Chapter 00154: Sparking a Craze
# Sparking a Craze
Chapter 154
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 154: Sparking a Craze
After watching *Tai Chi*, Shu Qi immediately wrote a review.
As the editor-in-chief of *Film Biweekly*, a magazine that wasn’t published daily, he submitted his review to his newspaper column, making it one of the first pieces of feedback on the film.
He didn’t hold back, using a sensational headline like “Mainland Martial Arts Ushers in a New Era for Hong Kong Cinema” and lavishing praise:
“Hong Kong martial arts films have gone through several phases. The earliest was the opera-style martial arts, where films were made by talents from Peking and Cantonese opera. Every move carried a heavy theatrical and stage-like style, which also gave birth to the first generation of martial arts choreographers. Then Bruce Lee burst onto the scene, bringing martial arts films into a realm that emphasized design and relative realism. A wave of hard-hitting, bone-crunching films emerged, with distinct styles like Shaolin, White Eyebrow, Hung Gar, and Wing Chun… Each school’s characteristics were clear, and the moves were broken down meticulously. In recent years, another shift occurred, led by Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung, who blended martial arts with comedy and folk culture. They didn’t stick to the rigid characteristics of martial arts schools, instead opting for bold, exaggerated designs that were highly entertaining. Following this trend, Hong Kong martial arts films should have continued down this path of exaggeration and humor, catering entirely to the audience’s tastes. But then came *Tai Chi*. *Tai Chi* brought in over a dozen martial arts champions from the mainland. With these experts fully invested, the film, through its design, cinematography, and editing, presented a completely different, authentic martial arts style. It was dignified without being rigid, fierce without being exaggerated, and rich without being chaotic. The film had an excellent sense of rhythm, abandoning the humorous exaggeration of Hong Kong-style martial arts and the frivolity of using female bodies for spectacle. It achieved a level of visual appeal that Hong Kong films had never reached before, leaving viewers in awe of the depth and breadth of Chinese martial arts. Secondly, what I loved most were the stunning visuals. Lush green mountains, cascading waterfalls, and the serene, ancient Qing dynasty village—I even looked it up, and it turns out those were actual preserved Qing dynasty homes used for filming. Shooting on location like this is something unimaginable in Hong Kong. The theme wasn’t limited to the usual martial arts world vendettas. Unlike the typical personal revenge stories, *Tai Chi* set its backdrop in the late Qing dynasty, focusing on the nation and its struggles. This grand, patriotic sentiment is something rarely seen in Hong Kong cinema. Jet Li’s performance was both handsome and agile, his fight scenes powerful and fluid, never losing control. In terms of sheer beauty, it’s something I’ve rarely seen in my life. In summary, I believe *Tai Chi* is a work that slightly transcends its time. I say ‘slightly’ because the elements it uses are all present in Hong Kong, but no one had yet combined them in this way… This is a film well worth watching. Five stars!”
Shu Qi was a well-known film critic in Hong Kong, and his article sparked a wave of enthusiasm for *Tai Chi* among critics.
Aside from the usual smear campaigns from the right-wing, many left-leaning and neutral articles also expressed praise.
After all, the film didn’t touch on sensitive topics, so it didn’t provoke the British colonial government.
“Overall excellent, with plenty of clever, eye-catching designs. I was particularly impressed by the scenes of training with water vats and leather balls!”
“The film has no leftist involvement; it’s purely a mainland production, which is the most surprising part. Mainland films are usually seen as heavily political, filled with didactic content. Who knew they could make such an entertaining movie!”
“Jet Li is definitely the next martial arts superstar!”
“Beautiful scenery, beautiful people, beautiful martial arts!”
“The last time a mainland film caused such a stir was *Third Sister Liu* twenty years ago!”
With the film’s high quality and a massive media campaign, *Tai Chi* completely took Hong Kong by storm.
The 16 theaters arranged by Xu Dunle were almost all sold out, with tickets hard to come by.
Even those who usually avoided leftist films were itching to join the trend and see what the fuss was about.
The media was also shocked.
It seemed the leftists were about to make a big splash!
…………
“Miss, are you showing *Tai Chi*?”
“This is Golden Harvest Cinema. We don’t have *Tai Chi*, but we’ve got *Security Unlimited*. Want to watch that?”
“I want to see a martial arts film! Do you know where they’re showing it?”
“How would I know? Go find it yourself. Next!”
In Kowloon, a couple was turned away at a cinema entrance, awkwardly smiling and looking around in confusion.
They had never watched a leftist film before, let alone gone to a leftist cinema.
They had only heard about *Tai Chi* being a hit and wanted to join the trend.
The man couldn’t help muttering, “What’s going on? Watching a movie now requires picking sides? Where are the leftist cinemas?”
“How about we just watch *Security Unlimited*? Michael Hui is hilarious!” the woman suggested.
“We agreed to watch a martial arts film. We can’t give up halfway!”
Just as they were about to ask someone, a little girl around ten years old stopped in front of them, followed by her parents.
She chirped, “Are you looking for *Tai Chi*? We’re going too. Want me to take you?”
“Wow, little girl, do you know where we can watch it?”
“I live nearby. There’s a Silver Star Cinema over there. Follow me.”
Chen Songling smiled at her parents and led the couple around the corner.
They soon saw a standalone building, about four or five stories tall, with shops on the ground floor and a big sign that read: Silver Star!
“You can watch it here!”
She saw that the ticket booth was already packed and hurried over to buy three tickets.
Turning back, she waved, “Hurry up! Only two tickets left!”
“Oh, oh!”
The couple, now acting like kids themselves, bought tickets and entered the theater, only to be shocked.
The massive theater, seating over a thousand, was completely full.
Men, women, and families filled the seats, making it feel like a festival—which it was, since it was the Lunar New Year season!
Their seats were next to the little girl’s family, and the adults struck up a casual conversation.
“Is this your first time here?”
“Yes, yes. It’s so troublesome. Watching a movie now requires finding a specific cinema. Other cinemas aren’t showing it.”
“We’re lucky. We live nearby and often come to Silver Star to watch movies… Songling, don’t eat too much popcorn. We’re having supper later!”
“Mhm!”
Nine-year-old Chen Songling nodded, clutching her popcorn.
Unlike most girls who had long hair, she had a short, neat cut.
With her thick eyebrows, big eyes, slightly dark skin, and full lips, she looked almost like a mixed-race child.
She would later enter the entertainment industry, starring in classics like *The Zu Mountain Saga* and *Looking Back in Anger*, and also became a decent singer.
Silver Star Cinema was part of the leftist cinema chain and was indeed near her home.
In real life, she had even come here to watch *The Shaolin Temple*… Later, when Great Wall, Phoenix, and Sun Luen merged, they adopted the name “Silver Star Organization,” which became legendary!
*Tai Chi* began screening.
Some of the audience were long-time supporters of leftist films, some were neutral, and others, like the couple, had never stepped into a leftist cinema before but were chasing the trend.
Regardless of their background, everyone in the theater was completely engrossed, exclaiming in awe and thoroughly enjoying the film.
When the movie ended, the lights suddenly came on, and the audience, after a moment of stunned silence, erupted into thunderous applause—as several people walked onto the stage.
It was the main cast of *Tai Chi*.
“Alright, everyone, quiet please!”
The host held a microphone and announced loudly, “Since its release, *Tai Chi* has received overwhelming support from all of you. We’re deeply moved, so we’ve decided to bring the main cast here to meet you in person!”
“Wow, it’s really the main cast! The one in front, that’s Yang Yuqian!”
“That’s Jet Li!”
“The female lead is so beautiful! Wow, Prince Duan looks even fiercer in person!”
The audience’s enthusiasm exploded.
They had never seen anything like this before.
Nowadays, when a movie was released, at most there’d be a premiere or a fan meet-and-greet.
Having the stars come down to the cinema to interact with the audience was unheard of.
This was, of course, Chen Qi’s idea.
In later years, this would become common practice—it was called a roadshow!
(End of Chapter)