Shaolin Temple (1982 film)

The Shaolin Temple
Japanese poster
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese少林寺
Simplified Chinese少林寺
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinShàolínsì
Yue: Cantonese
JyutpingSiu3 Lam4 Zi2
Directed byChang Hsin Yen
Written byShih Hou
Lu Shau Chang
Produced byLiu Yet Yuen
StarringJet Li
Ding Lan
Yu Hai
CinematographyLau Fung-lam
Chau Pak-ling
Edited byWong Ting
Ku Chi-wai
Li Yuk-wai
Chang Hsin-yen
Production
company
Chung Yuen Motion Picture Company
Release date
  • 21 January 1982 (1982-01-21)
Running time
95 minutes
CountriesHong Kong
China
LanguageMandarin
Box officeUS$111.9 million

The Shaolin Temple (少林寺) is a 1982 ChineseHong Kong martial arts film directed by Chang Hsin Yen and starring Jet Li in his debut role (credited as Jet Lee in the film) along with Ding Lan and Yu Hai in supporting roles. The film is based on the Shaolin Monastery in China and depicts Shaolin Kung Fu.[1] The film was among the first major co-productions between Hong Kong and mainland China, and the first to be filmed in mainland China with a mostly mainland cast.[2] The film's plot has an episodic storytelling structure while combining action, comedy and romance elements.[3]

It was the first martial arts film to be made in mainland China after the founding of the People's Republic of China; up until then, kung fu films and wuxia films were mostly made in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It was also the first film to be shot at the Shaolin Monastery.[4] It sold an estimated 500 million tickets at the Chinese box office, and is estimated to be China's highest-grossing film ever when adjusted for inflation. The film's success established Jet Li as the first Mainland Chinese star of Hong Kong, and later Hollywood.[1] It was also largely responsible for turning the Shaolin Monastery into a major tourist destination, both within China and internationally.[4] A remake of the film was released in 2011 titled Shaolin and starred Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse and Jackie Chan.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Kung Fu Swansong". Newsweek. 12 February 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  2. ^ Mannikker, Eleanor. "The Shaolin Temple". allMovie. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2009.
  3. ^ Lines, Craig (6 June 2018). "The Shaolin Temple Movies: The Series That Launched Jet Li's Career". Den of Geek. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  4. ^ a b "How Jet Li turned the Shaolin Temple into a kung fu cash cow". South China Morning Post. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Jackie Chan, Andy Lau to star in new Shaolin movie". China Daily. 22 October 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2011.