The Shaolin Temple (少林寺) is a 1982 Chinese–Hong 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, comedyand romance elements.[3]
The film is set in Medieval China during the transition period between the Sui dynasty (581–618) and the Tang dynasty (618–907). Inside the Shaolin Temple, the novice Jue Yuan (Jet Li) bows before the Abbot. He is about to be accepted as a monk. The Abbot tells Jue Yuan that he must vow to not commit murder. Jue Yuan is silent. The Abbot repeats the question, and Jue Yuan slowly raises his eyes, gazing intensely at him. The Abbot asks the question a third time.
Several years previously, during the rebellions at the end of the Sui dynasty, the warlord Wang Shichong rules from Luoyang and has treacherously installed himself as Emperor of the East Capitol. He is overseeing the bolstering of his riverfront defenses against the rival warlords on the opposite bank, close to the Shaolin Temple. The work of the slaves is not fast enough for him, so he orders his prisoners, who are opposing rebels, to join the slaves. These rebels include an older kung fu master and his son, Jue Yuan.
One day, after defending another prisoner, Jue Yuan's father draws the attention of the Emperor, who attacks him and personally kills him. Jue Yuan attempts revenge, but the Emperor seriously injures him, forcing Jue Yuan to escape to the Shaolin Temple. The Sifu (Yu Hai) is teaching the monks kung fu when Jue Yuan arrives. The Abbot proclaims that it is their holy duty as Buddhist monks to provide aid. The Sifu and his pupils nurse Jue Yuan back to health. After he recovers, Jue Yuan joins the monks in carrying water from the river to the temple, which is kung fu conditioning. He struggles, but is helped by a beautiful shepherd girl named Bai Wu Xia (Ding Lan), who is skilled at kung fu.
Jue Yuan befriends the fun-loving Sifu and his equally mischievous students. Jue Yuan learns that the Sifu is Bai Wu Xia's father and that nine years previously they fled the Emperor's soldiers, reaching the Shaolin Temple. Jue Yuan declares that he will kill the Emperor, and he asks the Sifu to train him in Northern Shaolin kung fu. The Sifu tells him that Shaolin kung fu is for defense, not killing, and that Jue Yuan isn't a monk. Jue Yuan says that he wants to become a monk.
Jue Yuan's head is shaven, and the Abbot ordains him as a junior monk. Jue Yuan begins Northern Shaolin kung fu training. After a time, he has gained impressive fighting abilities, but while sparring, he pictures the Emperor and nearly kills his partner. He is punished by facing the wall for three days and runs away from the Shaolin Temple. Jue Yuan attempts to assassinate the Emperor, but fails and is forced to flee. Ashamed, he returns to the Shaolin Temple. His Sifu allows him to resume his Northern Shaolin kung fu training. Jue Yuan trains for more than a year, and becomes highly adept at Northern Shaolin kung fu.
One day, Li Shimin (son of Li Yuan) who is pursued by the Emperor enters Shaolin. The Shaolin monks make a show of helping the Emperor hunt for Li Shimin so he can escape. Jue Yuan and Bai Wu Xia help Li Shimin, making their way past the Emperor's patrols in disguise. A forbidden romance builds between Jue Yuan and Bai Wu Xia. The escape fails. Bai Wu Xia and an injured Li Shimin flee on a raft down the river, while Jue Yuan sacrifices himself to protect them. His Sifu and a group of Shaolin warrior monks come to his aid, saving Jue Yuan's life, but the Sifu banishes him from Shaolin. The Emperor learns what the Shaolin monks did, and marches on the Shaolin Temple with his army to destroy it.
The Abbot orders the monks not to fight, even as the Emperor's army surrounds the Shaolin Temple. The Abbot pleads with the Emperor for mercy and accepts the blame. He is placed on a pyre, which is set aflame. The Emperor tells the monks that if they reveal the traitors' whereabouts, he'll spare the Temple and the Abbot. He then has his men kill several of the other top monks. The Sifu and the warrior monks reveal themselves. The battle begins, and many monks are killed.
Jue Yuan and Ba Wu Xia return to the Shaolin Temple. The Emperor's army takes the outer walls and outer grounds, and kills all the monks there. The surviving monks fall back within the inner walls. The Sifu is wounded. He entreats Jue Yuan to protect Shaolin and uphold justice, and dies. The Emperor receives word that Li Shimin and his army are approaching his own East Capital, and they abandon the siege of the Shaolin Temple and ride for the East Capital instead. Jue Yuan and the warrior monks ride after the Emperor, joining the battle at the ravaged East Capital, the very site where the Emperor killed Jue Yuan's father. Jue Yuan and the Emperor duel on the shore of the great river. Jue Yuan kills the Emperor, and the battle for the East Capital is won.
Later, Jue Yuan has returned to Shaolin Temple, where the new Abbot asks him if he can obey the vow to not murder. Jue Yuan vows that he will not kill save to uphold righteousness, and the Abbot accepts this. Jue Yuan continues to swear his vows, but when he reaches the vow of celibacy, he is again conflicted. He opens his folded palms to look at a jade amulet, recalling how Bai Wu Xia gave it to him as a token of her love. He looks up to see Bai Wu Xia, who has sneaked into the side wing of the sanctum and is staring at him. He hesitates, then vows to remain celibate, and she leaves. Jue Yuan is ordained as a true monk of Shaolin. Jue Yuan also becomes the kung fu Sifu of the Shaolin Temple, leading the monks in their training.
The film was produced on a budget of HK$1.6 million[6] (US$264,000).
During production, Jet Li was reportedly paid only CN¥1 per day while filming.[4]
Box office
In China, it became the highest-grossing film of all time, grossing CN¥161,578,014[7][8] (US$85,376,199). The film reportedly sold more than 410 million tickets across China within its first six months of release,[9] eventually selling an estimated total of 500 million tickets in China.[10][11][12]
In Hong Kong, the film sold 700,000 tickets,[4] and grossed HK$16.16 million[8] (US$2,662,310), making it the fourth top-grossing film of 1982 in Hong Kong.[13] It became the highest-grossing film of all time in Singapore with a gross of S$1.7 million[14] (US$794,000).
In Japan, it was the fourth top-grossing film of 1982, with ¥1.65 billion in distributor rentals[15] and a box office record of ¥4 billion in gross receipts,[8] equivalent to HK$100 million (US$16.47 million) in gross revenue.[16] In South Korea, the film sold 294,065 tickets in Seoul alone[17] and set a box office record of ₩5.1 billion (US$6.57 million) grossed nationwide in 1983.[8]
This brings the film's total box office gross revenue to US$111,872,509 in East Asia.
Adjusted for inflation at CN¥34.5 Chinese ticket prices in 2017,[18] the film's adjusted gross revenue in China is estimated to be in the tens of billions of Chinese yuan (billions of US dollars) in 2017.
The film was largely responsible for turning the Shaolin Monastery into a major tourist destination, both within China and internationally.[4] The movie's popularity swiftly encouraged filmmakers in China and Hong Kong to produce more Shaolin-based movies.[20]
The film spawned a revival of popularity in mainstream martial arts in China.[21]
Series
The film spawned the Shaolin Temple series. Its sequel Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin was released in 1984 and stars Jet Li in the lead role again. It sold an estimated 490 million tickets at the Chinese box office, making it 1984's highest-grossing film in China.[22] The first two Shaolin Temple films combined sold an estimated 990 million tickets at the Chinese box office.
^影响中国文化产业发展的重要报告 [Important reports affecting the development of China's cultural industry] (in Chinese). 群言出版社 (Qunyan Press). 2007. p. 181. ISBN978-7-80080-698-8. 1982 年,由香港银都机构有限公司(以下简称银都)与内地合作拍摄的《少林寺》,在大陆推出以后,迅速掀起了一股全民尚武的热潮。这部投资仅 160 万元港币收益却超过 1 亿元人民币的传世之作,不能不引起我们的反思。 [In 1982, "Shaolin Temple", co-produced by Hong Kong Yindu Organization Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Yindu) and the mainland, quickly set off an upsurge of martial arts among the whole people after it was launched in the mainland. This masterpiece with an investment of only HK$1.6 million and an income of more than 100 million yuan cannot but arouse our reflection.]
^"35年过去了，82版《少林寺》6大主演现状令人吃惊" [35 years later, the current situation of the 6 leading actors in the 82 edition of "Shaolin Temple" is surprising]. Sina News (in Chinese). Sina Corporation. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
^ abcd"1982". 中国进行曲——流行音乐四十年回眸 [March in China: A Look Back at 40 Years of Popular Music] (in Chinese). Beijing Book Co. Inc. August 2018. ISBN978-7-5523-1578-3. Retrieved 28 March 2022. 1982年香港电影《少林寺》创造了电影票房的奇迹。据统计,在当时内地一毛钱票价的时代居然创下了1.6亿元的神话。(该片同时在香港创下1616万港币的超高记录,一举打破香港功夫片历史最高卖座纪录。同样在日本,创下了40亿日元的票房纪录,1983年在神话。(该片同时在香港创下1616万港币的超高记录,一举打破香港功夫片历史最高卖座纪录。同样在日本,创下了40亿日元的票房纪录,1983年在韩国创下了51亿韩元的票房纪录。) [1982 Hong Kong movie "Shaolin Temple" created a miracle at the box office. According to statistics, the feat of 160 million yuan was actually created in the era of one-mao fares in the mainland at that time. (The film also set a record of HK$16.16 million in Hong Kong, breaking the highest-grossing record of Hong Kong kung fu films in one fell swoop. Also in Japan, it set a box office record of ¥4 billion, and in 1983, it set a box office record of ₩5.1 billion in South Korea.)]
^张保先 (Zhang Baoxian) (1986). 新中国邮票图说 [Illustration of New China Stamps] (in Chinese). 中国集邮出版社 (China Philatelic Press). p. 120. 据报道,以宣扬我国武术为主要内容的《少林寺》上映仅半年时间,全国就有四亿一千多万人观看。 [According to reports, "Shaolin Temple" which mainly promotes Chinese martial arts had been watched by more than 410 million people nationwide within half a year of its release.]
^"回望中国电影20年 从5亿人看《少林寺》到票房1日破亿" [Looking back at Chinese movies over 20 years, from 500 million people watching "Shaolin Temple" to the box office breaking 100 million in one day]. China Daily (in Chinese). 29 December 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
^ ab"新《少林寺》欲收10亿美元 新《智取威虎山》请徐克执导" [The new "Shaolin Temple" wants to collect US$1 billion, and the new "Taking Tiger Mountain" asks Tsui Hark to direct]. People's Daily (in Chinese). 23 January 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
^"ジェットリー興行成績一覧". KungFu Tube (in Japanese). 10 September 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
^"'Shaolin Temple' Champ of Singapore's Box Office". Variety. 20 October 1982. p. 229.
^香港百年光影 [Hong Kong's 100 Years of Light and Shadow] (in Chinese). 北京大学出版社 (Peking University Press). 2007. p. 363. ISBN978-7-301-12123-8. 影片在日本的发行收入也高达 1 亿港元 [The film's distribution revenue in Japan was also as high as HK$100million]
^中国电影年鉴 [China Film Yearbook] (in Chinese). 中国电影出版社 (China Film Press). 1985. p. 46. 两年来,包括三种拷贝( 8.75 毫米、 16 毫米和 35 毫米)在内,观众人次最多的十几部影片是:《武当》,从 1983 年 7 月发行到 1984 年 6 月,有五亿四千四百多万观众;《武林志》,从 1983 年 8 月到 1984 年 6 月,四亿二千五百七十九万观众;第三位是"上影"的喜剧片《飞来的女婿》。 这是出乎我意料之外的,无论评论界还是领导同志,几乎没有人认为这是一部好的或者比较好的影片(当然内容上是没有问题的), 我好象还没有看到过有什么评论提到这部影片,但是 1983 年 1 月到 1984 年 6 月,观众人次一亿九千九百五十万;另外几部影片的观众人次:《蓝盾保险箱》, 一亿七千万;《特殊身份的警官》,一亿三千万;《人到中年》,一亿二千万;《蛇案》, 1983 年 12 月到今年 6 月, 一亿二千万;《东方剑》,一亿人次;《咱们的牛百岁》,一亿一千万;《小小得月楼》, 八千八百万;还有两部与香港合拍的影片,《少林弟子》,四亿九千万;《自古英雄出少年》,从 1984 年 1 月到 6 月,二亿六千万。我算了一下,除两部合拍影片外,这 10 部影片中上座的情况大概是这样的:两部武打片,占九亿六千九百八十三万;四部惊险片,或叫地下斗争或侦破片,六亿三千万;另外喜剧片,三亿九千万;还有《人到中年》,一亿二千万,加上两部合拍片, 12 部影片观众人次约三十亿。 [In the past two years, including three copies (8.75mm, 16mm and 35mm), the dozen films with the most audiences were: "Wudang", which was released from July 1983 to June 1984, with more than 544 million viewers; "Wu lin zhi", from August 1983 to June 1984, 425.79 million viewers; the third is the Shanghai Film Studio comedy "Fei lai de nü xu". This is beyond my expectations, no matter critics or leading comrades, almost no one thinks this is a good or relatively good film (of course there is no problem with the content), I don't seem to have seen it. What reviews mention this film, but from January 1983 to June 1984, the audience was 199.5 million; the audience for the other films: "Blue Shield Safe", 170 million; "A Policeman with a Special Identity", 130 million; "At Middle Age", 120 million; "She an", December 1983 to June this year, 120 million; "Dong Fangjian", 100 million people; "Our Niu Baisui", 110 million; "Little Deyuelou", 88 million; and two films co-produced with Hong Kong, "Kids from Shaolin", 490 million; "Young Heroes", from January to June 1984, 260 million. I calculated, except for the two co-production films, the status of the top 10 films is probably like this: two martial arts films, accounting for 969.83 million; four thrilling films, or underground struggles or detective films, 630 million; comedy films, 390 million; and "At Middle Age", 120 million, plus two co-productions, 12 films with an audience of about 3 billion.]
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