The secret to dueling is
don't dodge strikes to the head
Your opponent's fist is always faster
Wrists are slender
The neck is thick
Hands or head, which is faster?
Hands
Once more!
You already defeated him in the dojo
Win or lose,
it's customary for the dojo to play host
You wanted coffee. We came all this way for it,
why humiliate him once again?
I suppose fighters enjoy talking Kung Fu
One more duel
Are you going to take care of it?
Of course
IN 1912, TIANJIN'S FIRST DOJO WAS BORN
BY 1932, TIANJIN BECAME CITY OF MARTIAL ARTS
DISCIPLINES ALL ACROSS CHINA COME HERE FOR FAME
What style was that?
Wing-Chun
Never heard of it
It's a small discipline in Southern China
known only to a few
You want to make Wing-Chun famous in Tianjin?
With your permission
You surprised me today
No ordinary man can attain your level
I'll take you somewhere
I'm the only martial artist who's been there
You see?
That Belarusian dancer is astonishing
Her movements, the subtle muscle control,
it's like a martial art
I swore an oath to guard our secrets
when I started learning Kung Fu
Did you?
Yes. I will take at most two disciples in my life
If we don't start teaching our secrets soon,
the foreigners will figure out our tricks
Our grandchildren are in danger
So teach
I can't
None of the Tianjin Masters dare challenge the customs
We need an outsider, someone who can break the taboo
If you promise to teach your secrets,
I will allow you to open a dojo
For thirty years I've been the Grandmaster of Tianjin
I want to do something worthwhile
before bowing out
Thirty years is a long time
Why didn't you act sooner?
With age comes wisdom, I suppose
Come see me at Kiessling's in three days
Tianjin's top western restaurant
Easy to find
Whatever you choose,
we should enjoy a meal together
I thought it over
Gain reputation, but not hand down my secrets
The bread here is free
It's the only free meal you'll find in Tianjin
Aside from your permission, there's an old rule
If I best eight dojo's, I can open my own
No one has ever defeated more than five
Neither eaten more than five loaves of bread here
Bread...
Eight
My Master played it safe his whole life
In his final years,
he'd curse himself when he was drunk
I don't want to die with regrets
Stop that
I despise men taking petty advantages
Fine,
so you play by the rules
If I wait any longer, I'll be too old to fight
You don't have to fight
If you fight
you'll be expelled, even if you win
You must teach a disciple to fight for you
They won't accept me, but him?
The disciple must be a local
Tianjin people accept their own
I can help you choose someone
It will take at least three years to train someone
I can't wait that long
You have no choice
She's not a decent woman
Her family was poor
so she attended the missionary school
At 17 she gave birth to a child
A foreign breed
Her parents drowned the baby
With her bad reputation, she never remarried
I'll marry you
I will stay in Tianjin for three years
And then?
Go to Guangdong with me
If you don't want to go,
I will leave you some money
How much?
Negotiable
That isn't the life I dreamt of
In my dream life,
I marry a Brazilian who Whisks me off
to South America to plant cocoa...
Do we have a deal?
This is the price
I've vouched for you
If you don't pay, she'll come looking for me
This is the last time I help you
You owe me
Just so we're clear
Don't ask what I do in Tianjin
If you find out, don't tell anyone
I'll be your wife, not your concubine
How do I know you'll be faithful to me?
Since I was 15
I've practiced 500 strokes every day
That number keeps my head clear of distractions
Starting from today,
you'll be that number
Once a month I want a shopping
and crabs for dinner
We live in a slum, so we have to act the part
Just do window shopping
and no crabs
Tianjin has nine rivers
Crabs are even cheaper than rice
Well then,
as many as you want
You don't usually smoke
Everyone has a bad habit
This is mine
Okay
Hurry up! Move!
Looks like a master
I wonder how he pissed off those thugs?
Perhaps his wife is pretty
They are too well-dressed to be from around here
Once you've seen her face, we're leaving
Madam?
I challenge your man to a duel
Wash up. He won't be back for a while
That face is worth taking a beating for
Go away -Huh?
You want to watch me get clobbered?
Fist fights are boring
How about knives?
Are these good enough?
Just fine
It would be a pity for you not to learn Kung Fu
I will teach you
Didn't you notice how your disciple was looking at me?
He's a backstabber
He won't dare look at you inappropriately
once he starts his training
He will then respect me like a god
Master!
Don't call me master
I will not teach you anymore
I thought we've reached an understanding?
I found someone better
Someone local?
Yes
I wasn't going to mention this but
Tianjin has nineteen dojo's
After your disciple defeats eight of them,
the heads of the dojo's will elect a champion
to defeat him
and banish him from Tianjin forever
But his victory over the eight dojo's will be admitted
His Master may stay and start a dojo
Wing-Chun thus wins fame and glory,
and Tianjin doesn't lose face. Everyone wins
The man I chose is willing to leave Tianjin forever
Why sacrifice someone else?
Indeed, he is a nobody
Readily expendable
I will be the Champion the dojo's elect
I'm old
A final victory before I retire,
that would be the icing on the cake
For my last battle, nothing can be left to chance
I need to know everything your disciple knows
I will acknowledge you as my Master
Tianjin has a kind of challenge called "Push-Knives"
Ten years ago it was very popular
But not anymore
Tianjin's knife skills grow weak
No outsider knows this technique
With these knife skills,
you will be ready to challenge the dojo's in two years
Two years...
Next year, I will take you away from here
(Gang)!
Looks like business is good
My Master said I need to switch jobs
I can't do physical labour anymore
I need all my strength for training
You're not a coolie anymore,
don't keep that cart
The boss asked for a hefty severance fee
You go, cart stays. That's the rule
Take the cart...
over my dead body
Get him!
Let's go!
No blades in street brawls
That's the rule in Tianjin
Today you used knives against us
We are no longer family
Keep your cart!
Let's go!
ONE YEAR LATER
Okay!
Chest hit
Wrist hit
Waist hit
Rib hit
Forearm hit
Geng wins!
Yinghua Dojo will honor you tonight at the Dengying Lou Restaurant
Dengying Lou Restaurant? Not interested
You may choose a venue
Three bowls each!
You said that we could look but not buy
He can keep you company when I'm not at home
I dare you to wait here!
How many thugs can you round up?
A few hundred!
Can you bring twenty?
Sure!
I'll wait
Don't chicken out!
Let's go home
I want to fight
I didn't know you hate dogs
When I hold it in my arms it feels like a baby
I heard about that baby of yours
People say my parents drowned him
No. They sold him
Newborns are always pretty ugly
I was so young... I have no hard feelings
Three years ago
I suddenly started missing the baby
Maybe...
we can still find him
The first day of our marriage
I took the money for a divorce settlement
I'm not following you to Guangdong
What happens in Tianjin stays in Tianjin
So...
you'll find some other man?
With or without a gardener,
flowers die regardless
With or without a man,
women live on their own
They really came
This conversation isn't over
My family owned nearly a hundred properties in Guangdong
We lost everything in a rebellion
It's lucky I learned martial arts when I was young,
otherwise I would have starved
I worked on cargo ships as a bodyguard
for thirteen years
Once I hit forty,
I'd had enough of the sea
I only wanted to go home
All of our estates had either been occupied or ruined
Recovering the ancestral home was a struggle
I swore I would make my family proud again
But my Master died last year
I owe a debt to my Master and to my family
I thought it wouldn't take long to establish a dojo,
so I decided to repay my Master first
I must act quickly
or my home will be seized
I must return to Guangdong
I didn't ask you to stay
Tianjin has nine rivers
I don't know which one brought my ancestors here
But I'm a fourth generation Tianjiner
If I go with you,
it would be an insult to my ancestors
Tianjin girls don't marry outside Tianjin
That's just the way it is
I see
If I leave, I'll divorce you
Won't that ruin your reputation?
It will ruin yours
Tianjiners are proud of their women
They'll curse your name once they hear you
put a good woman to shame
I see
Thanks for making an honest woman out of me
You were sent by God
What God? -Valentino
Who?
A Hollywood movie star
He's a God?
Leave me a photo when you go
I'll pray to you too
They're gone
Let's keep walking
Master!
Shhh! My wife's asleep
Get rid of him
Today...
Why aren't you at the dojo's feast of honor?
Did you lose?
I won
I have no interest in their hospitality,
so I bought crabs for you
He beat his first dojo
It's a special day for him
Your Master always buys 80
30 for him, 50 for me
You really skimped out on these crabs
Back when I was learning Kung Fu,
you never spoke to me
Today you finally scolded me
I'm happy
because it means that
my Master would teach me something new
I understand
I'm in love with a girl
She's as pretty as you!
Your hands are like mine. Working since childhood
She's prettier than me
Not at all
Every dojo has its own sparring gear,
pretty crude stuff
My ancestor was a General in the Qing Dynasty
I designed this sparring gear with my ancestors armor
What do you think?
It's useful
Brother Zheng!
My knife skills are solid?
How's your disciple?
I was right about him
He's a prodigy
Aren't you going to wear them?
Kicking?
Geng wins!
It's been one year
This is the first time I let you inside
Do you know why?
Yes, Master
You finally think I'm worthy
Master, are you hurt?
I had an accident at work
When I was 23 my Master took me for a coffee
and told me that
the future of Wing-Chun rests on my shoulders
Now I'm telling you the same
Don't fight the dojo's anymore. It's too dangerous
Geng!
You...
Would you cry if I died?
I hope you die soon
As you wish!
Where's your husband?
Taking a siesta
Wake him up
Your disciple has defeated seven dojo's
He's quite a fighter
He's a typical Tianjin youth, he doesn't listen to me
I regret teaching him
It wasn't your idea?
I have mouths to feed
What good would it do me to provoke you?
A dojo means a steady flow of income
Your woman is very pretty,
she deserves better than this
You're prettier,
I dare not fall for you
I think he's telling the truth
Let him live
Finally
I know why you married me
Living in poverty,
taking a wife,
this is just a front
An illusion to hide your ambitions
You are going to betray your disciple
The future of Wing-Chun rests on my shoulders
This is the hand that fate dealt me
Go
But don't breathe a word of this to Geng
Do not sabotage my plan
Relax
If you're tense, your shoulders will tighten up
and it will slow you down
I know
If you're tense, you'll lose
I know
Master
Go
You're better than I was
A disciple of mine
is now the Viceroy's second in command
Whenever I come here,
I put my expenses on his tab
His Kung Fu stinks but his money is good
Madam
So this is where he has been
training you this past year
The first time you came to our house was to look at me, right?
Everybody likes pretty women
What if it meant paying with your life?
I wouldn't want you to die for me
You're more than
just a pretty woman to me now
Tianjin's a tough place
After the coolies renounced me
I had nobody
You and the Master
are the only family I have left
You need to wise up
If something looks fishy, you run
Don't worry
The competitions are attended by notaries
There won't be reprisals
Blades aren't allowed in Tianjin's street fights
Pedicab drivers always hide a pole under their cabs
I'm the man who's defeated seven dojo's
Go get it
Geng, are you crazy?
He's a bad guy
With his shiny legs he's not a pedicab driver
All I saw was you bullying my customer
People get bullied here every day
Today for once I am the bully, so what?
You are no longer welcome here
Gang
Do I know you?
You've become quite a celebrity
I made a little detour so I could pass by your book stall
Fighting in the dojo
is better than being assassinated
What are you talking about?
I challenge your dojo
I accept
with one condition
I will not be seen drinking
at a tea stall
It's disgraceful
For you I'll make an exception
Coffee?
Much obliged
I haven't been able to preserve...
my husband's legacy
Master Han died young. It's been hard for you
Ten years ago
Push-Knives was all the rage in Tianjin
It was his virtuosity that made it so popular
After he left us everyone just lost interest
The rise and fall of an art
depends on the life and death of an artist
Tianjin has nineteen dojo's,
mine was the eighth one he has challenged
If he won the next then half of Tianjin's finest were beat
Tianjin will be a laughing stock
Sister,
I'll take care of it
After all these years old friends are still the most reliable
Dojo's have no champions because we don't teach our secrets
We don't teach outsiders. It's always been that way
Big martial arts academies are the brainchild
of ambitious politicians and business men
Once the dojo's have served their purpose and the donations stop,
the gravy train will grind to a halt
Just enjoy it while it lasts
Master
lam not your Master
Remember that
No sparring today
I have a plan for future generations of fighters
This enhanced Qing dynasty armor
will be used by soldiers for bayonet practice
The days of dojo's are numbered
The military is the future
When do you fight my disciple?
In a few days. Today I'm meeting the Viceroy
Master!
Thanks for your arrangement
Where's the Viceroy?
He's not coming
He wants us to film for him
It's good he isn't coming
So we will have a record of your greatness
A record of a Master like you
will be a great contribution to history
Together with your Master,
you too will enter the history books...
Stop!
Wrong
Stop, stop!
Did you get that?
Master
My disciple set me up
To secure notoriety, one can challenge other dojo's
Or one's own master. It's called a graduation gift
Is that so?
The defeated Master will arrange a banquet...
in his disciple's honor
This was your idea?
Your disciple thought I might persuade you,
in view of our friendship
I didn't know this was his plan
He's a soldier, not a martial artist
What does this achieve?
No use crying over spilt milk
You've been around, you know how it is
These two houses are gifts from your disciple
Don't you want them?
He's destroyed a reputation I worked a lifetime to build
It's the least he can do
Master Zheng isn't home,
he didn't say when he's coming back
There's no such thing as a free lunch, Sir
The bread is free only if you order something
All this time the answer has been staring me in the face
I have a friend
He's fit as an ox
The years have taught him how to be cautious
He will not take a risk
even if it means sacrificing others
Master Zheng
He will soon fight Geng
He will break his promise, in a brutal way
Geng will die?
He's a prodigy,
he may not die
But he'll be crippled
Life won't be worth living
We need to get him out of Tianjin,
tonight
I told you I'm not going with you
See us off
Okay?
Okay
Wait for me at home
Master Chen. Come upstairs for some tea
Northern custom dictates
The dojo's should vote on how we settle your disciple
The edge means friend, the middle means foe
If he's a foe... the end justifies the means
Tianjin has nineteen dojo's. Why are there so few of you?
What is Master Zheng's opinion?
We talk with our teacups, not our mouths
Take one
Do you have The Swordsman of Sichuan Mountains?
An officer wants to read it
Yes
There's an officer who wants to read this while he drinks his tea
Let him read it, I'll waive your charge
If we both leave Tianjin and never come back
Will you spare him?
You won't be able to help
I'll see what I can do
Go and call the police
Thank you!
Your disciple defeated eight dojo's.
If we banish both of you
Outsiders will say were bullies
We will support you to open a dojo for at least one year
Then?
We won't stop you if you leave
We are neither politicians nor gangsters
He could leave safely
Wow! What a fighter!
Geng, do you need a hand?
No
Duel with swords
What are you doing?
He is no longer one of us
The military is doing what we're supposed to do
They're taking over the dojo's
The dojo's used to have autonomy
Those days are gone
So I sacrificed my disciple for yours
My days in Tianjin are over
I was too ashamed
to meet with you
Today I'm boarding a boat to Brazil
I'll end my days planting cocoa
This is a gift for your new dojo
Please accept it. Tell people I designed it
This is the last of my legacy
This is the first time I've seen your front door
Someone's going with me
You've met her
I shouldn't have catch your sword
It occupies my hands
I used some tricks
One more duel
No
There's a doctor in that church up ahead
If you move too fast the daggers will dig deeper
You injured six of my men,
so think of this as punishment
Piece of cake
Once you've healed,
never return to Tianjin
This is the dojo's punishment for you
I'm not leaving Tianjin
I've killed over 200 people...
bandits, riffraff
I've lived over twenty years in Tianjin
What kind of man would I be if I was frightened away?
You're all bark and no bite
I dare you to run 50 paces towards Tianjin
Tianjin's a tough place
The eldest sons of poor families
get kicked out at fifteen
and to learn to fend for themselves
lam the eldest
W h whatever
Eight years ago
my parents and two sisters left for the North East
I never heard from them again
I'm the last Tianjiner
in our family
Have a cigarette; it stinks of blood in here
Boss
Stop the car
If he runs like that he won't survive
When we get back, tell the police to collect the corpse
Yes, Sir
You couldn't stop a foreigner learning our tricks
so you made her a Chinese wife
Smart
Goodbye, Brother
Brother Zheng
Be wary of this woman
She is much younger than you
I think she's only in it for your retirement fund
She was born poor,
of course she's very selfish
But what good is a man's money if there isn't a woman to spend it?
Geng!
I shall not scare her
Geng, you're no longer one of us
I'm leaving Tianjin today,
let me do this one last time
So this is how your disciple developed his skills
Your dojo will be located in the busiest area of town
A big mansion with twenty-two rooms
Officer Lin bought it
It will be the largest dojo Tianjin has ever seen
I have booked a hotel room for you
You can stay there until the dojo is finished
I'll stay in my slum
It's grown on me
To gain a reputation like this...
I know it's not what you imagined
If it was me I'd be disappointed too
But that's life, right?
Someone's here to see you
I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well
Please give Geng an honorable funeral
He's already six feet under
Master Chen,
if there's anything you need, we want to help
Anything I need?
Before he died, Geng pushed a cart
He earned a coolie's living
That makes him one of us
We'll avenge his killers
Coolies against fighters?
What a joke!
You!
If I can take your button,
I can cut your throat
Understand?
My dojo is going to open tomorrow
I came to Tianjin to open a dojo
I will not tolerate any disturbance
Geng was your disciple!
My son would be eleven this year
I wonder what he looks like
Probably like that
So many years have passed, I can't find him
But what if he comes looking for me?
I can't leave Tianjin
If they can't catch me,
they'll take revenge on you
You're my husband
If they do come after me...
so be it
I didn't have time...
to have a picture taken for you
This is all of my savings...
from 13 years toiling at sea
Wait for me at the train station tomorrow
If I don't come, get on a train and leave
Get off at Guangdong,
or anywhere else,
and stay for ten years
You can return to Tianjin after ten years
Your son will be twenty-one,
he'll be able to come for you
Sounds like a good plan. Okay
This is impressive
Officer Lin
Yes?
It is improper to be in uniform
during a civilian event
First time I've heard that rule
That's the rule
You still have time to change
You're no longer required here. Dismiss
Come with me
Face me
Stop the car
You're leasing books here as well?
It's my friend's stall,
he died recently
His Master sent someone to tell me that he'd left it to me
Master...
Your friend was a fighter?
Have you just arrived in Tianjin?
My friend is the famous Geng who defeated eight dojo's
I think I heard about him on the train
He's a legend
He was set up by cowards,
people are outraged
His bloodstains remain on some books
Really?
Can you show me?
We're going to be late
Miss
Can I keep this?
You are not ordinary
I'm guessing you're some kind of official
If I give you this, please help bring his killers to justice
From what you say about him
I'm sure he was a good man
Thank you for your support, everyone
Shaw's over
Put up the doors
Today's opening is something new
Not an opera troupe but a film
The Burning of The Red Lotus Temple
I'd like a croissant, please
Master Zheng? Is that Master Zheng?
Officer Lin isn’t just a military man
He's a martial artist
Everyone just witnessed his skills
He has surpassed his Master
We once bowed to Master Zheng
Now we should bow to Officer Lin
Are there any objections?
Can we watch "The Red Lotus Temple" now?
Of course
The Burning of The Red Lotus Temple
is based on The Legendary Fighter
by Xiang Kairan
Directed by Zhang Shichuan
Wherever there are dojo's, there are challengers!
I'm here to issue a challenge
Who will go first?
My disciple defeated eight dojo's
I will try for the ninth
How about you, Master Zou?
You defeated Master Zheng,
you must be tough
Will you fight me?
You dare to challenge me?
Do you know what you're doing here?
It looks like you've been planning this for some time
But many things are best thought and left undone
Are you aware how tough human bodies are,
how many you can kill before your blade loses its edge?
We sympathize with your loss,
so we will treat this little outburst as a joke
Officer Lin hasn't taken any offense, have you?
No
I was like you
I couldn't wait to sacrifice Geng
Beat eight dojo's, be exiled from Tianjin
Sacrifice a genius to glorify Wing-Chun
I'm not his Master,
I'm just a fellow conspirator
Are we going to watch a movie or not?
Show the film
I'm sorry but you'll have to leave,
this isn't a restaurant
See! You look just like him
What are you talking about?
When I was seventeen I met someone
He didn't leave me a photo
but he looked a bit like this
He didn't give this to me,
he just left it
I pray to this photo, and because he owes me
my prayers should be answered
Today I asked him to protect someone
He is only two hundred meters away
I'm afraid if I move too far,
my prayers won't work
This is from New York, it worths something
I'll take fifty buns. Please do me a favor
He's sitting right next to you. Everyone is worried
I didn't kill your disciple
It was his own bloody-mindedness
I never thought I'd meet someone so strong willed in my lifetime
Not the Viceroy, nor my Master
They are smart and powerful men,
but they don't even come close to your disciple
I wish he were still alive,
for the sake of the dojo
Did you see the killer?
Yes
Duan Rui
I know your secret
You're the son of Master Zheng's butler
You served Lin and plotted against your Master
Now that Lin is dead,
you have no place in the army
Serve me and you still have a chance of survival
I'm eternally in your debt
That's for Master Zheng
For twenty years warlords have pillaged
our merchants, our railroads, our banks
The dojo's are just a small piece of the pie
We muddle by,
one day to the next
Everyone saw you kill Officer Lin
I guess so
We are thankful for what you've done,
but you must die here
Do you have a last request?
I haven't yet had a chance
to fight any of Tianjin's masters
Fine
Today you will have your fill of Northern skills
Before Zheng, my husband was the Grandmaster
A woman must fight to protect her husband's legacy
This life's too short
I will repay you in the next one
Let the students wear the equipment
that Master Zheng designed
Maybe they can learn something from my final fight
If we don't share our secrets we will never train good fighters
If I die,
Wing-Chun will die with me
Let me show them my secrets
and if a champion is born, you can take the credit
Southerners are shifty
Weapons will be drawn on the streets of Tianjin
This scar that I have given you
will be a mark of honor for the rest of your life
I've taught you my skills
The rest is up to you
Good move
Good weapons
This is between masters, get lost
Am I not worthy?
Yes
Go!
He fights to maim, not to kill
He won't escape with his life
Master Chen should have asked us for help
Unload the cart
She already left?
Get out of the way!
Relay our greetings to Master Chen!
She's with me
Do you know what your husband has done?
How much do you know?
Whatever he's done, I take full responsibility
Our rule says running away means he's dead
It's over
She bought a ticket all the way to Guangdong
When you see Master Chen give him this
He'll keep his mouth shut
and live out his life in obscurity
What did you write?
Empty formalities
The content isn't important
If he knows we can send him a letter,
he knows we can kill him
We're so far away
Are you sure he'll keep silent?
Yes
He has a wife
Wing-Chun is dead