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-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 --

After over 7 months of intensive and gruelling filming, Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert, directed by Du Xiao, has successfully wrapped up in late April 2010. Following the tradition of Legend of Shaolin Kungfu series, the final instalment features various martial artists as Shaolin monks, including Li Yuan, Xu Peng Jun, Xie Miao, (who was simultaneously filming a kungfu comedy Fist Club 《拳馆》 with Kou Zhan Wen in April), Xu Ming Hu, Cao Jun, etc.

 

Veteran martial artists like Yuen Wah, Gordon Liu, Xu Xiang Dong, Sammo Hung, etc are specially hired to take on villainous roles, to ensure that both sides are evenly matched, rewarding the audiences with numerous authentic and intricate fights. Sammo Hung is playing the final villain Wan Shou Shan. In addition, veteran actor Bao Guo An, the wonderful abbot from the first instalment, is back, by popular demand. Rounding up the cast are Sun Hui Ning, Yuuki Moami, Ji Chun Hua and Wang Zhi Gang.

Here are some pics from the blogs of Xu Ming Hu, Xie Miao, Li Yuan and Xu Peng Jun:

Continue reading "It's a Wrap for Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3"

Sina has released yet another bunch of stills from True Legend, this time containing a few images of Gordon Liu. Gordon Liu plays the role of Whitebeard, a mischievous elderly who is a doyen of martial arts. Seeing through Zhao Wen Zhuo's heart, he helps him gain deeper understanding of the essence of martial arts, pushing him to new heights. 

 

Continue reading "Gordon Liu in True Legend and Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3"

-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 --
As with the first, Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 is divided into a few story arcs. In each arc, director Du Xiao is taking great pains in casting, hiring such top veteran martial arts stars as Yuen Wah, Yuen Biao, Gordon Liu from Hong Kong, "I want to let the 8 monks keep fighting from beginning to the end, and their opponents will be these martial arts exponents." Continue reading "Yuen Wah Goes Against The Monks in Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3"

--  Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3 --
Li Yuan is playing one of the 8 main Shaolin monks in Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert. He's also the most highly skilled among the 8, and is especially proficient in unarmed combat.

Li Yuan says, "The 2nd senior I'm playing is very similar to the first, but he's more determined, and also a bit more affectionate. To me, it's not merely a roundup of Legend of Shaolin Kungfu trilogy, but also my comprehension of the character after four years of filming, as well as a summing up of my understanding of kungfu productions.

Continue reading "Li Yuan, the Most Powerful Shaolin Disciple in Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3"

Yuen Wah is playing Little Zhuge, one who is highly skilled, and also a very humorous person. Yuen Wah says that he has a sunny disposition, and he doesn't let anything unhappy affects him. As such, he hopes to cheers up the audience with this character. Yuen Wah describes his character as a minor villain, one who often overrates himself and does many foolish things.

Continue reading "Meeting Yuen Wah and Ji Chun Hua On Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert"

42-part kungfu series 《少林寺传奇３—大漠英雄》 Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert has finally begun production in Gansu on September 7, and filming will go on for 5 to 6 months. The TV series is helmed by Du Xiao, with screenplay by Wu Han and Lu Jian, while Li Cai provides the martial arts choreography.

Continue reading "Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Heroes of the Great Desert Begins Production"

-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu --

With the incredible success of the truly realistic kungfu series Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 1 in not just China, but also Japan, not only has Fuji TV continued to acquire the Japan rights to Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 2: Thirteen Cudgel Monks, but is also co-producing Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Story of Xilu, that is scheduled for production sometime in July, announces director Du Xiao at a press conference on June 29, attended by the cast Yuen Biao, Ji Chun hua, Li Yuan, Xie Miao, Sun Hui Ning, etc.

Continue reading "Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 3: Story of Xilu Slated for July 2009 Production, with Fuji TV Co-producing"

Legend of Shaolin Kungfu II: Thirteen Cudgel Monks has just been released on DVD. Thirteen Cudgel Monks is the 2nd of the highly successful epic martial arts trilogy, each with its own unique and independent story, that revolves around Shaolin Temple. Apart from a gripping script, director Du Xiao ensures that the martial arts sequences are as authentic and exhilarating as possible by casting genuine martial artists and employing top-notch martial arts choreographers, with Yuen Bun lending his expertise this time around.

 

Thirteen Cudgel Monks has just been aired in a few Chinese provinces to top viewership ratings while the third part 18 Arhats is expected to begin production in the near future.

 

Yuen Biao joins the original cast that include Li Yuan, Xie Miao, Ye Jian Wei, Sun Hui Ning, Ji Chun Hua, Wu Ma, etc., playing the head monk Tan Zong that is instrumental in assembling, training and leading 12 other warrior monks in rescuing the Tang Prince Li Shimin and aiding him in a war against the tyrannical warlord Wang Shi Chong played by Beardy Leung Kar Yan. Xu Xiang Dong also has a part in the series as an inscrutable martial arts exponent. Order at YesAsia.

Born in 1982 in a village in Dongming district, Shandong, Li Yuan is the youngest among his siblings of 3 brothers, 2 sisters. His father Li Chun Sheng is a martial arts fanatic, with deep foundation in Plum Blossom Fist and Western Boxing.
 
Under his father's influence, Li Yuan and his three elder brothers began training in martial arts since young. Eventually, his 2nd brother Li Bing Lei and he walked on the wushu path, becoming professional wushu practitioners. Continue reading "A Rising New Wushu Star by the Yellow River - Li Yuan"

-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu --
Finally, the wonderful kungfu TV series by Du Xiao, which has been topping viewership ratings across various provinces in China, is available for sales officially on DVD.

 

This martial arts production features highly authentic martial arts sequences with intricate exchanges, courtesy of Ching Siu Tung who discards his usual highly stylised/beautified choreography for wide shot and long cuts that give ample room to showcase the skills of the martial arts champions Li Yuan, Xie Miao, Ye Jian Wei, Ji Chun Hua, Yu Cheng Hui, Chen Jia Jia, Guo Hui, Li Qi Long, Dai Tian etc, a number of whom are fresh talent. Also starring Bao Guo An, Sun Hui Ning, Yaqi Fatima, Wu Ma, Anthony Wong, Tsui Siu Ming, etc.

 

Order Legend of Shaolin Kungfu DVD (in Chinese only) from YesAsia.

 

As a side note, Shaolin Warriors DVD with Sammo Hung in a major supporting role as well as actual Shaolin monks as extras but starring non-martial artists is shipping on August 19, 2008. Shaolin Warriors is an unrelated TV series surrounding Shaolin Temple and its monks helping general Qi Ji Guang fend off marauding pirates. However, with its choppily edited action scenes, perhaps done purposely to mask the inefficiencies of the non-martial artists, genre fans are well advised to steer clear of Shaolin Warriors.

-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 2: 13 Cudgel Monks --

On 9 July, Legend of Shaolin Kungfu director Du Xiao, joined by cast members Bao Guo An, Ji Chun Hua, Xie Miao, Sun Hui Ning, attended a chat organised by Sina, whereby they shared their experiences on the set of the 40-part TV series.

 

A 12-minute trailer to the upcoming Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 2, starring Yuen Biao, Li Yuan, Xie Miao, Leung Kar Yan, Ji Chun Hua, Xu Xiang Dong, Sun Hui Ning, Wu Ma, etc. was also shown then and may now be viewed on Sina.

 

Based on the trailer, which is interspersed with excerpts from the original from 8th minute onwards, Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 2 looks to be of bigger scale and even more epic. However, being an unfinished product, it's too early to tell if the martial arts scenes would live up to expectations of the original.
 

Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 2 is currently in post-production with a targeted release by early 2009.

-- Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 2: Thirteen Cudgel Monks --

After almost six months of intensive filming, 40-part series Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 2: Thirteen Cudgel Monks has finally wrapped up on June 2. Very few productions today would spend more than 3 months on filming, let alone 6 months. This is a testimony to how meticulous, committed and dedicated the production is, and the amount of time spent on filming the martial arts sequences to ensure quality delivery, just as the first Legend of Shaolin Kungfu.

As Li Yuan says on his blog, June 2 is a memorable day for the production, for they completed the final scene on that day, bidding farewell to the days of sweat and blood brushing against the shoulder. It's not easy to produce a great work, and everyone has made lots of sacrifices, physically and emotionally, for Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 2. They have worked even harder in Legend of Shaolin Kungfu 2 in order to give the audience an even more thrilling show.

On looking back, before doing any action scenes, Li Yuan would say, "Brothers, let's do our best, go for it, and strive to get through with one take." For, in a realistically constructed fight scene with full physical contact, each additional take would mean more risk and injuries. In order to reduce the risk, they would put in all their might, from fist to fist contact, to bodily clashes, to bruises and blood, to eventually a mental contest. As the director says, the last man standing would have become a dehydrated skeleton. And the beastly addresses from the martial arts director have become their catchphrase...

Finally, Li Yuan extends his appreciation and thanks to the director Du Xiao, the martial arts director Yuen Bun and Li Cai, and the brothers and sisters who fight alongside with him as well as all the crew. It's because of them they he has matured a lot. Li Yuan is currently resting in his home in Beijing, enjoying a moment of quietness.