Once Upon a Time in China
| Once Upon a Time in China | |
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| Traditional | 黃飛鴻 |
| Simplified | 黄飞鸿 |
| Mandarin | Huáng Fēihóng |
| Cantonese | Wong4 Fei1-hung4 |
| Directed by | Tsui Hark |
| Produced by | Tsui Hark |
| Written by | Tsui Hark Yuen Kai-chi () Leung Yiu-ming Elsa Tang (鄧碧燕) |
| Starring |
Jet Li Yuen Biao Jacky Cheung Rosamund Kwan Kent Cheng |
| Music by |
James Wong George Lam (theme song) |
| Cinematography | Ardy Lam Bill Wong David Chung Arthur Wong Wingo Chan Wilson Chan |
| Edited by | Marco Mak |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Golden Harvest |
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Release date
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Running time
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134 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Box office | HK$29,672,278.00 |
Once Upon a Time in China is a 1991 Hong Kong martial arts film written and directed by Tsui Hark, starring Jet Li as Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung. It is the first installment in the Once Upon a Time in China film series.
The film is set in Foshan, China sometime in the late 19th century during the Qing dynasty. Liu Yongfu, the commander of the Black Flag Army, invites Wong Fei-hung on board his ship to watch a lion dance. Some sailors on board a nearby American ship hear the sound of firecrackers and mistakenly think that Liu's ship is opening fire at them, so they return fire and injure the dancers. Wong picks up the lion head and finishes the performance. Liu comments about the perilous situation China is in, and then gives Wong a hand fan inscribed with all the unequal treaties signed between China and other countries.
Wong is the martial arts instructor of the local militia in Foshan. He also runs his own traditional Chinese medicine clinic, Po-chi-lam, and has three apprentices: "Pork" Wing, "Bucktooth" So, and Kai. He meets Siu-kwan, the daughter of a sworn brother of his grandfather. Even though she is around the same age as him, he still has to address her as "13th Aunt" as she is considered more "senior" than him. They have romantic feelings for each other, but their relationship is restrained because it is seen as taboo in the conservative Chinese society of their time.
Leung Foon arrives in Foshan with an opera troupe to stage performances. He encounters 13th Aunt by chance, has a few clumsy encounters with her, and develops a crush on her. He also runs into trouble with the Shaho Gang, which terrorises and extorts money from local businesses. A fight breaks out between the gang and the local militia while Wong is having a meeting at a restaurant with the Governor of Foshan. The gangsters flee when they realise they are no match for Wong. The Governor blames Wong for the disturbance, and disbands and arrests the militia members. Wong confronts the Shaho Gang's leader, defeats him and captures him, but the authorities release him because no one wants to help Wong by testifying as a witness in court.
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Wikipedia