encyclopedia
- For other meanings of Tai Chi Master please see Tai Chi MasterTai Chi MasterTai Chi Master is a 1993 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Yuen Woo-ping and produced by and starring Jet Li.-Plot:Junbao and Tienbo grow up together in a Shaolin Temple as monks, studying the martial arts and generally getting into trouble. They are both expelled from the temple after...
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Tai Chi Master is a 1993 Hong Kong martial arts film
Martial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
directed by Yuen Woo-ping
Yuen Woo-ping
Yuen Woo-ping is a Chinese martial arts choreographer and film director, renowned as one of the most successful and influential figures in the world of Hong Kong action cinema. He is one of the inductees on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong...
and produced by and starring Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
.
Plot
JunbaoZhang Sanfeng
Zhang Sanfeng was a semi-legendary Chinese Taoist priest who is believed by some to have achieved immortality, said variously to date from either the late Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty or Ming Dynasty. His name is said to have been Zhang Junbao 張君寶 before he became a Taoist.Zhang's legend is that of...
and Tienbo grow up together in a Shaolin Temple as monks, studying the martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
and generally getting into trouble. They are both expelled from the temple after Tienbo almost kills a fellow student who cheats in a fight against him. Aided in their escape by their sympathetic teacher, they receive final instructions regarding the potential paths of their different personalities, with a specific warning given to Tienbo. They both then go into the outside world to find their way in life. Meanwhile, a gang of henchmen are forcibly taking money from a local shop ower. A woman named Miss Li steals the money and returns it. Having noticed the money gone, the henchmen start to fight with Miss Li. Miss Li holds her own during the fight, but soon gets into a bit of trouble due to her being outnumbered. Junbao comes to her aid and defeats the gang. Army reinforcements arrive to break up the fight and so the trio run away to escape capture. At this moment the eunuch
Eunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
governor travels through the town, roughing up the locals as he does so. Tienbo realizes that he wants to be as rich and powerful as the governor, but Miss Li warns him that he has "a heart of a viper" and wonders if he could handle this power. Miss Li then shows them to a pub to get food.
Inside the pub, they find a woman named Siu Lin. Siu Lin is searching for her lost husband, during which she supports herself by playing on a sanxian
Sanxian
The sanxian is a Chinese lute — a three-stringed fretless plucked musical instrument. It has a long fingerboard, and the body is traditionally made from snakeskin stretched over a rounded rectangular resonator. It is made in several sizes for different purposes and in the late 20th century a...
that said husband gave to her as a gift. She finds him inside the pub as the new husband of the governor's niece. The niece starts a battle with Sui Lin where they both seem equal, but the husband hits Siu Lin on her head with a stool causing her to collapse. Junbao helps Siu Lin by defending her against her ex-husband and the niece's guards.
The next day, while Junbao and Tienbo are making money with their amazing kung fu
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
skills, the governor's second in command spots them and is impressed with Tienbo's abilities (and his eagerness to kow-tow to authority.) He offers him to join the army (which he readily accepts) however, Junbao is more reluctant to do so and declines going with Tienbo and so the two go their separate ways. Later, some soldiers come to the pub to collect taxes (which have increased due to the governor’s greedy nature) but Junbao and the rebels (who have stolen great valuables from the governor to give back to the poor) fight and kills them one by one. One soldier escapes alive and starts off towards the army's camp to warn them about the rebels with Junbao in pursuit. Just in front of the army encampment, Tienbo kills the soldier before he warns the rest of the army about the rebels whereabouts. Tienbo warns Junbao to stay clear of the rebels as they'll get him into trouble. Now knowing where the rebels are hiding however, Tienbo takes this unique opportunity to gain a promotion. He sets a trap for Junbao and the rebels by telling them that the army is on patrol and when would be the best time to attack them.
Junbao and Siu Lin collect all the rebels from the region, and go to the army camp (thus, falling for Tienbo's trap). A big battle occurs where most of the rebels die. Tienbo captures Miss Li and Siu Lin. In the end, the only survivors are Junbao and a few rebels.
Because of the trap, the governor promotes Tienbo to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. With his new authority (and some poignant advice from the governor) Tienbo kills Miss Li, and holds Siu Lin as bait so that he can try to convert Junbao to the army's cause. This is unsuccessful and Junbao rescues her. Because his best friend betrayed him, Junbao's mind snaps and he goes crazy for days. While recuperating in the countryside with Siu Lin, he has a sudden epiphany that leads to him regaining his mental health and inspiration for the creation of the martial art of T'ai chi ch'uan.
While the governor is traveling to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
to see the emperor with his sister, they encounter Junbao and Siu Lin who kill the soldiers guarding them and also kills the niece. With the governor captured as a hostage, they go to the army camp and demand Tienbo to surrender his wealth and his power. Due to his arrogance, Tienbo declines and starts to fight Junbao thinking that he is still the inferior fighter. To Tienbo's surprise, however, Junbao is now fighting using the heretofore unseen style of t'ai chi ch'uan. Because the style relies less on size, power, speed and strength, Junbao is able to fend off Tienbo with ease. Seeking an additional advantage in their fight, Tienbo kills the governor in order to gain complete control over the troops surrounding them. Siu Lin intervenes and convinces them not to listen to Tienbo as he just betrayed their leader. Seeing this (and also the way Tienbo utilizes his troops as battle fodder), the troops back off and leave Tienbo's fate to Junbao. After a stunning series of parries and blows by Junbao, Tienbo is defeated and ultimately killed due to his reluctance to accept fate and admit defeat.
After the fight Siu Lin and Junbao go their separate ways with Junbao returning to the Shaolin temple and establishing his own school
Wudang Mountains
The Wudang Mountains , also known as Wu Tang Shan or simply Wudang, are a small mountain range in the northwestern part of Hubei Province of People's Republic of China, just to the south of the city of Shiyan.-Geography:...
to teach t'ai chi ch'uan.
Cast
- Jet LiJet LiThe fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
- Zhang Junbao / Shang Jun Biao / (Zhang SanfengZhang SanfengZhang Sanfeng was a semi-legendary Chinese Taoist priest who is believed by some to have achieved immortality, said variously to date from either the late Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty or Ming Dynasty. His name is said to have been Zhang Junbao 張君寶 before he became a Taoist.Zhang's legend is that of...
) - Michelle YeohMichelle YeohMichelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng is a Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese actress, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s....
- Siu Lin / Qiu Xue / (Falling Snow) - Chin Siu Ho - Tienbo / Dong Tian Biao
- Fennie Yuen - Miss Li / Xiao Dong Gua (Little Melon)
- Cheung Yan Yuen - Reverend Ling
- Shun Lau - Master Jueyuan
- Hai Yu - Head Master
- Kam Kong Chow - Rebel
- Jian-kui Sun – Royal Eunuch Liu-jin
- Wing-chung Ho - Rascal
Home media
- Universe Laser released DVD in a near uncut state with a Cantonese soundtrack and English subtitles.
- The initial Western release was entitled Twin Warriors. It was released by Dimension FilmsDimension FilmsDimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
on DVD in the USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on June 20, 2000 and by Hollywood Pictures Home VideoHollywood PicturesHollywood Pictures is one of The Walt Disney Company's several alternate movie divisions. Like Disney's Touchstone Pictures brand, it produces films for a more mature adult audience than Walt Disney Pictures.-History:...
in the UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on April 8, 2002. A new EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
dub was commissioned with a new musical score and some cuts were applied. - On July 29, 2008, Dragon DynastyDragon DynastyDragon Dynasty is a joint venture started by The Weinstein Company and Genius Products. The company was created on May 23, 2006 for the sole purpose of distributing East Asian films on DVD in the US, whose licenses are held by, or will be acquired by The Weinstein Company...
released their DVD containing a Cantonese soundtrack and the Dimension English dub (using the 1993 dub to fill in the previously cut sections). However, the Cantonese "mono" is a downmix of the 5.1 remix. - An IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n VCDVCDVCD is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:* VCD Athletic, semi-professional football team* Video CD* Voice command device* Value change dump * Vocal cord dysfunction* Visual Communication and Design...
by Diskovery contains the 1993 export English version, but under the title "Twice Deadly". It is cut, however. - On April 26, 2010, Cine Asia was released on DVD in the UK, the film title has been changed to Tai Chi Master from Twin Warriors.
Sequels
The two sequels to Tai Chi does continuing with two actors they were: Shun Lau and Hai Yu without Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh.Tai Chi Boxer (1996 film)
Tai Chi Boxer (aka Tai Chi II) is a 1996 Hong Kong martial artsMartial arts film
Martial arts film is a film genre. A sub-genre of the action film, martial arts films contain numerous fights between characters, usually as the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often as a method of storytelling and character expression and development. Martial arts are frequently...
action
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
written, produced and directed by action choreographer
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
Yuen Woo-ping
Yuen Woo-ping
Yuen Woo-ping is a Chinese martial arts choreographer and film director, renowned as one of the most successful and influential figures in the world of Hong Kong action cinema. He is one of the inductees on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong...
, written by Yeung-ping Sze, produced by Wai Him Wong and directed by Xinyan Zhang, starring Jacky Wu, Christy Chung
Christy Chung
Christy Chung is Chinese-Canadian actress. She was born in Montreal to a Chinese father and a Vietnamese mother.Chung grew up in Brossard, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, with French and Vietnamese as mother-tongues...
, Mark Cheng
Mark Cheng
Mark Cheng Ho-nam is a Hong Kong actor and martial artist. Cheng is perhaps best known as Lam Wing in 1996 film Tai Chi Boxer.-Film career:...
, Chuen-hua Chi, Billy Chow
Billy Chow
Billy Chow , is an Chinese Canadian actor, martial artist and the former world kickboxing champion...
, Sibelle Hu, Shun Lau, Darren Shahlavi
Darren Shahlavi
Darren Majian Shahlavi , sometimes credited as Shahlavi, is an Iranian-British actor and martial artist.A native of Stockport, Greater Manchester, Shahlavi is known primarily for playing bad guys in martial arts films such as Bloodmoon and Yuen Woo-ping's Tai Chi Boxer along with Jacky Wu...
, Chiu Tam and Hai Yu. This is Yuen Woo-ping’s final directorial of the film until 14 years in the future
True Legend
True Legend is a 2010 martial arts film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, starring Vincent Zhao, Zhou Xun, Jay Chou, Michelle Yeoh, Andy On, David Carradine, Guo Xiaodong, Feng Xiaogang, Cung Le, Gordon Liu, Bryan Leung and Jacky Heung....
.
Cast
- Jacky Wu – Hawkman / Jackie
- Christy ChungChristy ChungChristy Chung is Chinese-Canadian actress. She was born in Montreal to a Chinese father and a Vietnamese mother.Chung grew up in Brossard, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, with French and Vietnamese as mother-tongues...
– Rose - Mark ChengMark ChengMark Cheng Ho-nam is a Hong Kong actor and martial artist. Cheng is perhaps best known as Lam Wing in 1996 film Tai Chi Boxer.-Film career:...
– Lam Wing - Chuen-hua Chi – Da Bu Liang (Bald Villain)
- Billy ChowBilly ChowBilly Chow , is an Chinese Canadian actor, martial artist and the former world kickboxing champion...
– Wong, Great Kick of the North - Sibelle Hu – Jackie’s Mother
- Shun Lau – Officer Tsao (Rose’s Father)
- Darren ShahlaviDarren ShahlaviDarren Majian Shahlavi , sometimes credited as Shahlavi, is an Iranian-British actor and martial artist.A native of Stockport, Greater Manchester, Shahlavi is known primarily for playing bad guys in martial arts films such as Bloodmoon and Yuen Woo-ping's Tai Chi Boxer along with Jacky Wu...
– Smith - Chiu Tam – Sung
- Hai Yu – Yeung Shan Wu (Jackie’s Father)
DVD release
On June 17, 2002, DVD was released in Hong Kong LegendsHong Kong Legends
Hong Kong Legends was a United Kingdom DVD distribution company, based in Hertfordshire and operating from the UK and Australia between 1999 and 2007...
at UK in Region 2.
Three years later, The Epic Action Collection DVD were released on December 26, 2005 at 4 disc set including two martial arts films they were: Wing Chun
Wing Chun (film)
Wing Chun is a 1994 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping and stars Michelle Yeoh as the eponymous character Yim Wing-Chun, a tofu maker and martial artist who tries to protect her village's inhabitants from a group of bandits.The film was preceded by a 1994...
and 2 disc platinum edition Iron Monkey all three films directed by Yuen Woo-ping.
See also
- List of Dragon Dynasty releases
- Jet Li filmographyJet Li filmographyConsidering US box office statistics, the most successful Jet Li film as of August 2010 is Lethal Weapon 4, which grossed over 130 million dollars domestically, while the second is The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor with over 102 million dollars. Hero is the third most successful foreign...
- Jacky Wu filmography
- List of Hong Kong Legends releases