Fong Sai-yuk (or Fang Shiyu) is a semi-fictional
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
martial artist and
folk hero
A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore; a ...
from
Zhaoqing City,
Guangdong Province of the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
. Fong was also associated with
Hung Hei-gun
Hung Hei-gun or Hong Xiguan (1745—1825) was a Chinese martial artist who lived in the Qing dynasty. He was also an influential figure in the Southern Shaolin school of Chinese martial arts. His name is also alternatively romanised as Hung He ...
and the
Five Elders
In Southern Chinese folklore, the Five Elders of Shaolin (), also known as the Five Generals are the survivors of one of the destructions of the Shaolin temple by the Qing Dynasty, variously said to have taken place in 1647 or in 1732.
The or ...
of the
Southern Shaolin Monastery
The Southern Shaolin Monastery or Nan-Shaolin () is the name of a Buddhist monastery whose existence and location are both disputed although associated ruins have been identified. By tradition, it is considered a source of Nanquan.
Establishment
...
. He was a disciple of Shaolin and his martial arts techniques were considered to have contributed to development of
Hung Ga Kuen
Hung Ga (), Hung Kuen (), or Hung Ga Kuen () is a southern Chinese martial art belonging to the southern Shaolin styles. The hallmarks of Hung Ga are strong stances, notably the horse stance, or "si ping ma" (), and strong hand techniques, not ...
.
He was first mentioned in ''
wuxia
( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted ...
'' stories dating from the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
(1644–1912), such as ''Shaolin Xiao Yingxiong'' (少林小英雄; ''Young Hero of
Shaolin''), ''Wan Nian Qing'' () and ''Qianlong You Jiangnan'' (乾隆游江南; ''The
Qianlong Emperor Visits
Jiangnan
Jiangnan or Jiang Nan (; formerly romanized Kiang-nan, literally "South of the River" meaning "South of the Yangtze") is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, incl ...
'').
Although Fong Sai-yuk is a fictional character, the stories about him treat him as if he really existed. He has been the subject of various novels, movies and dramas.
Stories about Fong have been adapted into films and television series since the 1950s. The most notable ones are the 1993 Hong Kong film ''
Fong Sai-yuk
Fong Sai-yuk (or Fang Shiyu) is a semi-fictional Chinese martial artist and folk hero from Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province of the Qing dynasty. Fong was also associated with Hung Hei-gun and the Five Elders of the Southern Shaolin Mona ...
'' and
its sequel, which both starred
Jet Li
Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, Chinese martial arts, martial artist, and retired wushu (sport), Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singapo ...
.
Background
His father, Fong Tak (方德; Fang De), was a wealthy merchant, while his mother, Miu Tsui-fa (苗翠花; Miao Cuihua), was a martial arts expert
and the daughter of
Miu Hin, one of the
Five Elders of Shaolin
In Southern Chinese folklore, the Five Elders of Shaolin (), also known as the Five Generals are the survivors of one of the destructions of the Shaolin temple by the Qing Dynasty, variously said to have taken place in 1647 or in 1732.
The ori ...
who escaped the Shaolin massacre. Sai-yuk trained in martial arts from his mother from an early age.
When he was still 10 years old, Sai-yuk was challenged by Lei Lao Ho to a duel and accidentally killed him in a battle. Following the fight, the local authorities were ordered to find Sai-yuk and beat him to death. To escape those who pursued him over the killing of the aforementioned master, Sai-yuk ran to
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...
Shaolin Temple to hide from pursuers. There, he was accepted by the temple occupants and trained with them in martial arts.
Due to this incident,
Bak Mei
Bak Mei () is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders — survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Monastery by the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) — who, according to some accounts, betrayed Shaolin to the imperial g ...
and his disciples decided to seek revenge on Sai-yuk. Because of this, Sai-yuk left the Shaolin temple to train more in Shaolin Martial arts and traditional techniques.
Portrayals in media
;Films
* ''
Fong Sai Yuk Sets Fire to Hung Wan Temple
Fong may refer to:
*the Bulu tribe of the Beti–Pahuin people of Cameroon
*various Chinese surnames
**the Hong Kong Government Cantonese romanization of the surname Fāng ()
**the Taishanese pronunciation of the Chinese surname Kuàng ()
**a M ...
'' (1949), a Hong Kong film.
* ''
The Adventures of Fong Sai Yuk
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (1950), a Hong Kong film.
* ''
Fong Sai Yuk in Yun Yiang Cave
Fong may refer to:
*the Bulu tribe of the Beti–Pahuin people of Cameroon
*various Chinese surnames
**the Hong Kong Government Cantonese romanization of the surname Fāng ()
**the Taishanese pronunciation of the Chinese surname Kuàng ()
**a M ...
'' (1950), a Hong Kong film.
* ''
The Prodigal Boxer
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (1972), a Hong Kong film produced by the South Sea Film & Co., H.K.
香港南海影業公司, starring Meng Fei.
* ''
Heroes Two
''Heroes Two'' (方世玉與洪熙官) (also known as ''Kung Fu Invaders'') is a 1974 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh. The film stars Alexander Fu Sheng and Chen Kuan Tai.
Plot
Heroes Two begins with the burning of the Sh ...
'' (1974), a Hong Kong film produced by Chang's Film Co. 長弓電影公司 and distributed by the
Shaw Brothers Studio
Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011.
In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...
邵氏兄弟有限公司, starring
Fu Sheng.
* ''
Men from the Monastery
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chrom ...
'' (1974), a Hong Kong film produced by Chang's Film Co. 長弓電影公司 and distributed by the
Shaw Brothers Studio
Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011.
In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...
邵氏兄弟有限公司, starring Fu Sheng.
* ''
Shaolin Temple
Shaolin Monastery (少林寺 ''Shàolínsì''), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a renowned monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak of the So ...
'' (1976), a Hong Kong film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, starring Fu Sheng.
* ''
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
''The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'', also known as ''The Master Killer'', ''Shaolin Master Killer'' and ''Shao Lin San Shi Liu Fang'', is a 1978 Hong Kong kung fu film directed by Lau Kar-leung and produced by Shaw Brothers, starring Gordon Liu. T ...
'' (1978), a Hong Kong film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio.
* ''
Return to the 36th Chamber
''Return to the 36th Chamber'' (少林搭棚大師, ''Shao Lin ta peng hsiao tzu'', ''Return of the Master Killer'' or ''Master Killer II'') is a 1980 Shaw Brothers Studio Hong Kong martial arts comedy film starring Gordon Liu. It was directed ...
'' (1980), a Hong Kong film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio.
* ''
Disciples of the 36th Chamber
''Disciples Of The 36th Chamber'' (霹靂十傑, ''Pi li shi jie'', ''Disciples of the Master Killer'' or ''Master Killer III'') is a 1985 Shaw Brothers Studio Hong Kong martial arts film comedy written, directed and choreographed Lau Kar-leung ...
'' (1985), a Hong Kong film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, starring
Hsiao Ho.
* ''
The Young Hero of Shaolin'' (1984–86), a two-part Chinese film directed by Wei Haifeng, starring Shi Baohua.
* ''
Fong Sai-yuk
Fong Sai-yuk (or Fang Shiyu) is a semi-fictional Chinese martial artist and folk hero from Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province of the Qing dynasty. Fong was also associated with Hung Hei-gun and the Five Elders of the Southern Shaolin Mona ...
'' (1993), a Hong Kong film directed by
Corey Yuen
Corey Yuen (; born Ying Gang-ming (殷元奎); 15 February 1951) is a Hong Kong director, film director, producer, action choreographer, and former actor.
Yuen was a member of the Peking Opera Schools and one of the Seven Little Fortunes. As a ...
, starring
Jet Li
Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, Chinese martial arts, martial artist, and retired wushu (sport), Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singapo ...
. The film featured a cross-over between Fong Sai-yuk and the ''wuxia'' novel ''
The Book and the Sword
''The Book and the Sword'' is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). It was first serialised between 8 February 1955 and 5 September 1956The date conforms to the data published in Chen Zhenhui (陳鎮輝), ''Wuxia Xiaoshuo Xiaoyao Tan'' (武 ...
'' by
Louis Cha
Louis Cha Leung-yung (; 10 March 1924 – 30 October 2018), better known by his pen name Jin Yong (), pronounced "Gum Yoong" in Cantonese, was a Chinese wuxia ("martial arts and chivalry") novelist and essayist who co-founded the Hong Kong dail ...
.
* ''
Fong Sai-yuk II
''Fong Sai-yuk II'' (also known as ''The Legend II'' and ''The Legend of Fong Sai-yuk II''; released in the Philippines as ''Once Upon a Time in China-6'') is a 1993 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Corey Yuen, and also produced by ...
'' (1993), a sequel to ''Fong Sai-yuk''.
* ''
Burning Paradise'' (1994), a Hong Kong film directed by
Ringo Lam, starring
Willie Chi.
;Television series
* ''
The Young Heroes of Shaolin'' (1981), a Hong Kong television series produced by
TVB
Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) is a television broadcasting company based in Hong Kong SAR. The Company operates five free-to-air terrestrial television channels in Hong Kong, with TVB Jade as its main Cantonese language service, and ...
, starring Stephen Tung Wai.
* ''
The Kung Fu Master
''The Kung Fu Master'' is a 2020 Indian Malayalam-language martial arts film written and directed by Abrid Shine and produced by Shibu Thekkumpuram under the banner of Fullon Studio Frames. The film stars Neeta Pillai, Sanoop Dinesh and Jiji S ...
'' (1994), a Hong Kong television series produced by
ATV, starring
Nick Cheung
Nick Cheung Ka-fai (; born 2 December 1964) is a Hong Kong actor, singer and director.
Background
He was formerly a Royal Hong Kong Police officer for four years, but he left the job after his request to be transferred to the criminal investigat ...
.
* ''
The Emperor and I'' (1994), a Hong Kong television series produced by TVB, starring
Marco Ngai
Marco Ngai Chun Kit (Traditional Chinese: 魏駿傑) is an actor in Hong Kong and has been in many TV series such as ''Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain 1997(or 98)'', ''To Catch the Uncatchable'' (2004) and one of the favourites, Armed Reaction ser ...
.
* ''
Hero of the Times
''Hero of the Times'' is a Singaporean-Taiwanese ''wuxia'' television series based on legends about Fong Sai-yuk (Mandarin: Fang Shiyu), a Chinese folk hero and martial artist who lived during the Qing dynasty. It was co-produced by the Television ...
'' (1999–2000), a Singaporean-Taiwanese television series produced by
TCS TCS may refer to:
Organisations
* Tata Consultancy Services, an IT company headquartered in India
* Taxpayers for Common Sense, a US nonpartisan federal budget watchdog organization
* TCS Courier, a Pakistani courier service
* Touring Club Suisse ...
and
CTV, starring
Vincent Zhao
Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo (born 10 April 1972), sometimes credited as Vincent Chiu or Chiu Man-cheuk, is a Chinese actor and martial artist. Zhao is best known for playing the Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in the '' Once Upon a Time in China'' film ...
.
* ''
Young Hero Fong Sai Yuk
''Young Hero Fang Shiyu'' is a 1999 Hong Kong television series based on the story of Chinese folk hero Fang Shiyu. It starred Dicky Cheung as the titular protagonist.
Plot
In the beginning, Fang Shiyu was a troublemaker in Guangzhou, constantl ...
'' (1999), a Hong Kong television series produced by ATV, starring
Dicky Cheung
Dicky Cheung Wai-kin (; born 8 February 1965) is a Hong Kong actor and singer.
Early childhood
Cheung grew up with a physically abusive father. His parents divorced when Cheung was 14.
Cheung was educated in St Francis Xavier's College in Ho ...
.
* ''
Southern Shaolin'' (
南少林) (2002), a ..... television series produced by ..... starring
Wu Jing.
* ''
Gaishi Yingxiong Fang Shiyu'' (2011), a Chinese television series produced by Zhejiang Great Wall Entertainment, starring
Yang Zi.
See also
*
Ng Mui
Ng Mui ( Chinese: t , p ''Wú Méi''; Cantonese: ''Ng5 Mui4'') is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders—survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Temple by the Qing Dynasty.
According to legend she is sa ...
*
Bak Mei
Bak Mei () is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders — survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Monastery by the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) — who, according to some accounts, betrayed Shaolin to the imperial g ...
*
Jee Sin Sim See
The Venerable Chi Sin Sim Si is a legendary Chinese martial artist, said to have been one of the Five Elders, survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Temple by the Qing Dynasty (16441912). He is linked to many southern Chinese martial ...
References
* Wang Li, Tang Zuofan, Zhang Wanqi. "Dictionary of Commonly Used Ancient Chinese Characters (5th Edition) (June 1, 2016)".
Qing dynasty people
People from Zhaoqing
Buddhist folklore
Chinese folklore
Chinese martial artists
Fictional characters from Guangdong
{{PRChina-martialart-bio-stub