It took a while before electricity reached the barrio where I grew up. When we wanted to see movies, we had to go to Tuguegarao which had several double-feature moviehouses. This was in the late 1970s.
Shortly after, television began gracing the living rooms of some of the houses. In the early afternoons and early evenings, these houses would be packed with both kids and adults who are nakikinood like me. It took my parents several months to finally decide to own one. Perhaps they took pity on us siblings who had to sit on hard floors in cramped spaces along with dozens of other nakikinoods.
Then the betamax came.
I don’t know how but everyone called all films “betamax” ranging from Chinese kung (gung) fu movies to “Triple X” porn. Television and betamax erased our traditional after-supper games like sungka, baril-baril, tagu-taguan, tumbang-preso and the like from our consciousness. I sucked in them but I can’t help but be wistful whenever I remember those moonlit nights when our streets would ring with the laughter of the children while the adults would be in groups talking about the latest tsismis.
(Ang haba ko talagang mag-intro; malayo pa ang take-off.)
I really wanted to write about my favorite kung fu movies. I had this idea while I was buying half-a-kilo of Cebu litson from an ambulant vendor located beside a vendor of pirated DVDs. I blew my budget for the day when I saw this 6-in-1 DVD of Wong Fei Hung movies and I just had to have a copy. Curiously, the DVD’s subtitle is “Jet Li vs. Jackie Chan.” Now, I don’t know how it became Jet Li contra Jackie Chan because I know they did not appear in a movie together. But that’s English by the Chinese pirates, so I just shrugged my shoulders and forked P35.00.
While waiting for my lechon to be chopped, I scanned the jacket and saw to my delight that the disc contained “Once Upon a Time in China 1 to 4” and “Drunken Master 1 and 2.” Now, Once Upon a Time in China was 1990s. But “Drunken Master was 1970 so it instantly brought back memories. Hence the long and off-tangent intro.
(Mahaba pa rin ang paliwanag!)
Anyway, the past three days, I slept later than usual because I insist on finishing a movie before I call it a night. The following are my observations and some pieces of information I researched about the six movies and our real-life hero (naks, movie critic!) :
a. Jackie Chan’s physical slapstick style is more entertaining than Jet Li’s serious portrayal of the legendary kung fu hero;
b. Jet Li’s portrayal is a little bit closer to the real life and times of Wong Fei Hung than Jackie Chan’s juvenile Wong (although not by much);
c. Wong Fei Hung did not have a “Drunken Master” kung fu style as Jackie Chan’s movies portrayed. Pero, it was Wong’s kalaban in “Drunken Master 1” who used the famed “Shadowless Kick” against our hero!; and
d. Wong Fei Hung’s father was his second teacher and not the first.
The many hours spent staring wide-eyed at the television screen made me wonder about the real Wong Fei Hung. Following is what I have googled about the guy:
Wong Fei-Hung: The True Story
Wong Fei-Hung was born in 1847, and passed away in 1924. (Some say 1925.) He was a martial arts master, teacher, healer, and revolutionary. He would protect and help those who were weak and defenseless. Wong Kay-Ying was his father, and he was a physician and great martial arts master also, and part of a group known as the "Ten Tigers of Kwantung," and he and his son lived in the city of Canton.
Wong Kay-Ying’s famous medical clinic was Po Chi Lam, and Wong Fei-Hung was there assisting his father. He learned traditional Chinese medicine, and also learned many important values such as generosity and compassion. Wong Kay-Ying always treated a patient, even if he or she was a complete jerk or was poor. He would also secretly treat revolutionaries who were the resistance against the corrupt Ch’ing Dynasty. The Ch’ing Dynasty consisted of Manchu emperors, who had conquered China from there home in Manchuria. They were foreign invaders to the southern Chinese. The southern Shaolin Temple in Fukien was a place where revolutionaries would go to train to fight against the Manchus. The temple was destroyed in 1734, but the few monks and students who escaped traveled throughout China to teach their skills. Some styles such as Wing Chun (Bruce Lee’s original style) and Hung Gar Kung Fu (Wong Fei-Hung’s style) emerged. The creator of Hung Gar was Hung Hei-Kwun (another martial arts master that was portrayed by Jet Li in New Legend of Shaolin). He was a Fukien tea merchant.
Wong Fei-Hung’s martial arts training began when he met with his father’s teacher, Luk Ah Choi. Luk Ah Choi taught Wong Fei-Hung the basics of Hung Gar. After, Wong Kay-Ying took over his son’s training. By his early 20’s, Wong Fei-Hung had made a name for himself as a dedicated physician and a martial arts prodigy. In addition to becoming a master of hung gar, he created the tiger-crane form and added fighting combinations now known as the "nine special fists." Wong Fei-Hung was also skilled with many weapons, especially the long wooden staff and the southern tiger fork. One occasion where he utilised his skill with the staff was when he defeated a thirty-man gang on the docks of Canton. He also protected the weak and poor from both criminal gangs and government forces.
However, his life was not all great joy and triumphs. Wong Fei-Hung’s son, Wong Hawn-Sum, followed his father’s foot steps by protecting the weak and poor of Canton. Unfortunately, he was killed in the 1890’s after being gunned down by the drug gang Dai Fin Yee. After this tragedy, Wong Fei-Hung vowed never to teach his remaining 9 sons martial arts, unless they were targets themselves.
Also, Wong Fei-Hung’s first three wives died young, and after, decided to live the rest of his life alone. But in 1903, during an outdoor martial arts demonstration, he met a 16 year old girl named Mok Gwai Lan, and asked for her hand in marriage. She was also a skilled martial artist who taught all of the women’s classes, and even taught some of the men’s classes, which was rare since hardly any women mastered kung fu at the time. In 1924, Wong Fei-Hung died peacefully, a happy and humble man.
Wong Fei-Hung is truly a hero of China. A hero is somebody noted for feats of courage. A hero does righteous things not for money, not for any other venal motivations except, for the benefit of everybody else.
And I learned that Bruce Lee’s original martial arts style before he developed his own Jeet Kun Do can be traced back to Wong Fei Hung’s “Hung 
Gar” style. Also, Wong Fei Hung was the most famous dancer of the Chinese Lion Dance and was referred to as the "King Of Lions." He was also the head instructor of the Kwuntung army and leader of the Civilian Militia as depicted in the Jet Li movies.
Finally, it is not mentioned in this incomplete article but Wong Fei Hung also struggled against the Manchurian invasion of his country, the corruption of the Manchurian government and the British and American colonialism in China. (This much could be gleaned from the “Once Upon a Time in China” series.)
Indeed, before there was a Mao Tse Tung, there was a Wong Fei Hung. Now that China is being gripped by capitalist railroaders once more, I hope for another Mao and Wong to lead the great Chinese people.
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| Wong Fei-hung Filmography |
1997 - Once Upon a Time in China & America
1994 - Drunken Master II
1994 - Once Upon a Time in China 5
1993 - Iron Monkey
1993 - Last Hero in China
1993 - Once Upon a Time in China 4
1993 - Once Upon a Time in China 3
1992 - Once Upon a Time in China 2
1991 - Once Upon a Time in China
1986 - Millionaire’s Express
1981 - Dreadnought
1981 - Martial Club
1980 - Magnificent Kick
1979 - Butcher Wing
1979 - Magnificent Butcher
1978 - Drunken Master
1976 - Challenge of the Masters
1974 - The Skyhawk
1970 - Wong Fei Hung: Bravely Crushing the Fire Formation
1969 - Wong Fei Hung in Sulphur Valley
1969 - Wong Fei Hung’s Combat with the Five Wolves
1969 - Wong Fei Hung: The Conquerer of the ‘Sam-hong Gang’
1969 - Wong Fei Hung: The Duel foe the ‘Sha-yu-qing’
1968 - Wong Fei Hung: Duel for the Championship
1968 - Wong Fei Hung: The Duel Against the Black Rascal
1968 - Wong Fei Hung: The Eight Bandits
1968 - Wong Fei Hung: The Invincible ‘Lion Dancer’
1968 - Wong Fei Hung: The Incredible Success in Canton
1967 - Wong Fei Hung Meeting the Heroes with the Tiger Paw
1961 - How Wong Fei Hung Smashed the Five Tigers
1960 - Wong Fei Hung’s Battle with the Gorilla
1960 - Wong Fei Hung’s Combat in the Boxing Ring
1959 - How Wong Fei Hung Defeated the Tiger on the Opera Stage
1959 - Wong Fei Hung Trapped in the Hell
1959 - The White Lady’s Reincarnation
1959 - Wong Fei Hung on Rainbow Bridge
1958 - Wong Fei Hung Saves the Kidnapped Liang Kuan
1958 - How Wong Fei Hung Used an Iron-Fowl Against the Eagle
1958 - Wong Fei Hung Gets Rid of the Three Rascals
1958 - Wong Fei Hung’s Victory at Ma Village
1958 - Wong Fei Hung’s Battle with the Bullies in the Boxing Ring
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1956 - Wong Fei-hung Goes to a Birthday Party at Guanshan
1956 - Wong Fei-hung’s Battle at Mount Goddess of Mercy
1956 - Wong Fei-hung’s Pilgrimage to Goddess of Sea Temple
1956 - Wong Fei-hung Rescues the Fishmonger
1956 - How Wong Fei-hung Vanquished the Bully at the Red Opera Float
1956 - Wong Fei-hung’s Victory at Xiao Beijiang
1956 - How Wong Fei-hung Vanquished the Ferocious Dog in Shamian
1956 - How Wong Fei-hung Thrice Captured Sp Shu-lim in the Water
1956 - Wong Fei-hung Wins the Dragon Boat Race
1956 - Wong Fei-hung’s Story: Iron Cock against Centipede
1956 - How Wong Fei-hung Pitted a Lion against the Unicorn
1956 - How Wong Fei-hung Subdued the Two Tigers
1956 - How Wong Fei-hung Vanquished Twelve Lions
1956 - Wong Fei-hung’s Seven Battles with Fiery Unicorn
1956 - How Wong Fei-hung Saved the Dragon’s Mother
1956 - How Wong Fei-hung Thrice Tricked the Lady Security Escort
1956 - How Wong Fei-hung Fought Five Dragons Single-Handedly
1956 - How Wong Fei-hung Pitted Seven Lions against the Gold Dragon
1956 - Wong Fei-hung and the Lantern Festival Disturbance
1956 - Wong Fei-hung’s Battle at Shuangmendi
1956 - Wong Fei-hung and the Courtesan’s Boat Argument
1956 - How Wong Fei-hung Set Fire to Dashatou
1956 - Wong Fei-hung’s Fight in Foshan
1956 - Wong Fei-hung at a Boxing Match
1955 - How Wong Fei-hung Vanquished the Bully at a Long Dyke
1955 - Wong Fei-hung’s Victory at the Sipai Lou
1955 - Wong Fei-hung’s Rival for the Fireworks
1955 - The True Story of Wong Fei-hung
