- The star of Hong Kong action films talks about Jet Li, tai chi and how dancing training helped her fight scenes
- In a 1993 interview she discusses her role in the film Tai-Chi Master and how she started as an action star
Tai chi is usually used as a form of exercise today, but it was originally developed as a martial art " there is even a weapons component to it. Rooted in Taoist beliefs about the balance of opposing natural forces, it was important influence on Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do way of fighting.
A 'soft' martial arts style which is fluid and elegant to watch, tai chi has rarely been used in films, which is why Yuen Woo-ping's 1993 Tai-Chi Master looks so unusual. The period piece, which stars Jet Li Lianjie and Michelle Yeoh, is a fictionalised look at the invention of tai chi.
Li uses tai chi to defeat his enemies after failing to beat them by using 'hard' martial arts styles, while Yeoh excels throughout, especially during a scene in which she fights on an improvised pair of stilts.
In an interview at the film's premiere in 1993, Yeoh talked to this writer about the making of Tai-Chi Master.
It's unusual to see tai chi used in a martial arts film. How do you rate it as a fighting style?
It looks very gentle, but there is a power to it. Every time Jet did it on set, we stood behind him, copying him. The movements were so beautiful, we'd stand at the back imitating him.
Directors often try to bring out your softer side in action films " that's something they don't do with Bridget Lin Ching-hsia. In Tai-Chi Master , for instance, you have a scene where you console Jet Li's character after he has a nervous breakdown. Why do they like to bring out your feminine side?
I don't have to convince my audience that I'm a tough fighter, so they feel they can give me a sensitive side. I'm fine with that. I don't want to just be a tough lady who appears on the screen and beats everybody up. I think that my directors get a kick out of letting me have a sensitive side, and I think it also gives my characters extra dimensions. I believe everyone is really very vulnerable inside, and I like to show that.
There are some intricate sequences with wirework in Tai-Chi Master , as well as some tough combat scenes. Do you still do all your own stunts?
Yes. I like to do all the stunts, as it means I can learn more about stunt work. Most of the guys that I work with have at least 10 years of training behind them, and I don't have that. I figure that if I get lazy, I'm never going to get as good as them.
The last scene of Tai-Chi Master , in which you're tied to a cross on top of a rickety pile of wooden poles, looks dangerous. Does that kind of danger ever bother you?
Well, making action films is certainly very tough, and it can be very painful at times. But I really enjoy it. You can spend a sleepless night because you know that there's a difficult stunt to do the next day. But at the same time, it gives you a rush of excitement. You know that if you do that stunt, it will look incredible.
How do you prepare for the fight scenes?
Well, they are all carefully choreographed beforehand, so they tell you what kind of weapon you will be using, and what fighting styles you'll have to do. Once I know that, I go and practise, and find a teacher that specialises in that style. If it's a costume drama, they usually want me to do Wing Chun. Technique is obviously important, but it's equally important to get the overall feel of what you will be doing in the scene. For instance, if you are going to throw knives, it's important to know where they are meant to be going.
The Owl and Dumbo , which starred George Lam Chi-cheung, was the film that got you noticed by Hong Kong producers. You didn't do any fighting in that. So how did your career in action films come about?
They always try and find a different path for a newcomer in Hong Kong cinema, and they said they thought it would be a waste to let me become just another pretty face on the screen. So I dared them to cast me as an action heroine. The action world was very male dominated in those days, and directors weren't sure how the audience would react to a girl who could fight as hard as Jackie Chan. They wondered if this slip of a girl could do all that stuff. Well, I showed them that I could.
Like Cheng Pei-pei, you originally trained as a dancer. Does your dance training come in useful in the martial arts sequences?
There is a parallel between dance and martial arts, as everything comes from the body. Audiences just see the punch going outwards in kung fu, but it has to come from within you first. Dance helped me to understand that. Dance also improved my coordination, which is obviously very useful in martial arts. It also means that I can pick up the choreography of the fight scenes very quickly, and spot the vital details that need to be taken seriously.
In this regular feature series on the best of Hong Kong martial arts cinema, we examine the legacy of classic films, re-evaluate the careers of its greatest stars, and revisit some of the lesser-known aspects of the beloved genre.
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