Kung fu superstar Jet Li has been off the screen for many years, and ridiculously, almost every year he is rumored to have passed away. Just as the rumors surfaced this year, Jet Li, while greeting attendees at a new book promotion event, amused many with the phrase, “Good morning, I’m not dead yet.”
Not long ago, in an interview, Jet Li mentioned that his afterlife arrangements have been made, entrusted to his wife, Nina Li Chi. Keeping it simple, no need for a memorial tablet or a funeral, burial at sea or land, it doesn’t matter.
This attitude towards death is quite reminiscent of the heroic demeanor Jet Li displayed to his audience on the screen, full of the flavor of the martial world. However, many are surprised by Jet Li’s current condition, protruding eyeballs, and swollen face. Little do they know, he has long been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, and later encountered heart problems. This former kung fu superstar has indeed aged.
Looking back on the punches and kicks he left on the screen, showcasing the agility and wonder of Chinese kung fu to the world, simultaneously planting a dream about Chinese martial arts in the hearts of the Chinese people. And he himself, in the span of his life, has achieved his grand dream in a miraculous, absolute victor’s posture.
“Too poor, just want my mother not to suffer anymore.” In the 1960s and 1970s, most children sent to learn martial arts came from poor families, and Jet Li was no exception. Born in Beijing in 1963, he lost his father at the age of two, leaving his mother alone to raise five children and support two elderly relatives. Jet Li was the youngest in the family, and seeing his mother endure the hardships of life, he was very sensible from a young age. At the age of eight, an opportunity came to Jet Li. Martial arts coach Wu Bin saw his talent and wanted to take him to the Beijing Shichahai Sports School to study martial arts. To ease his mother’s burden and improve the family’s livelihood, young Jet Li chose to seek a way out in the sports school.
Little did he know, good luck had already arrived. Jet Li was exceptionally talented, winning the “Outstanding Performance Award” in national martial arts competitions in his first year of training. Starting at the age of eleven, he won the all-around championship five times, sweeping competition awards and even being received by Premier Zhou Enlai. In his youthful vigor, he thought this was the pinnacle of his life, but the gift of destiny did not end there. Jet Li’s graceful moves in competitions and his handsome appearance caught the attention of talent scouts, who invited him to shoot movies.
In those early days, it was all about daring to dream and daring to act. At the age of seventeen, Jet Li decided without much hesitation to head south to make movies. During the filming of “Shaolin Temple,” the crew gave each person a dollar a day, at a time when the average monthly salary was barely more than ten dollars. Jet Li, with a sharp mind, was always thinking of earning more money to bring home. Whenever the crew provided supper for the actors, Jet Li would ask, “Can I skip supper and get it converted into wages?” At that time, he only had one small wish in his heart: to do his best to improve his family’s life. But soon, he no longer had to worry about money. In 1982, “Shaolin Temple” was released, in an era when the ticket price was only one cent, it grossed 160 million.
A martial arts star named Jet Li emerged out of nowhere, stunning everyone, and sparked a craze for going to Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts in China. That year, Jet Li was only 19 years old. Someone found him and generously promised him 6 million to shoot two more films. But Jet Li, who was still in the sports school at the time, was quickly called back to school for training, and the teachers expected him to continue participating in competitions and winning awards. When Jet Li returned to school, his mindset had changed, and winning the martial arts championship for five consecutive years was no longer his pursuit.
He repeatedly thought about how he could change careers and finally got an answer: only if his legs were broken could he leave the martial arts world. This idea echoed in Jet Li’s mind for three days, and then it happened unexpectedly. After a class ended, Jet Li was asked to stay by the teacher, “Filming movies made you neglect your kung fu. Continue practicing.” Jet Li reluctantly went back and performed a flying spinning kick. As he landed, he heard “crack, crack, crack” three times. His leg was broken, and the surgery lasted for 7 hours. The doctor said he could only guarantee that he could walk, but professional martial arts training was probably out of the question. In Jet Li’s own words, he achieved his goal in the unluckiest way possible.
Jet Li, who retired from the martial arts world, began to devote himself to the film industry. In the following six years, he successively filmed “Shaolin Temple” and “North and South Shaolin.” The former created a box office record of more than 22 million Hong Kong dollars. In an era when many were still striving to be ten-thousandaires, Jet Li received a million-dollar paycheck and bought a private car. He recalled that at that time, when he was stopped by traffic police on the street, it was for autographs. Jet Li’s world underwent earth-shaking changes, leaping from a grassroots martial artist to a kung fu star. He seemed like a lucky one chosen by heaven, but behind luck, there was also a price.
“I’m not like an actor, more like an entrepreneur.” Years of defending championships on the martial arts stage, filming action movies with leg injuries, Jet Li’s body gradually couldn’t bear the burden. During those years, Jet Li would fracture almost every time he filmed a movie. In “Shaolin Temple,” he broke his leg, in “North and South Shaolin,” he broke his waist, and in another film, his nose was broken by someone else.
Perhaps due to years of injuries, Jet Li suddenly suffered from a serious illness, lying in bed unable to move, unable to eat, and could only rely on liquid nutrition to sustain his life. Fortunately, there was someone who had been by his side all along, Jet Li’s first wife, Huang Qiuyan.
Huang Qiuyan was Jet Li’s senior sister in the sports school. She often took care of Jet Li, who came from a poor family, and occasionally brought gifts to his home. The two grew up together and developed feelings for each other.
As Jet Li’s fame and status soared, busy filming every day, he had no time for Huang Qiuyan, and the distance between them grew. Jet Li, who had thoughts of breaking up, decided to take Huang Qiuyan with him to film a movie. He thought that only if Huang Qiuyan became famous too, could he justify himself and not feel guilty about the breakup. But unexpectedly, just then, Jet Li suddenly had health problems, and Huang Qiuyan immediately put aside all work to take care of Jet Li, accompanying him through difficult times. Finally, after two years of companionship, Huang Qiuyan’s care led to Jet Li’s proposal, and the two of them moved to the United States together after getting married.
With a reputation to uphold, Jet Li was determined to make a difference. For this, he filmed several movies, but the response was mediocre, and he still yearned for an eventful life. At that time, director Tsui Hark, known as the box office savior, approached Jet Li with “Once Upon a Time in China.”
Most of the complex martial arts actions in the film were groundbreaking, with many ideas never before filmed, and Jet Li wasn’t very confident. But Tsui Hark insisted, “Jet Li is the best choice for Wong Fei-hung.” And this film became a turning point in Jet Li’s career, propelling him to a new peak. With his calm and elegant demeanor, unwavering character, Jet Li won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Wong Fei-hung, leaving his mark in the history of martial arts films.
But this was just the beginning of Jet Li’s golden age. Aside from his martial arts and acting talents, Jet Li had another outstanding quality: he always aimed higher and had forward-thinking ideas. While others were focused on winning championships, he decided to make movies; while others were busy signing contracts to earn more money, he decided to become a producer. Jet Li said, “As an actor, you can only be manipulated by others.” So, he established the Eastern Productions Limited Company to make movies for himself. The first role tailored for himself was that of Fong Sai-yuk. At that time, no one had much hope for Jet Li, wondering how an actor who had already engraved the steady and upright Wong Fei-hung in people’s minds could completely reverse himself and play a carefree young man.
But after the release of “Fong Sai-yuk,” it achieved box office success on par with “Once Upon a Time in China,” and also won the Best Action Design Awards at the Golden Horse Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards simultaneously. After Fong Sai-yuk, there was Zhang Sanfeng, skilled in martial arts and upholding justice; Linghu Chong, free-spirited and pursuing freedom; and Zhang Wuji, who changed from kind-hearted and honest to sinister and domineering.
Jet Li portrayed one martial arts master after another in the minds of the audience, making their characters more vivid and complete. Yet, Jet Li, who had once again stabilized his position at the peak, was still not satisfied. He cast his eyes across the ocean to Hollywood. In 1998, already well-known domestically, Jet Li starred in the Hollywood film “Lethal Weapon 4” as a supporting antagonist.
But the American production company didn’t believe in Jet Li, repeatedly lowering his salary, and with a learning attitude, Jet Li agreed. Many years later, Jet Li mentioned in an interview that the American production company was very arrogant, but only one thing could make them yield—data. Unexpectedly, after the release of “Lethal Weapon 4,” Jet Li’s popularity rivaled that of Hollywood superstar Mel Gibson. The American production company saw Jet Li’s commercial value and re-invited him to play the lead role with a salary of seven million dollars. Jet Li’s entry into Hollywood showed Westerners the fierceness of Chinese kung fu and successfully established himself as an Asian superstar. After returning to China, Jet Li’s value soared again, creating classic roles once more, from the ambitious young Huo Yuanjia to the martial arts master who understood the true essence of martial arts; from a soldier dedicated to his country’s blood-soaked battlefield to Qing Dynasty military officer Pang Qingyun.
In the last few years of the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, Jet Li won three Best Actor awards, bidding farewell to the era that belonged to him. Jet Li once jokingly said, “If you chat with me, you won’t feel like I’m an actor, I’m more like an entrepreneur.” For Jet Li, there was nothing in life that required a lifetime of dedication. His anchor was precisely changing accurately after each ascent to the peak.
“I’m sorry, I was wrong.” Despite achieving brilliant achievements in film history and being idolized by countless people, Jet Li had a confused account in his love life. Today, the person accompanying him is not his first wife Huang Qiuyan but his former Hong Kong actress Nina Li Chi.
Jet Li’s marriage to Huang Qiuyan lasted only three years. While filming the movie “Dragon Fight” in 1989, Jet Li met Nina Li Chi and quickly fell in love. He told Huang Qiuyan, “I’m sorry, I was wrong, I’ve found my true love.”
Jet Li left his American properties to Huang Qiuyan, and custody of their two daughters went to Jet Li. Jet Li turned to the embrace of Nina Li Chi, and the two made a ten-year agreement: if they still loved each other after ten years, they would get married. In 1999, when the ten-year agreement expired, they got married as agreed and had two daughters. Shortly after their marriage, Ang Lee invited Jet Li to shoot “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” but Nina Li Chi was three months pregnant, so Jet Li politely declined and turned down several other films in succession. Nina Li Chi’s business investments failed, leaving her with huge debts. Jet Li signed a “contract of indenture” to help her pay off the debt, filming six movies in two years. He publicly announced to the media that he would give all his assets, totaling 2 billion, to his wife Nina Li Chi. Despite achieving fame and success, Jet Li wanted to give everything to his loved one. Sadly, this person was not Huang Qiuyan, who silently supported him from behind. Jet Li loved Nina Li Chi in the same way Huang Qiuyan once loved him. It was also at this time that Jet Li changed completely.
In 2004, Jet Li and his family encountered the once-in-a-century Indian Ocean tsunami in the Maldives. In the blink of an eye, waves surged from Jet Li’s shins to his chest. He held his 4-year-old eldest daughter in his arms while the nanny held their 1-year-old daughter, both struggling to lift the children. During the 33 hours of being missing, Jet Li witnessed people losing their lives and saw individuals from different races and countries helping each other. After being rescued, Jet Li plunged into deep thought, truly feeling the connection, care, and love between people.
From this experience, Jet Li initiated the “One Foundation,” hoping that each person could contribute one yuan every month, adhering to the concept of doing good deeds daily, passing on small acts of love and kindness.
After this experience, Jet Li also began practicing Buddhism, rarely appearing in public, but his physical ailments gradually changed his appearance day by day. A few years earlier, a photo circulated online showing Jet Li with folded hands, gray hair, and wrinkles on his face.
People were astonished to see that the former kung fu superstar had aged to such an extent at only 57 years old. Despite rumors of the decline of a hero, Jet Li’s attitude towards it remained the same each time: “Birth, aging, sickness, and death are experiences everyone must go through. I play heroes, but I am not a hero. Ordinary people get sick, and I am no different.” Indeed, Jet Li has aged; the once vigorous kung fu emperor is now destined to remain only in our memories.
Over the forty years of Jet Li’s fame, from a professional athlete to an actor, then becoming a film producer, and later transforming into a philanthropist. Along the way, with changes in his identity, public opinion about him has fluctuated. Issues like changing nationality and allegations of corruption in the One Foundation charity have repeatedly pulled Jet Li down from his pedestal. His transition from the peak to silence seems to also mark the passing of an era. That year, any thrilling battle scene from a martial arts film could set one’s blood boiling. The scene in “Once Upon a Time in China” where they fought on a bamboo ladder could be filmed for two whole months. In “Project A,” Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan teamed up to fight off enemies, agile and skillful. In “Police Story,” Jackie Chan slid down from a five-story building holding onto a steel pole, thrilling and exciting.
Today, such scenes are hardly seen anymore. Martial arts scenes in films and TV shows are filled with special effects, slow motion, and wind machines, and the real-life confrontations are almost nonexistent. And these individuals who once created countless classics, some are now old, and some have already left. If you open Jackie Chan’s Weibo account, there are no daily updates; it’s filled with farewells and tributes to old friends from the past.
As heroes age and beauties turn white-haired, every story that unfolds can only leave people helpless, with only sighs remaining. And these repeated farewells constantly remind everyone: our youth has long quietly departed with that golden age, silently. But it’s worth remembering and cherishing.
