''Once Upon a Time in China III'' is a 1993 Hong Kong

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

written, produced and directed by

Tsui Hark Tsui Hark (, vi, Từ Khắc, born 15 February 1950), born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong film director, producer and screenwriter. Tsui has directed several influential Hong Kong films such as '' Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain'' (1983), the ...

, starring

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, martial artist, and retired Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singaporean citizen. After three years o ...

as Chinese martial arts master and

folk hero A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in folk songs, folk tales and other folklore; a ...

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

ethnicity,

Wong Fei-hung Wong Fei-hung (born Wong Sek-cheung with the courtesy name Tat-wun; 9 July 1847 – 17 April 1925) was a Chinese martial artist, physician, and folk hero. His recent fame was due to becoming the subject of numerous martial arts films and televis ...

. It is the third installment in the ''Once Upon a Time in China'' film series.

Plot

In the late 19th century China during the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

Chinese sovereignty is being eroded by foreign imperialism.

Empress Dowager Cixi Empress Dowager Cixi ( ; mnc, Tsysi taiheo; formerly romanised as Empress Dowager T'zu-hsi; 29 November 1835 – 15 November 1908), of the Manchu Yehe Nara clan, was a Chinese noblewoman, concubine and later regent who effectively controlled ...

and

Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang, Marquess Suyi ( zh, t=李鴻章; also Li Hung-chang; 15 February 1823 – 7 November 1901) was a Chinese politician, general and diplomat of the late Qing dynasty. He quelled several major rebellions and served in important ...

decide to stage a

lion dance F Lion dance () is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Y ...

competition to showcase

Chinese martial arts Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

and restore national pride. Interested parties from all over China are invited to participate and compete for the title of "Lion Dance King".

travels by train from Foshan to

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

with his romantic interest

13th Aunt Thirteenth Aunt, Chinese given name Siu-kwan or Aunt Yee(少筠; "Siu-kwan", incorrectly translated in some subtitles as "Peony"), is a fictional character created by Hong Kong director Tsui Hark for his 1991 martial arts film ''Once Upon a Time ...

and apprentice Leung Foon to meet his father,

Wong Kei-ying Wong Kei-ying or Huang Qiying (c. 1815–1886) was a Chinese Hung Ga martial artist and physician of Cantonese ethnicity, who lived during the Qing dynasty. He was one of the Ten Tigers of Canton. He was best known for his use of the Tiger ...

, at the Cantonese Ten Tigers Association. At the train station, 13th Aunt meets Tomanovsky, a Russian diplomat, who was her classmate when she was studying in Britain. He starts vying for her attention and annoys Wong, who is disgusted by the Western custom of kissing a woman's hand. When Wong reaches the Association, he learns that his father has been attacked by a wealthy rival martial artist, Chiu Tin-bak, and Chiu's henchman, Clubfoot. Luckily, the elder Wong sustained only minor injuries. Wong Kei-ying decides to give his blessings to his son and 13th Aunt when he sees their romantic relationship. Before the competition officially begins, all the lion dance troupes that have gathered in Beijing are already fighting among themselves and holding another competition of their own. Wong does not participate and spectates instead. Unknown to him, Leung and his friends have secretly joined the competition out of mischief. A short chase takes place between Clubfoot and Leung when the latter annoys the former during the contest and flees. Clubfoot's legs are crushed when Leung accidentally releases a stampede of horses from a stable. Chiu abandons Clubfoot when he sees that he is now a useless cripple. Wong takes pity on Clubfoot, brings him in, and heals his legs. Clubfoot is initially hostile towards Wong, but he feels so touched and grateful to Wong that he starts bawling emotionally, and becomes Wong's new apprentice. With the aid of a camera given to her by Tomanovsky, 13th Aunt inadvertently uncovers a plot to assassinate Li Hongzhang during the competition and learns that Tomanovsky is one of the conspirators. She warns Wong, who joins the contest to stop the assassins. In the final round of the competition, Wong, Leung and Clubfoot fight with dozens of rival lion dancers as they battle their way to the top of a scaffold. Chiu also joins the competition and carries a large and deadly lion mask. Wong ultimately defeats Chiu and wins the competition. In the meantime, Tomanovsky fails to assassinate Li Hongzhang and is shot dead by his fellow Russians, who claim to the Chinese that he was a spy working for the Japanese. Although Wong wins the prize (a gold medal) he remarks that it is ultimately a defeat for the Chinese because of all the infighting. He then tosses the medal back to Li Hongzhang, turns his back and walks away.

Cast

(doubled by

Hung Yan-yan Hung Yan-yan (born 25 February 1965, also credited as 熊欣欣 or Xiong Xin Xin) is a Hong Kong martial artist, actor, stuntman and action director originally from Liuzhou, Guangxi, China. He was the stunt double for martial arts superstar Jet L ...

) *

Rosamund Kwan Rosamund Kwan Chi Lam (born Kwan Kar Wai on 24 September 1962) is a Hong Kong former actress, best known for starring as the female lead "Thirteenth Aunt" in the 1990s ''Once Upon a Time in China'' film series. She had since retired from acti ...

as "13th Aunt" Yee Siu-kwan *

Max Mok Max Mok ( zh, t=莫少聰; born 2 December 1962 in Hong Kong; also credited as Benny Mok, Benny Mok Siu-chung and Max Mok Siu-chung) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. Mok was recruited by the Shaw Brothers Studio and has been a major film star si ...

as Leung Foon *

as Kwai Geuk-chat ("Clubfoot Seven Chiu-Tsat") * John Wakefield as Tomanovsky * Lau Shun as

* Chiu Chin as Chiu Tin-bak * Wong Tak-yan as Yan * Ge Cunzhuang as

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, ''Once Upon a Time in China III'' got 67%, based on 9 reviews while Marc Salvov of ''

The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...

'' gave it 2.5 out of 5. Panos Kotzathanasis of the Asian Movie Pulse said that "

he film He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

is the most personal film of the trilogy".

Awards and nominations

13th Hong Kong Film Awards The 13th Hong Kong Awards ceremony, honored the best films of 1993 and took place on 22 April 1994 at Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The ceremony was hosted by Lydia Shum and John Sham John Sham Kin-Fun (born 1952) ...

** Nominated: Best Film Editing (Marco Mak, Angie Lam)

Alternate versions

The film was released in Hong Kong on VHS by

Paragon Films Paragon may refer to: Places * Paragon, Indiana, a town in the United States * Paragon, Nebraska, former community in the United States *The Paragon, Bath, a Georgian street in the Walcot area of Bath * The Paragon, Blackheath, London, built by M ...

in 1996. The opening is in Mandarin while the rest of the film is in Cantonese. It was converted from a LaserDisc and some chapters are incorrectly arranged. The film was released again in Hong Kong on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

Hong Kong Legends Hong Kong Legends was a United Kingdom DVD distribution company, based in Hertfordshire and operating from the UK and Australia between 1999 and 2007. Hong Kong Legends was initially part of Medusa Communications, who, along with Soulblade bought ...

on 21 January 2002. The Taiwanese release of the film is in Mandarin and has 15 minutes more footage than the Hong Kong version. It was distributed by Long Shong Pictures and features a 4:3 cropped image with embedded Chinese and English subtitles, and the distributor's logo on the upper left corner of the screen. Both the Hong Kong and Taiwanese versions were released on DVD in North America by Columbia TriStar. There is also an English export version of the film called '' The Invincible Shaolin''. In comparison with the original version, the end credits of ''The Invincible Shaolin'' are in English and some footage is cut out.

References

External links

* *
HK Cinemagic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Once Upon A Time In China Iii 1993 martial arts films 1993 films 1990s biographical films Hong Kong biographical films Hong Kong martial arts films Hong Kong sequel films 1990s Cantonese-language films Films set in Guangdong Kung fu films Once Upon a Time in China (film series) Golden Harvest films Films directed by Tsui Hark Films set in the Qing dynasty 1990s Hong Kong films