Hello Jet Li!

How much did you know about Shaolin Temple before you started making those movies?

Denise and Jack Louie
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Jet's Response

Not all that much. We knew that the powerful, active forms of the External styles of wushu were associated with Shaolin Temple, just as the quieter movements of the Internal styles were related to Wudang Temple. Other than that, we didn't know much about the history of Shaolin. When we arrived in the area in 1979 to start filming the first movie, the temple and the grounds were very dilapidated. The Cultural Revolution had only ended a few years before. There was nothing left inside, and the exterior of the buildings hadn't been kept in very good order either. There were only three monks living at the temple. One was the abbot, one the gatekeeper, and the last one was the caretaker/cook. As far as we knew, none of them had any particular martial prowess and nobody in the area practiced wushu.

After the movie came out, though, the temple gained fame throughout China and the world. By the time we returned three years later for more filming, the place had changed completely. All the roads within a four or five kilometer radius of the temple were lined with signs promoting Shaolin businesses of all kinds: Shaolin cola, Shaolin beer, Shaolin cigarettes...and school after school of Shaolin martial arts. What a difference from the lonely, deserted temple of just a few years before.

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