Films from Fa Sheng’s Temple: Shaolin (2011)

In honor of the Kickstarter for Fa Sheng: Origins #3, Gene Ching wrote a short series of reviews for Immortal Studios on films shot on location at the original Shaolin Temple of China. 

In this fifth and final installment, Gene looks at the 2011 film Shaolin and the involvement of Payhuan Shiao, Founder, Creator, CEO of Immortal Studios. Please find the previous reviews in the series below:

Films from Fa Sheng’s Temple: Shaolin Temple (1982) https://www.immortal-studios.com/post/films-from-fa-sheng-s-temple-shaolin-temple-1982

Films from Fa Sheng's Temple: The Shaolin Temple Trilogy (Part 2 & 3) https://www.immortal-studios.com/post/films-from-fa-sheng-s-temple-the-shaolin-temple-trilogy-part-2-3

Films from Fa Sheng’s Temple: Holy Robe of Shaolin Temple https://www.immortal-studios.com/post/films-from-fa-sheng-s-temple-holy-robe-of-shaolin-temple 

Films from Fa Sheng’s Temple: Master of Zen

https://www.immortal-studios.com/post/films-from-fa-sheng-s-temple-master-of-zen

Shaolin (2011)

The movie Shaolin breaks from the form of our Films from Fa Sheng’s Temple series because it wasn’t filmed at Shaolin Temple. However, it is worthy of inclusion because it was the first film to be officially endorsed by the Abbot, venerable Shi Yongxin. He is credited as “Chief producer.” 

When the project was initially announced in 2009, it was initially promoted as a redux of the original Shaolin Temple (1982) and Jet Li was attached. The Chinese title is Xin Shaolinsi (New Shaolin Temple). However, Li later denied knowing anything about the project so that announcement was likely an early promotional grab. Ultimately, Shaolin has a completely different story than the 1982 film: it set in the early 20th century during China’s warlord period, while the original is based on a legend of how the Shaolin monks helped the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shinmin (598-649 CE). That event was hailed in a stele set within Shaolin Temple, which still stands there today. 

When the actual cast was announced, it included Chinese A-listers Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, and Nicholas Tse. Zhou Xun was also in early discussions, but she demurred and was replaced by Fan Bingbing. Benny Chan was directing with Corey Yuen serving as the action director. 

Beyond Jackie Chan, the film had three notable martial arts stars. First was Yu Hai, the wushu champion who played the head monk in the 1982 original. He was cast appropriately as the abbot. Also added was Wu Jing, another wushu champion, who has since risen to become one of China’s top A-listers and leading action stars.  

Author Gene Ching with Yu Hai

Last but not least, the cast included Xing Yu, who was an actual former warrior monk from Shaolin Temple. Xing Yu brought the traditional Shaolin Kung Fu form of Qixingquan (seven star fist) into the film. It is shown in most of the training sequences and some of the combat applications appear in the fight choreography within the film. Like with Immortal Studios projects, Shaolin endeavored to include authentic Shaolin Kung Fu, and what better way than to bring a genuine Shaolin monk into the cast?

Author Gene Ching with Shaolin Monk Shi Deren, American Shaolin author Matthew Polly, and Xing Yu

The author of this review, Gene Ching, had the honor of training with Xing Yu back in the mid-nineties at the Shaolin Temple Wushuguan. After leaving the Shaolin order, Xing Yu has gone on to appear in over sixty films such as Kung Fu Hustle, Ip Man, Kung Fu Jungle, Ride On, Striking Rescue and others. Qixingquan became widely popular as a demonstration form for schools within Shaolin diaspora and for tournament competitors for several years in the wake of Shaolin.

When film production began, a blessing ceremony was held at Shaolin Temple, overseen by Abbot Shi Yongxin. However, as mentioned earlier, Shaolin wasn’t shot at Shaolin. Instead, it was filmed in life-sized replica built in Zhejiang province. Within the film, the temple is burned, and that was not possible to stage at the real location. 

Shaolin premiered during the Chinese New Year film rush. The story was well written, leaning heavily into the dramatic chops of Andy Lau. Lau gives his role plenty of gravitas, but it detracts somewhat from the final fight, as he isn't known for his martial skills. Fortunately, there's lots of other fights in the film, however the choreography relies heavily on wire work and CGI. Many of the wire work jumps look hokey. The wire work falls are good, however. There are some spectacular falling stunts. 

Jackie Chan is very Jackie Chan. He injects some much-needed humor in what is a generally depressing film about war ravaged peasants and brutal warlords. Jackie's scenes really stick out. Yu Hai, Wu Jing and Xing Yu all turn in some decent fights, once you get past the wire work. Their acting performances outshine their choreography, however. 

The sets and costumes are spectacular. The costumes ranged from opulent for the warlords and ragtag for the monks. The monks were depicted very compassionately - a bit of an over-romanticized view of Shaolin monks but it worked for the film. Shaolin also has cartoonish Caucasian villains, common in films set in this period of China’s history. Foreign powers were carving up China for themselves. This is the time of the Boxer Uprising, and the same era when Fa Sheng’s story is set.

Immortal Studios Founder, Creator, CEO, Payhuan Shiao had a hand in Shaolin. At that time, he was working with the Shaolin Cultural Communication Company which was set up by the Shaolin Temple to oversee Shaolin representation in media collaborations such as this. Through this cooperation, Shiao worked on developing several Shaolin movie projects under that banner especially for the global market. Beyond Shaolin, he worked on a Shaolin-based TV show and a reality show. For the reality show, K-Star, Shiao worked with the temple and the producers of The Biggest Loser. 

Abbot Shi Yongxin and Immortal Studios Founder, Creator, CEO, Payhuan Shiao at the red carpet premiere

For Shaolin, Shiao was mostly making sure that the historical elements were accurate. “Benny Chan, the director, was very seasoned,” reflects Shiao, “He had a huge amount of adoration and respect for the temple, as did Andy Lau. So there wasn’t too much to be done, to be truthful. All of those things were resolved at the concept level.” 

Shiao was also at the premiere of Shaolin with all the stars, which was held at the Hong Kong Film Festival. “We walked the red carpet together,” remembers Shiao fondly, “But I wouldn‘t say that I was a mover and shaker in that movie by any stretch.”

Nevertheless, today Payhuan Shiao is the ultimate mover and shaker when it comes to Shaolin-based comic books. Remember to support our Fa Sheng: Origins #3 Kickstarter! 

By Gene Ching

Immortal Squad, Martial Arts Editor & Action Choreographer