Peng Zhang Li is a 32nd-generation monk who started training at the age of three at the Shaolin

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

in China. He has traveled the world demonstrating his art from the temple. At the age of twenty-two, he left for the Netherlands for a new life and set up a stage show about the martial arts which ran for five years. In 2000, Zhang moved to New York to start a martial arts school. Later he joined work on documentaries about Shaolin, which started a new career for him in film. He has produced, written, and acted in a range of films, in which he depicts the spirit of Shaolin. His films have been co-produced between his homeland China and his current country of residence, the USA. He is mostly known for his movies ''

Last Kung Fu Monk ''Last Kung Fu Monk'' () is a Chinese martial art drama from 2010 that was filmed and co worked with both China and United States. The movie is the debut directing by Peng Zhang Li, and the story is inspired by his own life as a monk and his new l ...

'' and '' The Resistance''.

Career

In the early 2000s Zhang Li began in documentaries about Shaolin, ''Shaolin Ulysses: Kung Fu Monks in America'', where he explains his background of Shaolin and his life in America. 2006 Zhang Li made his acting debut in an American horror thriller movie ''Tooth Fairy''. 2010 Zhang Li made his directing debut in the

martial art 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 ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

''Last Kung Fu Monk'' where he also played the leading role of the Shaolin Monk Li Long. A story of a Shaolin Monk who travels to New York but ends up in trouble with the Mafia. 2011 Zhang Li acted and directed his second movie '' The Resistance'', a

WWII 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 ...

drama mix with

Ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

and

Zorro Zorro (Spanish language, Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed a ...

adventure. The movie entered

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

17 May 2012 and became a Top DVD seller for 3 months in 2013. Peng Zhang Li continued working with movies during 2012 and 2013, including a similar movie to ''Last Kung Fu Monk'' named '' The Man From Shaolin'', and Zhang Li made a name for himself in the industry as the man from Shaolin to Kung Fu Master to actor and director.

External links

* *Kung Fu Magazine http://www.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=145 *Kick'em review http://www.kickemintheghoulies.com/zhanglipeng.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Peng, Zhang Li 21st-century Chinese male actors Living people Shaolinquan practitioners Year of birth missing (living people)