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Martial arts

Martial arts
Latest martial arts news, features and opinion, covering movie icons Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen, as well as the debate surrounding the practicality of traditional martial arts as a combat style in China in the wake of the rise of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Forms covered include boxing, wing chun, karate, taekwondo, Muay Thai, kick-boxing, kung fu, judo, wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
An escort guard working for Tongxinggong Escort Agency, a biaoju that the Qing government trusted to transport large quantities of silver from Beijing to Xian. Photo: Mandarin Mansion
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | Imperial China’s armed escort services solved logistical problems – with swords

In imperial China, services of armed martial artists, or biaoju, ensured delivery on risky routes. Their image has since been romanticised.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How director Benny Chan bridged old-school stunts and modern action

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United States

Action movie star Chuck Norris dies at 86

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

This Hong Kong martial arts movie pioneered the superhero team in Chinese cinema

The Five Venoms launched the iconic run of the Venom Mob, a group of actors brought together by Chang Cheh that appeared in various films.

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Lo Mang (left) in a still from Five Deadly Venoms, Chang Cheh’s 1978 film.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

With Blades of the Guardians, Yuen Woo-ping revives the wuxia blockbuster

Hong Kong martial arts choreographer and director Yuen Woo-ping returns with an epic wuxia, starring Wu Jing and Nicholas Tse.

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Wellness

Singaporean started aikido in her 60s in poor health. Now 73, she’s a black belt

The Japanese martial art helped Lily Chan get off osteoporosis medication and massively improved her overall health and mobility.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Review | Blades of the Guardians: Wu Jing leads star-studded Chinese martial arts epic

Starring Wu Jing, Nicholas Tse and Chen Lijun, the visually stunning Blades of the Guardians is one of the fiercest wuxia films in years.

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Wu Jing (left) and Nicholas Tse in a still from Blades of the Guardians (category IIB, Mandarin), directed by Yuen Woo-ping. Chen Lijun co-stars.
China consumption

China’s Spring Festival box office faces plot twist after 2025 smashed records

Home-grown films lead the charge but fail to meet the phenomenal success of last year’s Ne Zha 2, which attracted record-breaking crowds.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

A beginner’s guide to watching Hong Kong martial arts movies

Flying, ‘weightless’ leaps, unrealistic injuries and long fight scenes are all part and parcel of Hong Kong martial arts movies. Here’s why.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 of Hong Kong martial arts legend Alexander Fu Sheng’s more unusual movies

Chinatown Kid, The Deadly Breaking Sword and Treasure Hunters saw Fu taking on more varied projects than his usual Shaolin kung fu films.

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Alexander Fu Sheng in a still from Chinatown Kid (1977), one of the films that saw the Hong Kong martial arts star take on projects outside his usual Shaolin kung fu genre.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Why Ronny Yu’s The Postman Fights Back is an unusual wuxia gem

Starring Leung Kar-yan and with a young Chow Yun-fat on the cast, 1982’s The Postman Fights Back is an intriguing mix of Western and wuxia.

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Leung Kar-yan in a still from “The Postman Fights Back”, directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Ronny Yu. The film features Leung as a courier in Republican China tasked with delivering a mysterious cargo to a violent mountain bandit, whose motley crew of associates includes a young Chow Yun-fat.
Japan

Fatal Tokyo fist-fight leads to rare duelling arrest under 19th-century law

A 26-year-old man was arrested under an 1889 law after police said a prearranged fight in Kabukicho left the other man dead weeks later.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Why Jet Li and Wong Jing’s The New Legend of Shaolin is underrated

The 1994 cult classic The New Legend of Shaolin blends comedy, action and child martial artists in a fresh take on the Shaolin myth.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Stephen Chow and Donnie Yen reinvented Bruce Lee’s classic Chen Zhen

Fist of Fury 1991 with Stephen Chow and TV series Fist of Fury with Donnie Yen saw two different versions of Bruce Lee’s famous character.

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Donnie Yen in a still from the television drama series Fist of Fury (1995).
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 forgotten Hong Kong wuxia gems from director Chor Yuen

Chor Yuen’s Duel for Gold, Clans of Intrigue and Jade Tiger may be less famous than some of his other films, but are just as groundbreaking.

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Ti Lung in a still from Clans of Intrigue (1977). Photo: Celestial Pictures
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

3 female action stars who ruled Hong Kong cinema alongside Michelle Yeoh

Like Michelle Yeoh, female fighters Cynthia Rothrock, Kara Hui and Shih Szu starred in their own must-see Hong Kong action classics.

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Made in China 2025

China’s Unitree teases platform allowing users to control robots via smartphones

Hangzhou robotics unicorn’s platform is designed to bring embodied intelligence into everyday life.

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Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Thrilling Bruce Lee dance show explores Hong Kong star’s life and career

‘Kung Fu Artistry: Bruce Lee’s No Way as Way’ by the Hong Kong Dance Company is a powerful mix of dance and martial arts.

Ong Tze-shen gives a consummate portrayal of Bruce Lee in the Hong Kong Dance Company’s “Kung Fu Artistry”. Photo: Arliugraphy, courtesy of HKDC
MMA

International MMA body formed to unify governance, target Olympic inclusion

Federation of Mixed Martial Arts has held early discussions with the IOC and plans to ‘work very hard’ to advance process.

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong extends martial arts star Bruce Lee’s memorial trail with new monument

Monument, marking the 85th anniversary of his birth, will be constructed at the site of his former family home in Jordan.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Bruce Lee hit the big time and other Hong Kong cinema highlights from 1972

Amid Bruce Lee’s rise to stardom, we look at what else made Hong Kong film headlines in 1972, from a Lee challenger to a local ‘Bond Girl’.

Bruce Lee in a still from Fist of Fury. The 1972 movie cemented the martial arts actor’s superstar status in the Hong Kong cinema industry. Photo: Criterion Collection
Lessons from China's history

Reflections | From slapping body parts to National Games, China’s history of exercise

Used to train soldiers long before its benefits were taught to regular folk, exercise has become a matter of national resilience in China.

新华社照片，广州，2025年11月9日 这是11月9日拍摄的开幕式现场表演。 当日，第十五届全国运动会开幕式在广东奥林匹克体育中心举行。 新华社记者 卢汉欣 摄
Trending in China

China martial arts icon Jet Li goes shirtless to dispel heart transplant rumours

After Shaolin monk Qiufeng’s body was reported to have suture marks, rumours began to swirl, especially since Li was hospitalised during same month.

NBA

Shaquille O’Neal: kung fu taught me one lesson. My dad taught me another

While teammates partied, he studied business. Now he’s a Reebok president with stakes in Ring, Google and a 20-year China relationship.

Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

How Chan Koon-tai, Bruce Lee’s counterpart, wowed with his kung fu skills

Hong Kong’s Shaw Brothers Studio made Chan their answer to Lee in the 1970s. Here are 2 films that put his martial arts prowess to good use.

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Chan Koon-tai in a still from Man of Iron (1972). The Hong Kong actor, known more for his kung fu skills than his looks, became a big star in the 1970s.
Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Sammo Hung’s directorial debut was a hit. Then came Bruce Lee’s Game of Death

Hung’s first film as director, The Iron-Fisted Monk, led to the daunting task of wrapping up the film Lee had left unfinished when he died.

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Sammo Hung in a still from The Iron-Fisted Monk (1977), which was also his directorial debut. Photo: Eureka Entertainment
Wellness

‘It’s like human chess’: Brazilian jiu-jitsu and its rise in Hong Kong

BJJ gym co-owners and a star student describe the physical and mental benefits of the martial art and why it’s never too late to start.

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Asian cinema: Hong Kong film

Jean-Claude Van Damme films with Hong Kong roots, including Bloodsport

Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme has made a number of films either filmed in or linked closely to Hong Kong. Here are four.

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