- Kwan Tak Hing
Kwan Tak Hing, MBE (zh-tsp|t=關德興|s=关德兴|p=Guān Déxīng;
27 June 1905 -28 June 1996 ) was an actor who played the role ofmartial artist Wong Fei Hong in at least 77 films, between the 1940s and the 1980s. No-one else in cinema history has portrayed the same person so many times. In total he made over 130 films. He was elected to be the chairman ofChinese Artist Association of Hong Kong in 1955. He was awarded the M.B.E. (Member of the British Empire ) in 1983.Biography
Guan was born in
Guangzhou ,China in 1905. He was the second child in the family. His father died early because of disease. When he was 12, he worked in construction sites. When he was 13, he worked as a waiter in a restaurant inSingapore and started to learnCantonese opera .His film debut was in "The Singing Lovers" in 1933, made in America. During the second world war he was in a troupe of patriotic entertainers and had a price put on his head by the Japanese. [Logan, Bey (1995). "Hong Kong Action Cinema" Titan Books ISBN 1-85286-540-7]
The first film in which he starred as
Wong Fei Hong was theStory of Huang Feihong (1949) directed by Wu Pang and produced by theYong Yao Film Company and includedShek Kin as the villain withLi Lan (the very first winner of the Miss Hong Kong Pageant - the start for many famousHong Kong actresses).This two parter was a huge success and spawned many sequels which explored many ideas and situations used in later action films. In 1956, twenty fiveWong Fei Hong films were released. [Yang, Jeff. (2003). "Once Upon A Time in China" Atria Books ISBN 0-7434-4817-0]The
Wong Fei Hong sequence of films ended in 1970 (many seem to have disappeared or deteriorated beyond use unfortunately) but in 1974, Golden Harvest revived the role by pairing him with Sammo Hung in the Skyhawk and then The Magnificent Butcher (1979), the Magnificent Kick (1980), and Dreadnought (1981) featuring Tak-hing in reprisals of this familiar role. TVB also aired a 13 part television series with him in the familiar role in 1976. He was then in his 80's and though the more athletic scenes were doubled he was still amazingly fit and supple. To the Chinese Kwan embodied the Confucian virtues and patriarchal authority and allegedly modelled his speeches on those of Sun Yat-sen. [Hunt, Leon. (2003). "Kung Fu Cult Masters" Wallflower Press ISBN 1-903364-63-9] He played cameo roles in "The Family Strikes Back" and "Aces Go Places 4"Kwan was originally a practitioner of the White Crane martial art including the use of the bullwhip and the pole. Kwan was also known for his skills in the lion dance. and Chinese calligraphy.
Although these films feature a lot of blood shed, it is interesting that at the end of The Magnificent Butcher the main villain (played by Hoi San Lee) is saved from Sammo Hung, in line with the original films where
Wong Fei Hong would defeat the villain but then heal him. He became so associated with the matureWong Fei Hong that Jackie Chan only played him as a younger man (and Yuen Woo Ping depicted him as a child in Iron Monkey - played by an actress Sze-Man Tsang). When Jet Li portrayed him in the Once Upon a Time in China series, many Chinese audiences thought him too young. [Logan, Bey. Commentary to the Hong Kong Legends edition of "The Magnificent Butcher"]After his semi-retirement from films he opened a martial arts school and a number of herbal centres, whose soup and an ointment for bruises were well known in Hong Kong. [Logan, Bey. Commentary to the Hong Kong Legends edition of "The Magnificent Butcher"]
He received an honorary MBE for his charitable work and contribution to the entertainment industry in 1984.
In Bey Logan's commentary to this film he states that though there is a grave marker to Kwan Tak Hing in Kowloon territory his ashes were taken to San Francisco to rest with those of his second wife who he met whilst travelling in America raising money for the Chinese war effort. He died at the age of 92 of pancreatic cancer.
Filmography
* "
The Guangzhou Adventure of the Fearless " (1947)
* "One-Eye Dragon Strange Hero " (1947)
* "Bloody Cloth " (1948)
* "Fishing Village in the War " (1948)
* "A Sword to Save a Country " (1949)
* "A Woman's Heart is Never Mended " (1949)
* "The Lady Protector and the Knight with the Whip " (1949)
* "Story of Huang Feihong " (Part 1) (1949)
* "Story of Huang Feihong " (Part 2) (1949)
* "Xue Rengui's Bloody Battle at Liu Village " (1950)
* "" (1950)
* "" (1950)
* "Story of Huang Feihong " (Part 5) (1951)
* "The Silver World of Stardom " (1951)
* "The Five Heroes' Deadly Spears " (1951)
* "The Brave Archer " (1951)
* "Soul of the Tiger " (1952)
* "How Huang Feihong Defeated 3 Bullies with a Single Rod " (1953)
* "Brother in Bloodshed " (1954)
* "Huang Feihong Tries His Shadowless Kick " (1954)
* "Story of Huang Feihong and Lin Shirong " (1954)
* "The Boxer of Nanhai " (1954)
* "The True Story of Huang Feihong " (1955)
* "The Story of Huang Feihong " (2nd Sequel) (1955)
* "Story of Iron Monkey " (Grand Finale) (1955)
* "Huang Feihong's Rival for the Fireworks " (1955)
* "Huang Feihong's Victory at Fourth Gate " (1955)
* "How Huang Feihong Vanquished the Bully on Long Dike " (1955)
* "Huang Feihong at a Boxing Match " (1956)
* "Huang Feihong's Fight in Foshan " (1956)
* "How Huang Feihong Set Fire to Dashatou " (1956)
* "Huang Feihong and the Courtesan's Boat Argument " (1956)
* "Huang Feihong's Battle at Shuangmendi " (1956)
* "Huang Feihong and the Lantern Festival Disturbance " (1956)
* "How Huang Feihong Pitted 7 Lions against the Dragon " (1956)
* "How Huang Feihong Fought 5 Dragons Single-handed " (1956)
* "How Huang Feihong Thrice Tricked the Girl Bodyguard " (1956)
* "How Huang Feihong Saved the Dragon's Mother's Temple " (1956)
* "Huang Feihong's 7 Battles with the Fiery Unicorn " (1956)
* "How Huang Feihong Vanquished the 12 Tigers " (1956)
* "How Huang Feihong Conquered the Two Tigers " (1956)
* "How Huang Feihong Pitted a Lion against the Unicorn " (1956)
* "" (1956)
* "Huang Feihong Wins the Dragon Boat Race " (1956)
* "How Huang Feihong Thrice Captured Su Shulian in the Water " (1956)
* "How Huang Feihong Vanquished the Terrible Hound at Shamian " (1956)
* "Huang Feihong's Victory at Xiaobeijiang " (1956)
* "How Huang Feihong Vanquished the Bully at the Red Opera Float " (1956)
* "The Princess is Kidnapped " (1956)
* "Heroine of Deadly Darts " (1956)
* "Huang Feihong Rescues the Fishmonger " (1956)
* "Huang Feihong's Battle at Mountain Goddess of Mercy " (1956)
* "Huang Feihong Attends the Joss-Stick Festival at Heavenly Goddess' Temple " (1956)
* "Wu Song's Bloody Fight on Lion's Bower " (1956)
* "Huang Feihong Goes to a Birthday Party at Guanshan " (1956)
* "How Huang Feihong Saved the Lovelorn Monk from the Ancient Monastery " (1956)
* "The Life of Zuo Song " (1956)
* "Chang E's Flight to the Moon " (1956)
* "The White Crane Heroes " (1956)
* "General Kwan Seduced by Diaochan Under Moonlight " (1956)
* "Ne-Zha's Adventures in the East Sea " (1957)
* "Devil's Sword " (1957)
* "Huang Feihong's Fight at Henan " (1957)
* "Huang Feihong's Three Battles with the Unruly Girl " (1957)
* "How Huang Feihong Spied on Black Dragon Hill at Night " (1957)
* "How the Boxer from Nanhai Stole the Dappled Horse at Night " (1957)
* "Huang Feihong's Battle with the Lion King " (1957)
* "Huang Feihong and the Battle of Saddle Hill " (1957)
* "The War between Chu and Han " (1957)
* "How Huang Feihong Smashed the Flying Dagger Gang " (1957)
* "The Flag Which Conquered 7 Provinces " (1957)
* "How Huang Feihong Fought a Bloody Battle in the Spinster's Home " (1957)
* "World of Fist " (1957)
* "Knife in Fish-gut " (1957)
* "Huang Feihu's Rebellion " (1957)
* "Ne Zha's Adventures in the Heavenly Palace " (1957)
* "Fifteen Strings of Coins " (1957)
* "General Guan Escorts His Brother's Wife on a 1,000 Mile Journey " (1957)
* "Huang Feihong's Rival for a Pearl " (1957)
* "" (1958)
* "Huang Feihu's Rebellion " (2nd sequel) (1958)
* "Lest We Forget " (1958)
* "Fan Lihua Bears a Son in the Golden-Light Militia " (1958)
* "How Xue Gang Smashed the Temple " (1958)
* "Huang Feihong's Fierce Battle " (1958)
* "How Huang Feihong Erases the Golden Bell Trap " (1958)
* "Huanf Feihong Seizes the Bride at Xiguan " (1958)
* "How Huang Feihong Stormed Phoenix Hill " (1958)
* "Massacre of the Innocents " (1958)
* "Huang Feihong's Battle with the Bullies in the Boxing Ring " (1958)
* "Huang Feihong's Victory at Ma Village " (1958)
* "Huang Feihong Gets Rid of the Three Rascals " (1958)
* "How Huang Feihong Used an Iron-Fowl Against the Eagle " (1958)
* "Huang Feihohng Saves the Kidnapped Liang Kuan " (1958)
* "The Flying Prince " (1958)
* "Three Attempts to Steal the Cup of the Nine Dragons " (1959)
* "The Rascal He on Fire " (1959)
* "Huang Feihong on Rainbow Bridge " (1959)
* "Shattering the Copper Net Array " (1959)
* "Seven Heroes Spy on Chongxiao Bower " (1959)
* "King Kong's Adventures in the Heavely Palace " (1959)
* "How Wen Tianxiang Thrice Tricked Grand Sire Wen " (1959)
* "White Lady's Reincarnation " (1959)
* "Huang Feihong Trapped in the Hell " (1959)
* "How Huang Feihong Defeated the Tiger on the Opera Stage " (1959)
* "Huang Feihong's Combat in the Boxing Ring " (1960)
* "How Na Zha Rescued His Mother from the Snake Mountain " (1960)
* "Huang Feihong's Battle with the Gorilla " (1960)
* "The Strange Hero Conquered the Dragon " (1960)
* "Two Orphans Conquered the Dragon at Tianshan " (1960)
* "Tao Lung Fighting against Fin Kum Kong " (1960)
* "How Huang Feihong Smashed the Five Tigers " (1961)
* "The Invincible Iron Fan " (1961)
* "Killing of the Villains " (1961)
* "Huang Feihong Meeting the Heroes with the Tiger Paw " (1967) (also writer)
* "" (1968)
* "" (1968)
* "" (1968)
* "The Magic Whip " (1968)
* "" (1968)
* "" (1968)
* "" (1969)
* "" (1969)
* "Huang Feihong's Combat with the Five Wolves " (1969)
* "Huang Feihong in Sulphur Valley " (1969)
* "" (1970)
* "The Skyhawk " (1974)
* "Magnificent Butcher " (1979)
* "The Magnificent Kick " (1980)
* "Dreadnaught" (1981)
* "Aces Go Places 4 " (1986)
* "The Family Strikes Back " (1986)
* "It's a Wonderful Life" (1994)References
External links
*
* [http://www.lovehkfilm.com/people/kwan_tak_hing.htm Kwan Tak Hing entry at lovehkfilm.com]
* [http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/people.asp?id=69 Hong Kong Cinemagic]
* [http://edu.ocac.gov.tw/culture/chinese/cul_kungfu/e/413-1.htm Kwan Tak Hing, Guan Desing]
* [http://www.nst.com.my/blogs/fillips/97 Blazing the movie trail]
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