The story of how Jet Li revitalised the Shaolin Temple in 1982
Since the dawn of the third millennium, Jet Li has been known in the Western world for his roles in several action films. However, before that, Li was a renowned kung fu fighter as a teenager, winning the national championship in the process. Unfortunatlet, thought, after suffering a knee injury, Li retired from the sport at 18 years of age.
From there, Li would lay down the first steps of becoming the acclaimed actor that we all recognise him as today, and his debut role was of great significance to China because it helped to restore the famous Shaolin Temple. 1982’s The Shaolin Temple was the first martial arts film to be filmed in mainland China after the formation of the People’s Republic of China. Before then, kung fu films were usually filmed in Hong Kong, while the wuxia genre movies were predominantly produced in Taiwan. The film was shot at the Shaolin Monastery – now a UNESCO World Heritage Site – which, by 1980, had fallen into neglectful disrepair.
Li remembers what the Temple was like when he arrived to shoot the film in 1980. He said: “When I was working in Shaolin, there were no monks, only three monks. And they had just finished the Cultural Revolution. Not a lot of people knew about the Shaolin Temple.” The Temple was damaged in the 1960s during the Cultural Revolution in China, taking aim at the old ways of religion. However, the film’s success led to widespread popularity for the temple and it quickly became a tourist destination. “After the movie came out, it became very popular,” Li said. “A lot of tourists, a lot of martial arts schools.”
The conditions were difficult on set, given the dilapidated nature of the Temple. Li was reported to have earned just $750 for the entire shoot. However, he admitted to a sense of humility at being able to shoot at the place where wushu (kung fu) had been taught and studied for 1500 years. “Remember, I’m just a normal guy; I’m lucky, learning martial arts,” he said. “Now I’m lucky making films.”
There had also been plenty of relaxation time on set, as well as hard work fighting and filming. “The best part about making that film is that we didn’t have to train anymore,” Li said. “Even though we were waking up at five or six to get to the set and shooting from eight until sunset, it was nothing. This was relaxing. Didn’t we have to fight all day? Sure, but this was nowhere near as tiring as wushu class. In fact, after we finished the day’s shoot, we’d go out again and play soccer or basketball.”
The Shaolin Temple not only helped restore the famous titular Temple by bringing in an influx of cash from tourism but also played its part in popularising the kung fu film genre. “I remember when I was young, I really wanted to promote martial arts,” Li said. “In the 1970s, I already had travelled to different countries, doing demonstrations. In the 1980s, I started by making one movie. My eyes just opened.”
Li added: “I saw a lot of people watching the movie, and they started liking the martial arts. Then I said, why not just continue making movies and, through the movies, give out more information? I really want the martial arts to help the people.” Fortunately, for the Shaolin Temple and Li himself, his debut role and subsequent efforts in the martial arts genre have provided that information and assistance.
Watch the full film below.
