Welcome back to our retrospective on Chinese Kung Fu heroines
This is part two of our series
If you haven't seen the first part
Link to the video is in the description
Last time we went through the old school heroines
From before the birth of cinema
All the way to the classic wuxia films of the 60s
Now, we are heading into the modern age
The golden era of Hong Kong cinema
The exciting time where Chinese action films took the world by storm
Let's find out, how our our ladies continue the fight
In the 60s, Hong Kong saw an economic upturn
Women began entering the workforce
With financial independence
Women began to have a sub-culture of their own
And channels to express themselves
Compulsory education was introduced in 1971
Which later extended to 9 years in 1978
This raised a new generation of educated women
It was around this time
The term Superwoman came into prominent use in Cantonese
Used to describe women who are strong, independent
And often, career driven
It was in this climate that Kara Hui became Hong Kong's new action darling
See, in Clan of the White Lotus
A film about a man seeking vengeance against the evil Pa Mei
Hui's character is supposed to be a wife
Yet, her role functions more like an old mentor archetype
Teaching the manly male lead with her feminine kung fu
The only type of kung fu that can defeat Pai Mei's masculine "groin fu"
It is perhaps the most literal way of proclaiming femininity as power
Hui's most famous film, My Young Auntie
Tells the story of a kung fu fighting aunt
Trying to punch a family back into shape
In this scene, where Hui's character puts on makeup and a dress
This is one of the earliest example I can find
Where fashion is depicted as something for women to express themselves
Rather than a way to tease or please men
Her feminine aspect does not stop her from being a stern and stoic mentor
Femininity no longer defines a person's role in society
Nor their strength
Kicking ass
Looking good
Not mutually exclusive
Oh yeah, the fight scene
After Bruce Lee transformed on screen fighting
The physicality of kung fu performance got dialed up to 11
Kara Hui honestly provided some of the best action scenes ever
Not only are they fast and impressive
They are full of characters
Very underrated
There is one more thing, however
In both Clan of the White Lotus and My Young Auntie
The female characters are there to uphold the patriarchal social order
The final confrontations are always between the men
And the women are there to provide support
That would no longer be the case
As we head into the late 80s
With my favourite Kara Hui movie
The Inspector Wears Skirts
In this film, Kara Hui plays May
An officer in the recently established all female Special Duties Unit
Now, Hong Kong's Special Duties Unit is a law enforcement unit
Similar to the SWAT team in the U.S.
And to this day, there is, reportedly, only ever one female officer in the unit
So the film is basically actively disrupting an existing social norm
By creating a female counterpart
In the film, the girls had to deal with sexual harassment
And sexist dismissals from their male colleagues
While pursuing their own interests
Some seek love
Others, like Kara Hui's character, just want
to be the best of the best
In films before this
Women warriors weren't that different from male archetypes
The heroines act like men
And the world treats them, like they treat men
But now, the depiction of heroines comes closer to real life
"How cute, how adorable"
Sexism is acknowledged rather than swept under the rug
With much greater willingness to challenge the status quo
And to explore problems women are facing
The old conformist social value is almost gone
Women are free to be as they wish
Feminine
Or masculine
Unfortunately, reality wasn't ready for ideas this progressive just yet
In 1988, at age 28
Kara Hui went to Paris to shoot a nude photo album
It caused quite a controversy
The world wasn't ready for a woman this in control of her own expressions
And her career took a downturn as a result
She suffered from depression in 1999
Luckily, she made a recovery and returned to the big screen in 2005
And continues to be a critically acclaimed actress to this very day
Impressing everyone with her ass kicking in Dragon
As well as her emotional performance in 2013's Rigor Mortis
Hui is never married
Not in a way where she made a deliberate choice to stay single
But she is rather content without marriage
When every other actress got married and left the film industry in their 20s
Hui only took a break to take care of her mental health
Make your own choices
Pursue your own dream
Kara Hui was, and perhaps still is, ahead of her time
Heading into the the late 80s to mid 90s
Hong Kong film industry stood as an international gem
There was nothing like Hong Kong action films
Thanks to the work of Jackie Chan and others
In an era this competitive
There is something to be said about Michelle Yeoh
Who, not only stands as THE definitive Da Nü for most people
But her fame rivals that of any other male action star of her time
And, as we will see
Her time is currently still on going
Born into a wealthy family in Malaysia
Much like Cheng Pei-pei
Michelle has a background in dancing
After she won the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant
She quickly caught the attention of the Hong Kong film industry
And became a star under the fledgling production company D&B Films
She hit it big with her first starring role, in Yes, Madam in 1985
Co-starring the equally legendary Cynthia Rothrock
In the film, Michelle plays a female detective
On a murder case
It's your run of the mill "buddy cop" movies
But featuring two women instead
What is next level, is its choreography
And crazy stunts
Most of which, of course, involves no stunt doubles
Rocking this short hairdo
Michelle's character is reminiscent of Kara Hui's character
Goes to show that in the 80s
This tomboy look was indeed a trend
And much like in Inspector Wears Skirts
The tomboy has to face sexism on a daily basis as well
"Rude woman"
"How are you going to get married?"
"Shut your pie hole"
Just 2 years after her career
Michelle married the head of the D&B Films
And like many other young actresses
Retired from acting
Except, the marriage only lasted 5 years
As Michelle realized
This whole marry young and rich thing isn't for her
Instead, Michelle became the biggest workaholic in Hong Kong cinema
She immediately returned to the big screen with 1993's Jackie blockbuster
Super Cop
With Jackie comes budget and improved choreography
But Michelle's punches and kicks also had more power behind it
It would not surprised me if she had been training behind the scenes
Not to mention, the stunts
Which, once again, she did many of which herself
And they look spectacular
Just one year later, in the Yuen Woo-ping classic
Tai Chi Master
Michelle got a chance to co-star alongside Jet Li
Where Michelle challenged herself with a different style of fighting
This time, with wire-fu
Finally, in 1994
She gets her own starring role in another Yuen Woo-ping flick
Wing Chun
In which she demonstrates a great deal of dramatic acting talent
And the fights are better than ever
Interesting to note, that
In Tai Chi Master, practically every female character knows how to fight
The concept of Da Nü is so widely accepted
No one even questions it anymore
And in Wing Chun
The notion that women shouldn't learn kung fu
Or that they are always weaker than men
Is played for laughs
"When it comes to kung fu"
"Men are always better than women"
"Bottoms up"
"Surrender?"
After many years of seeing women kicking ass on screen
Finally, the world accepts that women can be fighters
Without question
In this scene, Michelle's character seeks guidance from her master
In a clever commentary to real life
They cast the other definitive Da Nü as the master
Look how far we've come
With all her hard work
Michelle became the Wonder Woman
To Jackie's Superman, and Jet Li's Batman
She became the first Chinese Bond Girl
And propelled herself into international stardom
She learned Mandarin
For Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
"You are not a murderer"
"That's why you are worthy of this sword"
Yes, she does not speak Mandarin prior to the film
And now she speaks it fluently
"Michelle Yeoh isn't just an action star"
"She has many faces"
That's dedication
Outside of action
Her acting talent also landed her roles in classics like Sunshine
As a great villain in Crazy Rich Asian
"You will never be enough"
Jesus Christ she's imposing
And she also ventured into TV shows
Michelle is a woman that does not stop
At age 57, she remains one of the most relevant martial arts stars in the world
If you have thoughts of women being any less capable than men
Say that, while look her in the eyes
Now, the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon shows up a lot in this retrospective
And that is no coincidence
Both Michelle Yeoh and Cheng Pei-pei play main characters in the film
But, there is one more
Zhang Ziyi
With a background in dancing
(I'm having deja vu here)
And enrolled in China's top drama school
Just 2 years into her university study
She got the chance to star in Zhang Yimou's period romantic drama
The Road Home
In the film, Zhang plays a free spirited young girl in love
Which, is not exactly a good thing in 1950s conservative China
But despite all oppositions
She chooses who she loves
And remains by his side even in great peril
This stubborn and headstrong personality
Defines much of Zhang's on screen persona
As well as her real life quality
More on that later
In the year 2000
At just age 22
Zhang rose to international fame
With her terrific performance in Ang Lee's masterpiece
By the year 2000
No one openly believes "women belong in the kitchen"
Overt sexism is socially unacceptable
So Crouching Tiger's depiction of the subject is much more nuanced
In the film, Zhang's character is a governor's daughter
In those days, women weren't expected to be fighters
They were expected to be good wives
In an arranged marriage
But Zhang's character yearns for freedom
To travel as an adventurer
To freely chooses who she loves
To make her own decisions in life
And much of the tragedy of the film
Stems from the lack of proper guidance from the world
The oppression against women is... actually not exactly subtle
Much like real world sexism
It is there if you pay attention
But can easily be missed if you aren't looking
It is insidious
And happens almost without thought or intention
This draws parallel to contemporary topics surrounding feminism
Such as workplace inequality
Or the fact that women are still expected to be the one to do house chores
In any case, after Crouching Tiger
Zhang's career is pretty much all smooth sailing
In 2001
She stars in Rush Hour 2 as the villain
Where she fights...
Chris Tucker?
Oh lame! Movie!
Lame!
She would continue her collaborations with Zhang Yimou
Starring in Hero
And later, House of Flying Daggers
Cementing her status as a Da Nü of the new millennium
Meanwhile, she also demonstrates her great acting skill
In films from Wong Kar-wai's 2046
To Hollywood drama, Memoirs of a Geisha
To...
Godzilla King of the Monsters
Look, she's the best part of the movie
Just saying
During the filming of 2013's Wong Kai-wai flick
The Grandmaster
Zhang went out of her way to learn traditional kung fu Baguazhang
Effectively making her a Chinese method actress
Behind the scene, Zhang Ziyi is currently married with two children
But, surprise
She never left the film industry
Taking only short breaks to, well, gave birth
Just part of her headstrong personality
Today, Zhang Ziyi stood as one of the brightest star in the Chinese film industry
And her portfolio grows more impressive by the day
From acting to fighting
She still has much to offer
I'll eagerly awaits her future performance
It's often hard to perceive how powerful on screen media can be
When Star Trek showed the first interracial kiss
It was sending a message
Claiming that in the future
There shall be no racial barriers
Often, when reflecting on the world around it
A movie also depicts an idealized world
A world we should strive for
Watching these ladies being strong heroines is certainly entertaining
But more importantly
They are inspiring
They show us a world where regardless of sex and gender
We can proudly live free
And stand alongside one another
Da Nü aren't just women who are good at fighting on screen
But are heroines who are great at fighting prejudice
Generations after generations
The inspired became the inspirations
All in a journey to fight for a better world