This Martial Arts Star Played The Same Character 3 Times (Before Jet Li Played Him Twice)

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Before Jet Li brought the martial arts hero Fong Sai-yuk to a wider audience in the 1990s with his popular films, the character had already been portrayed numerous times by another well-known actor. Jet Li’s role in Corey Yuen’s Fong Sai-yuk was another success for the already-established star.

Released in 1993, Fong Sai-yuk is a kung fu movie set in the past, following a skilled fighter who enters a martial arts competition and unexpectedly finds himself engaged. The story then takes a turn when he becomes involved with the Red Lotus Society, a group fighting against the ruling Manchus. The film proved popular and led to a follow-up movie, Fong Sai-yuk 2, which continued the hero’s story.

With an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Fong Sai-yuk is now considered one of Jet Li’s best martial arts films, and its sequel is also well-regarded. Overall, the role is a standout performance for Li, though Alexander Fu Sheng arguably brought even more to the story of the Chinese folk hero.

Before Jet Li’s 2 Fong Sai-yuk Movies, Alexander Fu Sheng Played Him 3 Times

In the mid to late 1970s, Alexander Fu Sheng became a major star at Shaw Brothers, the most prominent kung fu movie studio in Hong Kong. He gained significant recognition for his performance as Fong Sai-yuk in the film Heroes Two, directed by Chang Cheh.

This classic kung fu film, released in 1974, follows two heroes who join forces to fight against the Manchus after the Shaolin Temple is destroyed during the Qing Dynasty. It was a popular success for Shaw Brothers and inspired director Chang Cheh to create several more films with similar stories, characters, and settings.

Often called The Shaolin Cycle, this series of six films was directed by Chang Cheh and featured Alexander Fu Sheng in every movie. All of the films connect to the destruction of the Shaolin Temple, either showing it happen directly or using it as the reason the story begins.

Besides Heroes Two, Alexander Fu Sheng also portrayed Fong Sai-yuk in Men from the Monastery and Shaolin Temple. Shaolin Temple was a major Shaw Brothers production featuring a cast of martial arts stars, and it brought Fu Sheng’s Fong Sai-yuk together with other Shaolin fighters to defend the temple.

Similar to Heroes Two, Men from the Monastery centers around three well-known Shaolin warriors. Director Chang Cheh leans into the legends of Fong Sai-yuk, portraying Fu Sheng’s character as an incredibly skilled martial artist with one unique weakness: a fatal vulnerability to attacks on the groin.

These three movies are all well-made kung fu films featuring impressive fight scenes. Heroes Two and Shaolin Temple are particularly notable as standouts from Shaw Brothers’ 1970s martial arts productions, and they helped establish Fu Sheng’s iconic portrayal of Fong Sai-yuk as a defining role in his career.

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2026-02-24 06:10