Kwan Tak-hing,

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(27 June 1905 – 28 June 1996) was a

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

martial artist and actor best known for his portrayal of

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

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; an ...

Wong Fei-hung Wong Fei-hung (born Wong Sek-cheung with the courtesy name Tat-wun; 9 July 1847 – 17 April 1925) was a Chinese martial artist, physician, and folk hero. His recent fame was due to becoming the subject of numerous martial arts films and televis ...

in at least 77 films, between the 1940s and the 1980s. No one else in cinema history has portrayed the same person as many times. In total he made over 130 films. He was elected in 1955 as the chairman of the

Chinese Artist Association of Hong Kong Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong () is a non-profit association of Cantonese opera groups and artists in Hong Kong, established in the 1880s. In 1953, it registered as an organization in Hong Kong. It is a professional organisation for Can ...

. He was awarded the MBE (Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

) in 1984.

History

Kwan was born in

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in 1905. He was the second child in the family. His father died of a disease at a young age. To supplement his family's income, as a boy, Kwan worked as a cowherd. When he was 12, he began work in construction. At the age of 13, he worked as a waiter in a restaurant in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

before joining a

Cantonese opera Cantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Guangdong Province. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau and among Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. Like all versions of Ch ...

troupe under Cheng Hsin-pei. In 1928 at the age of 23, he married Chan Yat-chor (), the daughter of the actor known only by his nickname of "Bind-Legged Champ" (), and they had a son David Kwan Hon-chuen (). His film debut was in ''The Singing Lovers'' (aka ''Romance of the Songsters''), made in the US for the Grandview Studios and only the second Cantonese-language

talkie A sound film is a motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, percep ...

ever made. His first starring roles came two years later in ''Song of the Yesterday'' (aka ''Yesterday's Song'') and ''Song of Sadness'' (both 1935). Kwan's first martial arts film was ''Knight of the Whip'' (1936). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he was in a troupe of patriotic entertainers and had a price put on his head by the Japanese. The first film in which he starred as

was the ''Story of Huang Feihong part 1'' (1949) directed by

Wu Pang Wu Pang () (1909–2000) was a Hong Kong Chinese director, producer, production manager, actor, movie planner, writer and the co-founder of the Yong Yao Film Company. Early life On December 21, 1909, Wu was born in Shanghai, Republic of China. ...

and produced by the Yong Yao Film Company. The film included

Shih Kien Shek Wing-cheung (1 January 1913 – 3 June 2009), better known by his stage name Shih Kien, Sek Kin, or Sek Gin or Shek Kin(), was a Hong Kong–based Chinese actor. Shih is best known for playing antagonists and villains in several early Hong ...

as the villain and Li Lan, the very first winner of the

Miss Hong Kong Pageant The Miss Hong Kong Pageant (), or Miss HK () for short, is an annual beauty pageant organised by local Hong Kong television station, TVB. The pageant was established in 1946, and acquired by TVB in 1973. The current Miss Hong Kong is Denice Lam ...

, and the first of many winners who would become famous actresses in

). This partnership was a huge success and spawned many sequels, exploring many ideas and situations used in later action films. In 1956, a total of 25 Wong Fei-hung films were released. Kwan worked on films with two of the students of

Lam Sai-wing Lam Sai-wing (1861? – 1943) was a Hung Gar martial artist. He was a student of the Chinese martial artist, acupuncturer and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, Wong Fei-hung. "Since my young years till now, for 50 years, I have been learning f ...

(himself a student of the real Wong Fei-hung). First, Leong Wing-hang, who worked as action director on Wong Fei-hung films as well as other Kwan vehicles including ''The Five Heroes' Deadly Spears'' (1951). Later he worked with Lau Cham, father of

Lau Kar-leung Lau Kar-leung (28 July 1934 – 25 June 2013), was a Chinese actor, filmmaker, choreographer, and martial artist from Hong Kong. Lau is best known for the films he made in the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio. His most famous wor ...

and

Lau Kar-wing Lau Kar-wing (born 1944) is a Martial Artist, Hong Kong people, Hong Kong Chinese martial arts, martial arts film director, Stage combat, action choreographer and actor. Background Born in the Xinhui District of Jiangmen in Guangdong, People's R ...

. The Wong Fei-hung sequence of films ended in 1970 and Kwan went into semi-retirement. During this period, Kwan opened a martial arts school and a number of herbal centres, whose branded soup and an ointment for bruises were well known in Hong Kong.Logan, Bey. Commentary to the Hong Kong Legends edition of ''The Magnificent Butcher'' In 1974, Golden Harvest revived the role, pairing Kwan with

Sammo Hung Sammo Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreog ...

in ''The Skyhawk''. Other films followed in which Kwan played his most familiar role – ''

Magnificent Butcher ''The Magnificent Butcher'' () is a 1979 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Sammo Hung, Kwan Tak-hing, Yuen Biao, and Wei Pai. The film is based on the story of Lam Sai-wing, one of the students of the ...

'' (1979), ''Magnificent Kick'' (1980), and '' Dreadnaught'' (1981).

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 ...

also aired a 13-part television series featuring Kwan as Wong Fei-hung in 1976. By this time, he was in his 70s and although he was doubled for the more athletic scenes, he still demonstrated remarkable fitness and suppleness. Kwan received an honorary

for his charitable work and contribution to the entertainment industry, in 1984. On 5 November 1984, Kwan married his second wife Kwan Yut-chur in

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, whom he first met whilst travelling in the US, whilst raising money for the Chinese war effort. To the Chinese, Kwan embodied

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

virtues and patriarchal authority, and he is thought to have modelled his speeches on those of

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

.Hunt, Leon. (2003). ''Kung Fu Cult Masters'' Wallflower Press Kwan appeared in cameo roles in ''

The Family Strikes Back ''The Family Strikes Back'' is a 1986 Hong Kong action comedy film produced, directed by and starring Dean Shek. Plot Professor Kiu (Roy Chiao) is a mad scientist who developed mental disorders from grieving the death of his son. Kiu orders ...

'' and ''

Aces Go Places 4 ''Aces Go Places IV'', also known in the United States as ''Mad Mission 4: You Never Die Twice'', is a 1986 Hong Kong action-comedy film directed by Ringo Lam and starring Samuel Hui, Karl Maka, Sylvia Chang and Sally Yeh. It is the fourth fil ...

'' (both 1986). His final film appearance was in the 1994 family comedy film '' It's a Wonderful Life!'', at the age of 89, some 61 years after his acting career began. He died at the age of 91 of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

. In Bey Logan's audio commentary for the film ''The Magnificent Butcher'', he states that though there is a grave marker to Kwan Tak-hing in

Kowloon Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and t ...

territory, his ashes were already taken to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

to rest with those of his second wife.

Action style

Kwan was originally a practitioner of the Opera Martial Arts of Masters Sun Pak/Cheng Hsin-pei and Len Yuen-hang and the White Crane and Hung Gar martial art of Fok Hung. Throughout his life he made friends with famous martial arts exponents and cross trained extensively. Training in Wong Fei-hung's style of Hung Gar came from Leung Wing-hang and Lau Jam, both students of the famous Lam Sai-wing. His weapons speciality included the use of the bullwhip and the pole. Kwan was also known for his skills in the

lion dance F Lion dance () is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New ...

and

Chinese calligraphy Chinese calligraphy is the writing of Chinese characters as an art form, combining purely visual art and interpretation of the literary meaning. This type of expression has been widely practiced in China and has been generally held in high est ...

Legacy

Although modern martial arts films often feature a lot of violence, at the end of ''The Magnificent Butcher'', Kwan's Wong Fei-hung saves the main villain (played by Lee Hoi-san) from being killed by Butcher Wing (Sammo Hung). This reflected Wong Fei-hung's portrayal in the original films, wherein he would defeat the villain but then heal him. Kwan became so associated with the mature Wong Fei-hung that other filmmakers would only portray the character as a younger person, including

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

playing Wong as a young man in ''

Drunken Master ''Drunken Master'' () is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, and Hwang Jang-lee. It was a success at the Hong Kong box office, earning two and a half times the amount o ...

'' (1978), and Yuen Woo-ping depicting Wong as a child (played by actress

Angie Tsang Angie Tsang Sze-Man (born 1978) is a Hong Kong police officer, former wushu athlete and former child actress. She was best known as an Asian Games silver medalist for Wushu in 2006. Background Tsang first started by learning lion dances at the ...

) in '' Iron Monkey'' (1993). When

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 ...

portrayed Wong in the ''Once Upon a Time in China'' series, many Chinese audiences felt he was too young.

Filmography

*'' The Guangzhou Adventure of the Fearless'' (1947) *'' One-Eye Dragon Strange Hero'' (1947) *'' Bloody Cloth'' (1948) *'' Fishing Village in the War'' (1948) *'' A Sword to Save a Country'' (1949) *'' A Woman's Heart is Never Mended'' (1949) *'' The Lady Protector and the Knight with the Whip'' (1949) *''Story of Huang Feihong'' (Part 1) (1949) *''Story of Huang Feihong'' (Part 2) (1949) *'' Xue Rengui's Bloody Battle at Liu Village'' (1950) *'' The Story of Huang Feihung Part 3: Battle by Liuhua Bridge'' (1950) *'' The Story of Huang Feihong Part 4: Death of Liang Huan'' (1950) *''Story of Huang Feihong'' (Part 5) (1951) *'' The Silver World of Stardom'' (1951) *'' The Five Heroes' Deadly Spears'' (1951) *''

The Brave Archer ''The Brave Archer'', also known as ''Kungfu Warlord'', is a 1977 Hong Kong film adapted from Louis Cha's novel ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes''. The film was produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio and directed by Chang Cheh, starring Alexander ...

How Huang Feihong Saved the Lovelorn Monk from the Ancient Monastery How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seid ...

'' (1956) *'' The Life of Zuo Song'' (1956) *'' Chang E's Flight to the Moon'' (1956) *'' The White Crane Heroes'' (1956) *'' General Kwan Seduced by Diaochan Under Moonlight'' (1956) *'' Ne-Zha's Adventures in the East Sea'' (1957) *'' Devil's Sword'' (1957) *'' Huang Feihong's Fight at Henan'' (1957) *'' Huang Feihong's Three Battles with the Unruly Girl'' (1957) *'' How Huang Feihong Spied on Black Dragon Hill at Night'' (1957) *'' How the Boxer from Nanhai Stole the Dappled Horse at Night'' (1957) *'' Huang Feihong's Battle with the Lion King'' (1957) *'' Huang Feihong and the Battle of Saddle Hill'' (1957) *'' The War between Chu and Han'' (1957) *'' How Huang Feihong Smashed the Flying Dagger Gang'' (1957) *'' The Flag Which Conquered 7 Provinces'' (1957) *''

How Huang Feihong Fought a Bloody Battle in the Spinster's Home How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seid ...

'' (1957) *'' World of Fist'' (1957) *'' Knife in Fish-gut'' (1957) *'' Huang Feihu's Rebellion'' (1957) *'' Ne Zha's Adventures in the Heavenly Palace'' (1957) *'' Fifteen Strings of Coins'' (1957) *'' General Guan Escorts His Brother's Wife on a 1,000 Mile Journey'' (1957) *''Huang Feihong's Rival for a Pearl'' (1957) *''Huang Feihong's Story: Five Devils against Two Dragons'' (1958) *''Huang Feihu's Rebellion'' (2nd sequel) (1958) *''Lest We Forget (1958 film), Lest We Forget'' (1958) *''Fan Lihua Bears a Son in the Golden-Light Militia'' (1958) *''How Xue Gang Smashed the Temple'' (1958) *''Huang Feihong's Fierce Battle'' (1958) *''How Huang Feihong Erases the Golden Bell Trap'' (1958) *''Huanf Feihong Seizes the Bride at Xiguan'' (1958) *''How Huang Feihong Stormed Phoenix Hill'' (1958) *'' Massacre of the Innocents'' (1958) *'' Huang Feihong's Battle with the Bullies in the Boxing Ring'' (1958) *'' Huang Feihong's Victory at Ma Village'' (1958) *'' Huang Feihong Gets Rid of the Three Rascals'' (1958) *'' How Huang Feihong Used an Iron-Fowl Against the Eagle'' (1958) *'' Huang Feihohng Saves the Kidnapped Liang Kuan'' (1958) *'' The Flying Prince'' (1958) *'' Three Attempts to Steal the Cup of the Nine Dragons'' (1959) *'' The Rascal He on Fire'' (1959) *'' Huang Feihong on Rainbow Bridge'' (1959) *'' Shattering the Copper Net Array'' (1959) *'' Seven Heroes Spy on Chongxiao Bower'' (1959) *'' King Kong's Adventures in the Heavely Palace'' (1959) *'' How Wen Tianxiang Thrice Tricked Grand Sire Wen'' (1959) *'' White Lady's Reincarnation'' (1959) *'' Huang Feihong Trapped in the Hell'' (1959) *''

How Huang Feihong Defeated the Tiger on the Opera Stage How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seid ...

'' (1959) *'' Huang Feihong's Combat in the Boxing Ring'' (1960) *'' How Na Zha Rescued His Mother from the Snake Mountain'' (1960) *'' Huang Feihong's Battle with the Gorilla'' (1960) *'' The Strange Hero Conquered the Dragon'' (1960) *'' Two Orphans Conquered the Dragon at Tianshan'' (1960) *'' Tao Lung Fighting against Fin Kum Kong'' (1960) *'' How Huang Feihong Smashed the Five Tigers'' (1961) *'' The Invincible Iron Fan'' (1961) *'' Killing of the Villains'' (1961) *'' Huang Feihong Meeting the Heroes with the Tiger Paw'' (1967) (also writer) *'' Huang Feihong: The Incredible Success in Canton'' (1968) *'' Huang Feihong: The Invincible 'Lion Dancer''' (1968) *'' Huang Feihong: The Eight Bandits'' (1968) *''

The Magic Whip ''The Magic Whip'' (stylised in Chinese text) is the eighth studio album by English rock band Blur. It was recorded in Hong Kong and London, and released by Parlophone on 27 April 2015 and Warner Bros. Records on 28 April 2015. It was the band's ...

'' (1968) *'' Huang Feihong: The Duel Against the Black Rascal'' (1968) *'' Huang Feihong: Duel for the Championship'' (1968) *'' Huang Feihong: The Duel for the 'Sha-yu-qing''' (1969) *'' Huang Feihong: The Conqueror of the 'Sam-hong Gang''' (1969) *'' Huang Feihong's Combat with the Five Wolves'' (1969) *'' Huang Feihong in Sulphur Valley'' (1969) *'' Huang Fei Hong: Bravely Crushing the Fire Formation'' (1970) *''The Skyhawk'' (1974) *''

'' (1979) *'' The Magnificent Kick'' (1980) *'' Dreadnaught'' (1981) *''

'' (1986) *''

It's a Wonderful Life ''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas by medium#Films, Christmas Fantasy film, fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern se ...

'' (1994)

References

External links