Jet Li

Jet Li

Jet Li at the premiere of Fearless.
Chinese name 李連杰 (Traditional)
Chinese name 李连杰 (Simplified)
Pinyin Lǐ Liánjié (Mandarin)
Jyutping Lei5 Lin4 Git6 (Cantonese)
Born April 26, 1963 (1963-04-26) (age 47)
Beijing, China
Other name(s) Lee Yeung Chung /
Li Yangzhong
李陽中 (Traditional)
李阳中 (Simplified)
Lǐ Yángzhōng (Mandarin)
Lei5 Joeng4 Zung1 (Cantonese) (Chinese producer pseudonym)
Occupation Actor
Martial artist
Film producer
Years active 1982–present
Spouse(s) Huang Qiuyan (1987–1990)
Nina Li Chi (1999–present)
Official Website www.jetli.com
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Li.

Li Lian Jie (born April 26, 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese martial artist, actor, film producer, wushu champion, and international film star who was born in Beijing, China, and who has currently taken up Singapore citizenship.

After three years of intensive training with Wu Bin, Li won his first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team. After retiring from wushu at age 17, he went on to win great acclaim in China as an actor making his debut with the film Shaolin Temple (1982). He went on to star in many critically acclaimed martial arts epic films, most notably the Once Upon A Time In China series, in which he portrayed folk hero Wong Fei-hung.

Li's first role in a Hollywood film was as a villain in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), but his first Hollywood film leading role was in Romeo Must Die (2000). He has gone on to star in many Hollywood action films, most recently starring beside Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), and as the title character villain in The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (2008) opposite Brendan Fraser. Recently, he appeared in the 2010 film The Expendables.

Contents

Early life and martial arts career

“ My winning first place caused quite a sensation, because I was so young. I was 12 years old, and the other two medallists were in their mid- to late twenties. During the awards ceremony, as I stood on the top step of the podium, I was still shorter than the 2nd and 3rd place medallists. It must have been quite a sight. ”

—Jet Li about his championship title of 1975, [1]

Li was born Li Lian Jie in Beijing, People's Republic of China. His father died when he was two years old, leaving the family to struggle on its own, with Li being the youngest of two boys and two girls.[2]

Li was eight when his talent for wushu was noticed at a summer course at school, and he began his practice there.[3] Li participated in the sport of wushu in the non-sparring event. He began his wushu on the Beijing Wushu Team, an athletic group organized to perform martial arts forms during the All China Games and his coach was renowned wushu-coach Wu Bin,[4] who did extra efforts to help the talented boy develop, he even brought food for Li's family because they could not afford to buy meat, which was essential for good physical condition of an athlete.[4] As a member of the team, he received wushu training and went on to win fifteen gold medals and one silver medal in Chinese wushu championships, where despite his young age he competed against adults.[1] According to Li, once, as a child, when the Chinese National Wushu Team went to perform for President Richard Nixon in the United States, he was asked by Nixon to be his personal bodyguard. Li replied, "I don't want to protect any individual. When I grow up, I want to defend my one billion Chinese countrymen!" which earned him much respect in his homeland.[5]

Li is a master of several styles of wushu, especially Changquan (Northern Longfist Style) and Fanziquan (Tumbling fist). He has also studied other arts including Baguazhang (Eight trigram palm), Taijiquan (Tai chi), Xingyiquan (Shape intent fist), Zuiquan (Drunken fist), Yingzhaoquan (Eagle claw fist) and Tanglangquan (Praying mantis fist). He did not learn Nanquan (Southern fist), because his training focused only in the Northern Shaolin Styles. He has also studied some of wushu's main weapons, such Sanjiegun (Three section staff), Gun (staff), Dao (Broadsword), Jian (Straight sword) and many more.[6]

Acting career

Chinese films

Jet Li's hand print and autograph at the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong.

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. They likened his career to an aircraft, which likewise "takes-off" as quickly, so they placed the name Jet Li on the movie posters. Soon everybody was calling him by this new name, which was also based on the nickname, "Jet," given to him as a young student, due to his speed and grace when training with the Beijing Wushu team. He made his debut with the 1982 film Shaolin Temple. Some of his more famous Chinese films include:

Li starred in the 1995 film High Risk, where Jet Li plays a Captain who becomes disillusioned after his wife is murdered by crime lords. Along the way, he pairs up with a wacky sell-out actor, Frankie (played by Jacky Cheung), and proceeds to engage in a series of violent battles in a high-rise building. The setting is similar to that of Die Hard and both their Chinese film titles. This movie is notable in that director Wong Jing had such a terrible experience working with Jackie Chan in Jing's previous film City Hunter that he chose to make Cheung's character a biting satire of Chan. Jet Li would later publicly apologize to Chan for taking part in it.

American films

Jet Li at the preview of The Warlords at SF World Cinema, CentralWorld, Bangkok.

In 1998, he made his American film debut in Lethal Weapon 4 which also marked the first time he had ever played a villain in a film. He agreed to do Lethal Weapon 4 after the producer Joel Silver promised to give him the leading role in his next film, Romeo Must Die (2000) which was a box office hit.

Li turned down Chow Yun-fat's role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) because he promised his wife that he would not make any films during her pregnancy.[7] He also turned down the role of Seraph in The Matrix trilogy, based on his belief that the role was not one which required his skills and that the films were iconic and stunning enough without adding his name to the cast list.

In 2001, he appeared in two more Hollywood films: The One and Kiss of the Dragon opposite Bridget Fonda which did moderately well at the box office. In July 2001, Li agreed to produce and star in an action film with Jackie Chan which was to be released in 2002 or 2003, but no further news of their collaboration surfaced until 2006. In 2002, the period martial arts epic film Hero was released in the Chinese market. This film was both a commercial and critical success and became the highest-grossing motion picture in Chinese film history at the time.[8] In 2003 he reunited with producer Joel Silver for the action thriller film Cradle 2 The Grave where he starred alongside rapper DMX and fellow martial artist Mark Dacascos. In 2004, Li lent his likeness, voice and provided motion capture work for the video game Jet Li: Rise to Honor.

Li departed from his usual martial arts action films with the 2005 dramatic film, Unleashed (a.k.a. Danny the Dog), where he portrays an adult with the mentality of a child who has been raised like an animal. Although his martial arts skills were utilized extensively, it was a somber film with more depth than had been previously seen in Li's films, and co-starred dramatic actors Bob Hoskins and Morgan Freeman.

In 2006, the martial arts film epic Fearless, was released worldwide. Although he will continue to make martial arts films, Fearless is his last wushu epic. In Fearless, he played Huo Yuanjia, the real-life founder of Chin Woo Athletic Association, who reportedly defeated foreign boxers and Japanese martial artists in publicized events at a time when China's power was seen as eroding. Together with the film Fist of Legend, Li has portrayed both Chen Jun, the student and avenger of Huo Yuanjia (aka Fok Yun Gap), as well as Huo Yuanjia himself. Fearless was released on January 26, 2006 in Hong Kong, followed by a September 22, 2006 release in the United States where it reached second place in its first weekend.

“ I stepped into the martial arts movie market when I was only 16. I think I have proved my ability in this field and it won't make sense for me to continue for another five or 10 years. Huo Yuanjia is a conclusion to my life as a martial arts star.[9] ”

Li has stated in an interview with the Shenzhen Daily newspaper that this will be his last martial arts epic, which is also stated in the film's television promotions. However, he plans to continue his film career in other genres. Specifically, he plans to continue acting in action and martial arts films; epic films deal more with religious and philosophical issues.

Li's 2007 Hollywood film, War, was released in August of that year, and re-teamed him with actor Jason Statham, who previously starred with him in The One, and action choreographer Corey Yuen. War raked in a disappointing $23 million at the box office, becoming one of Li's lowest grossers in America; however, it was a hit on video, accumulating nearly $52 million in rental revenue, more than doubling its box office take.[10] With the exception of Romeo Must Die and the worldwide release of Hero, most of Li's American films have been only modest hits like Kiss Of The Dragon, The One, Unleashed, Cradle 2 the Grave, and the worldwide release of Fearless.

“ He has a very good control of the strength of every fist and kick. In the past, he used too much strength, those that get hit would be in great pain. He's the archetype of power. [...] Yes, he's still the best. ”

—Yuen Woo-ping martial arts coreographer[11]

In late 2007, Li returned again to China to participate in the China/Hong Kong co-production of the period war film The Warlords with Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro. This film with its focus on dramatics rather than martial arts netted Li the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor.

Li and fellow martial arts veteran Jackie Chan appeared together onscreen for the first time in The Forbidden Kingdom, which began filming in May 2007 and was released to critical and commercial success on April 18, 2008. The film was based on the legend of the Monkey King from the Chinese folk novel Journey to the West.[12][13] Li also starred as the lead villain in the fantasy action film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor with actors Brendan Fraser, Isabella Leong and Michelle Yeoh.[14]

After an one-year hiatus from filmmaking, Jet Li returned to acting in 2009, portraying a mercenary in the film The Expendables, teaming up with action stars Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture. It is the third time he teams up with Statham.

Personal life

Jet Li with Jackie Chan in Hong Kong.

Li is a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.[15] His master is Lho Kunsang[16] of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of the Kagyu school.[17]

In 1987, Li married Beijing Wushu Team member and Kids from Shaolin co-star Huang Qiuyan,[18] with whom he had two daughters, Si and Taimi.[19] They divorced in 1990. Since 1999, he has been married to Nina Li Chi (born Li Zhi), a Shanghai-born, Hong Kong-based actress. He has two daughters with her as well, Jane (born 2000) and Jada (born 2002).[20]

Li was in the Maldives when a tsunami hit during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Although it was widely reported at the time that he had died during the disaster,[21] he only suffered a minor foot injury, caused by a piece of floating furniture, while he was guiding his 4-year-old daughter Jane to safety. The two were by the pool and slightly above the beach when the wave came ashore.[22]

In 2009, Li, who previously had American citizenship, after years working in the United States, is thought to have renounced his American citizenship and taken up Singaporean citizenship,[23] although no official confirmation has been provided by Singapore authorities.[24] On July 28, 2009, the chairman of One Foundation (the Charity fund of Jet Li) announced that Jet Li had indeed become a Singaporean citizen.[23] He was said to have chosen Singapore for its education system for his two daughters.[23]

In 2009 Li launched his own fitness programme that he named "Wuji".[25] The programme consists of elements of martial arts, yoga and pilates and Adidas launched a special clothing line for it that bears the initials of "JL".[26][27]

In his free time he likes to play badminton, table tennis, volleyball, ride his bicycle, read and meditate. He collects rare Tibetan beads. He says he is never bored in his free time.[28][29]

Views on life and martial arts

“ I never say to myself I'm the best fighter in the world. If someone learns martial arts solely to pick fights on the street, to lean on it as a keystone weapon in conflicts, to use it to bully and intimidate others - then that person, in my opinion, cannot be considered a true martial artist. ”

—Jet Li[30]

Li as a Buddhist believes that the difficulties of everyday life can be overcome with the help of religious philosophies.[31] He thinks that fame is not something he can control, therefore he does not care about it.[32]

According to Li, everything he has ever wanted to tell the world can be found in three of his films: the message of Hero is that the suffering of one person can never be as significant as the suffering of a nation; Unleashed shows that violence is never a solution and Fearless tells that the biggest enemy of a person is himself. Li thinks that the greatest weapon is a smile and the largest power is love.[33]

About Wushu Li said that he believes the essence of martial arts is not power or speed but inner harmony and considers it a sad development that today's Wushu championships place greater emphasis on form than on the essence of being a martial artist. He believes Wushu now lacks individuality and competitors move like machines, whereas according to his views Wushu should not be considered a race where the fastest athlete wins. He would like to see Wushu as a form of art, where artists have a distinctive style. Li blames the new competition rules that according to him place limitations on martial artists.[34]

Li believes that Wushu is not primarily for self-defense and instead of trying to play the hero people should think about peaceful resolutions of conflicts and call the police if necessary: "A gun outdoes years of martial arts training in a split second. Like I've said many times before, it is important to differentiate between movies and reality. The hero in movies may be able to knock the gun off his opponent and save the day, but in real life - probably that is not the case." [35] He has also stated that he has never been in a real life fight and he wishes not to be in one, either.[30]

Philanthropy

Li has been a "philanthropic ambassador" of the Red Cross Society of China since January 2006. He contributed 500,000 yuan (US$62,500) of box office revenues from his film Fearless to the Red Cross' psychological sunshine project, which promotes mental health.[36]

In April 2007, touched by his life-shaking experience in the Maldives when he was close to dying during the 2004 tsunami, Li formed his own non-profit foundation called The One Foundation.[37][38] The One Foundation supports international disaster relief efforts in conjunction with the Red Cross as well as other efforts, including mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Since the starting of the foundation, Li has been involved with recovery efforts in seven disasters, including the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.[22]

Li discussed his commitment to philanthropy in an interview with the December 2009 issue of Alliance magazine, stating that "grassroots NGOs can help the government in its blind spots. Government relief is not always detail-oriented. Grassroots NGOs can’t be as big as a government effort, but they need to be flexible and independent."[39]

Filmography

Considering 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.[40] Hero is the third most successful foreign language film in the US,[41] and one of the best critically acclaimed Li movies.[42] Fearless is the sixth most successful foreign language film of all times in the US.[41] From a critical point of view, the best acclaimed Li movie is Fist of Legend (Rotten Tomatoes: 100%) and the worst is War (Rotten Tomatoes: 12%).[42]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Li, Jet. "Life Essay: Part 9". Essays. JetLi.com. http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?l=en&s=life&ss=essays&p=9. Retrieved 2010-7-30. 
  2. ↑ Li, Jet. "Let's start at the beginning". Essays. JetLi.com. http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?l=en&s=life&ss=essays&p=1. Retrieved 2010-7-30. 
  3. ↑ Li, Jet. "Life Essay: Part 2". Essays. JetLi.com. http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?l=en&s=life&ss=essays&p=2. Retrieved 2010-7-30. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Jet Li Biography". TalkTalk. http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/jet-li/biography/51. Retrieved 2010-7-30. 
  5. ↑ "Jet Li Essays." The Official Jet Li Website. 13 February 2007
  6. ↑ "Wushu-ography". Jetli.com. http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?s=body&ss=wushuography&l=en. Retrieved 2010-8-16. 
  7. ↑ Burr, Martha. "Kiss of the Dragon." Kung Fu Magazine June 2001 KungFuMagazine.com, 13 February 2007
  8. ↑ "Special Screening of Historic Movie “Hero” at the Library Promotes Cultural Understanding". Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2009/09-067.html. 
  9. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001472/bio
  10. ↑ War Rental Revenue
  11. ↑ "Yuen Wo Ping interview". The Bund. 2008-5-6. http://www.wu-jing.org/happenings/archives/526-Yuen-Wo-Ping-Interview-Jet-Li-Approaches-Mastership;-Jackie-Chan-Maintains-His-Standard.html. Retrieved 2010-8-19. 
  12. ↑ Jackie and Jet Li Will Begin Filming of The Forbidden Kingdom in May
  13. ↑ Forbidden Kingdom Facts
  14. ↑ Chung, Philip W. (2008-08-01). "Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh: From ‘Tai Chi Master’ to ‘The Mummy’". AsianWeek. Retrieved on 2008-08-04.
  15. ↑ The Official Jet Li Website - How did you come to follow Tibetan Buddhism?
  16. ↑ The Official Jet Li Website - Jet's teacher
  17. ↑ Official Website of Drikung Kagyu Order of Tibetan Buddhism - Most Venerable Lho Kunsang Rinpoche
  18. ↑ "Huang Qiu Yan." Hong Kong Cinemagic. 13 February 2007
  19. ↑ "Jet Li’s daughter dances at Lau concert". Shenzen Daily. http://paper.sznews.com/szdaily/20071227/ca2866925.htm. Retrieved 2010-8-23. 
  20. ↑ "Jet Li". Yahoo! Movies. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800018724/bio. 
  21. ↑ "Asian Blog Entry ." Blog Critics ~ About Tsunami
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "My Turn: The Tsunami That Changed My Life.", Newsweek.com October 6, 2008
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Xinhuanet.com
  24. ↑ Chinese star Jet Li 'takes Singapore citizenship'
  25. ↑ "Jet Li Promotes 'Wuji' Exercise". crienglish.com. http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/08/06/1261s507090.htm. Retrieved 2010-8-16. 
  26. ↑ Gan, Tian (2009-6-26). "The Glory of Wu Ji". China Daily. http://chinadaily.cn/life/2009-06/26/content_8327504.htm. 
  27. ↑ "Wuji" (in kínai). adidas.com. http://www.adidas.com/wuji. Retrieved 2010-8-16. 
  28. ↑ Li, Jet. "How did you start collecting beads?". Questions. jetli.com. http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?l=en&s=life&ss=questions&p=x&date=011013_0208. Retrieved 2010-8-8. 
  29. ↑ Li, Jet. "What do you do to handle boredom or every-day monotony? Do you have hobies?". Questions. Jetli.com. http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?l=en&s=life&ss=questions&p=x&date=001006. Retrieved 2010-8-8. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Li, Jet. "Have you ever had a fight in real life?". Questions. jetli.com. http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?l=en&s=body&ss=questions&p=x&date=001020. Retrieved 2010-8-8. 
  31. ↑ Li, Jet. "Are you really strong in realy life?". jetli.com. http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?l=en&s=life&ss=questions&p=x&date=010716. Retrieved 2010-8-8. 
  32. ↑ Li, Jet. "What do you think about fame?". Questions. Jetli.com. http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?l=en&s=life&ss=questions&p=x&date=020214. Retrieved 2010-8-8. 
  33. ↑ "The Liberation of Jet Li". Time Magazine. 2008-12-2. http://www.asianbite.com/default.asp?display=2304. Retrieved 2010-8-8. 
  34. ↑ Li, Jet. "Wushu, Past and Present". Essays. jetli.com. http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?l=en&s=body&ss=essays&p=1. Retrieved 2010-8-8. 
  35. ↑ Li, Jet. "The definition of Wushu - Part 2". Essays. Jetli.com. http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?l=en&s=body&ss=essays&p=3. Retrieved 2010-8-8. 
  36. ↑ "Jet Li Becomes 'Philanthropic Ambassador' of Red Cross." Xinhua News Agency. 23 January 2006. China.org.cn
  37. ↑ "Interview with Jet Li." CNN. 25 January 2008
  38. ↑ The One Foundation
  39. ↑ [1]
  40. ↑ "Jet Li". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?id=jetli.htm. Retrieved 2010-8-8. 
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 "Foreign Language". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=foreign.htm. Retrieved 2010-8-6. 
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 "Jet Li". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jet_li/. Retrieved 2010-8-8. 

Further reading

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Lau Ching-Wan
for My Name Is Fame		 Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor
2008
for The Warlords		 Succeeded by
Nick Cheung
for Beast Stalker
Preceded by
Tony Leung Ka-Fai
for Everlasting Regret		 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
2006
for Fearless		 Succeeded by
Tony Leung Ka-Fai
for Eye in the Sky