Why Shaw Brothers Hong Kong wuxia film star Ti Lung only played heroes, and why Chen Kuan-tai traded on his ‘real kung fu’ skills as opposed to Jackie Chan’s stage kung fu

Chen Kuan-tai prided himself on having been a kung fu professional before becoming a martial arts actor for Shaw Brothers, and star of several Chang Cheh films

Unlike the tough-looking Chen, studio stablemate Ti Lung was cast almost exclusively in heroic roles thanks to his honest face and upright demeanour

Reading Time:5 minutes

Hong Kong action film stars (from left) David Chiang, Ti Lung and Chen Kuan-tai at the Shaw Brothers studio in 1972. Chen was a martial arts professional before becoming an actor, a point of pride. Ti and Chiang often acted together in wuxia films. Photo: C.Y. Tam

Published: 4:15am, 10 Dec 2023Updated: 8:14am, 14 Dec 2023

The stars on Hong Kong film studio Shaw Brothers’ roster were far from generic, and writers tailored roles to their distinct personalities. Below we look at the tough Chen Kuan-tai and the valiant Ti Lung.

Chen Kuan-tai, master of all trades

Martial arts actor Chen Kuan-tai is less talked about than contemporaries like Ti Lung and David Chiang Da-wai today, but back in the 1970s he was a big star who was their equal.

Chen, 78, has had a varied career, making his name in period films directed by the legendary Chang Cheh – his powerful debut in 1972’s Boxer from Shantung is particularly dynamic – and also playing dramatic roles across the full spectrum of martial arts films.

He has starred in many classic films, including Chang’s The Blood Brothers and Heroes Two, Lau Kar-leung’s Executioners from Shaolin, and cult favourite The Flying Guillotine.

The Tea House (1974) and Big Brother Cheng (1975), two films he made for director Kuei Chi-hung at Shaw Brothers, may rank as the first triad films ever made.

Chen differs from many of the stars of the 1970s in that he was tough looking and lacked the movie-star looks of fellow actors like Alexander Fu Sheng.