Jimmy Wang Yu | |
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Chinese name | 王羽 |
Pinyin | Wáng Yǔ (Mandarin) |
Jyutping | Wong4 Jyu5 (Cantonese) |
Pe̍h-ōe-jī | Ông-Ú (Hokkien) |
Birth name | Wang Zhengquan |
Born |
Shanghai, China |
March 28, 1943
Nationality | Republic of China(Taiwan) |
Other name(s) | Wong Yu-lung White Dragon |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1960s-2000s |
Spouse(s) | Jeanette Lin (1969-1975) |
Children |
Linda Wong Wong Mei-yee Wong Ka-lau |
Ancestry | Wuxi, Jiangsu, China |
Jimmy Wang Yu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 王羽 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wang Zhengquan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 王正權 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 王正权 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Transcriptions | |
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Standard Mandarin | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Wáng Yǔ |
Wade–Giles | Wáng Yǚ |
IPA | [u̯ǎŋ ỳ] |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Yale Romanization | Wòhng Yyúh |
IPA | [wɔ̏ːŋ jy̬ː] |
Jyutping | Wong4 Jyu5 |
Southern Min | |
Hokkien POJ | Ông-Ú |
Transcriptions | |
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Standard Mandarin | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Wáng Zhèngquán |
Wade–Giles | Wáng Chèng-ch'ǘan |
Tongyong Pinyin | Wáng Jhèngcyuán |
Yale Romanization | Wáng Jèngchywán |
Yue: Cantonese | |
Yale Romanization | Wòhng Jeng Kyùhn |
IPA | [wɔ̏ːŋ tsɛ̄ːŋ kʰy̏ːn] |
Jyutping | Wong4 Zeng3 Kyun4 |
Southern Min | |
Hokkien POJ | Ông Chèng-kôan |
Wang Zhengquan (born March 28, 1943), better known as Jimmy Wang Yu and Wong Yu-lung, is a Shanghai-born Taiwanese actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Wang rose to fame in 1967 with his starring role in One-Armed Swordsman, a martial arts film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio and The Chinese Boxer (1970).
Before joining the Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers Studio in 1963, Wang served in the National Revolutionary Army and was also a swimming champion in Hong Kong and a car racing enthusiast. In 1968, he acted with Cheng Pei-pei in the wuxia film Golden Swallow, directed by Chang Cheh. Following that, Wang starred in many other wuxia films, including Temple of the Red Lotus (1965), One Armed Boxer (1971), Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976) and Return of the Chinese Boxer (1977).
If One-Armed Swordsman was the movie that launched Wang's acting career, The Chinese Boxer was the film that sealed his fame in Hong Kong cinema. The latter has been credited as being the first Hong Kong martial arts film that kickstarted the unarmed combat genre, mainly kung fu. It also triggered a phenomenon that filled the ranks of many Chinese martial arts associations across Southeast Asia. Chinese youths, in their bid to emulate Wang, took to punching sandbags, and reading up on the history of Shaolin Kung Fu.
Controversy dogged Wang after the fame that exploded with The Chinese Boxer. He broke his contract with the Shaw Brothers Studio, and was promptly slapped with a lawsuit. The legal tussle that ended in the studio's favour led to Wang being banned from making films in Hong Kong. Wang then looked to Taiwan for better career prospects, linking up with Golden Harvest and other independent film outfits. His subsequent works were mostly filmed in Taiwan.