Once Upon a Time in China
Once Upon a Time in China
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2h 14m
Directed by Tsui Hark • 1991 • Hong Kong
Starring Jet Li, Yuen Biao, Jacky Cheung Hok Yau
Writer-producer-director Tsui Hark’s sprawling vision of a changing nineteenth-century China begins with this riotously entertaining epic, a blockbuster hit that cemented Jet Li’s status as the greatest martial-arts superstar of his generation. Li displays his stunning, fast-and-fluid fighting style as the legendary martial-arts teacher and doctor Wong Fei-hung, who, with a band of disciples, battles a host of nefarious forces—foreign and local—who are threatening Chinese sovereignty as British and American imperialists encroach upon the Mainland. ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA’s breathtaking blend of kung fu, comedy, romance, and melodrama climaxes in a whirlwind guns-vs.-fists finale that is also a thrilling affirmation of Chinese cultural identity.
Up Next in Once Upon a Time in China
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA Cantonese S...
This alternate stereo track utilizes the original version’s sound effects.
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Tsui Hark on ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHIN...
This 2021 interview features director Tsui Hark recalling the ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA series.
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Jet Li on ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA
Conducted by producer and writer David Tadman in October 2004 and February 2005, these edited audio interviews with Jet Li detail the actor’s martial-arts training and his Buddhist beliefs.
