Wù—a book about the film Shaolin

Th i n g

物 wù

N oth i n gn es s

悟 wù

T he Pur s ui t of N oth i n gn es s

物 悟 wù

T he Pur s ui t of N oth i n gn es s

物 悟 wù 黄 慧 珊

A book about a film: Shaolin「新少林寺」2011 Elsa H. Ng

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bo rn f ree

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This publication accompanies the Chinese-Hong Kong film Shaolin produced in 2011.

Author: Elsa H. Ng Designer: Elsa H. Ng Printer: Out De Box, Singapore Š 2015 by Elsa H. Ng All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without permission.

Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders and to ensure that all the information presented is correct. Some of the facts in this publication may be subject to debate or dispute. If proper copyright acknowledgment has not been made, please let it go. Be at ease.

ISBN 0-8120-4824-5

To M o m a nd D a d who gave me the courage to dream and showed me the way to a humble, happy life.

Contents

P ref ac e xii

Ac kno wle d gem en t xiv

Intro duc t io n The pursuit of nothing-ness

1

Sy no psis Shaolin, the film

5

D ir ec t o r Chan, Benny

8

Cast Lau¡ Tse¡ Chan

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Chapter O n e Insatiable Hunger: The Clash

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Chapter Tw o Shaolin: Mercy

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Chapter Th r ee Nothingness: The Pursuit

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Co nc l us i on 65

Pref ace 悟 道 悟 禅

Wù is a book about a film Shaolin, a Chinese-Hong Kong martial arts film produced in 2011. It makes me question the idiocy of the endless pursuit of things in life.

I am a fan of war and martial arts movies. I caught the film for the first time when it started its run in Singapore in 2011. I was greaty moved by the protagonist’s spiritual transformation, and even more captivated by the theme song performed by Andy Lau, who is also the lyricist to the beautiful number.

It quickly became a regular track in my

xii

wù Preface

playlist, and still is. When the opportunity to produce a book about a film came, it has to be Shaolin.

In the development of wù, I watched the film a few times, and each time it had something new to share. Shaolin discusses a few themes, of which I picked three key ones to build the contents of wù — Insatiable Hunger: The Clash, Shaolin: Mercy and Nothingness: The Pursuit.

Each chapter is featured alongside the story, compelling quotes and personal interpretation expressed in calculated techniques and material choice.

Shaolin offers me many insights on life. In the same way, creating the opportunity to experience life in a book seems like a worthy purpose too.

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A ck now le d ge me nt ć„&#x; ć Š

Although there is only one author and one same designer, the production of this book was a very collaborative project. I owe a debt of gratitude to my remarkable lecturers, Junie Tang and Boon Lim, who traded ideas back and forth with me. I also got lots of support from Kenji Choo and Alce Patricia, who shared many thoughts. Beyond the school, I am most grateful to my Mom and Dad, for being patient throughout a project that was more intensive than anyone expected.

Thank you, everyone! I hope you are happy with the humble book you helped to make.

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Int r o d u c t i o n WÚ is an analogy for life journey ­— life begins and ends in nothingness, but we get lost in along the journey, indiscriminately chasing after things, things, and more things...

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wù Introduction

却 添 了 太 多 危 险

| 电 影 主 题 曲

贪 少 嗔 一 痴 物 会 少 一 点

Living life in pursuit of possessions is dangerous.

Find contentment, love and clarity in pursuing less.

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多 一 物

wĂš Introduction

Shaolin offers many insights on life through the story of Hou Jie

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wù Introduction

Riches, cars, houses and status — we will only be happy if we relentlessly chase after more material possessions. Really? Afterall, we end the same, with no thing.

Wù is life. Wù is pursuit of nothingness.

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Syno ps is

A tale of supreme evil, spiritual shift and unrivalled self-sacrifice

SHAOLIN

新少林寺 5

wù Synopsis

Shaolin is a 2011 Chinese-Hong Kong martial arts film produced and directed by Benny Chan 陈木胜, and stars Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse and Jackie Chan. The story takes place in Dengfeng, Henan, during the warlord era of young Republic of China. Set in the 1920s, feuding warlords fight to expand their power.

The selfless monks of the Shaolin temple

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wù Synopsis

Born free

clean up the mess left behind, tending to the injured while trying their best to protect the poor and weak. General Hou has caused much of this mess with his violent tactics that rarely discriminate between soldiers and civilians.

自在

When Hou is betrayed by fellow general Cao Man, he is forced into hiding, and takes refuge with the monks at their hidden temple. As the days pass, he finds himself more and more at ease as he learns the ways of peace. But Cao is not far behind, and war soon reaches the temple, where the monks are ready to fight back with their unstoppable Shaolin kung fu.

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wĂš Director

Benny Muk-Sin

han

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y ng Chan

Be Muk

D irec tor Benny Muk-Sing, Chan was born on 7 October, 1969.

Benny is a film director, producer and screenwriter based in Hong Kong.

导 演

He is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese and was nominated for “Best Director” at the 24th Annual Hong Kong Film Awards for the film New Police Story.

陈 木 胜

The Shaolin Temple from 1982 was remarkable for two firsts: the movie marked Jet Li’s big screen debut and it was the first time the legendary temple officially sanctioned any film. Almost three decades later, Shaolin, the new movie from leading director Chan, has become only the second film to earn the Zen Buddhist temple’s stamp of approval.

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wĂš Cast

Cast

Andy Tak-Wah Lau as Hou Jie

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wù Cast

Andy Tak-Wah, Lau was born on 27 September 1961. He is a Hong Kong singersongwriter, actor, presenter and film producer.

Lau is one of Hong Kong’s most commercially successful film actors, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career. In the 1990s, Lau was branded as one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

Lau was entered into the Guinness World Records for the “Most Awards Won by a Cantopop Male Artist”. By April 2000, he had already won a total unprecedented 292 awards.

In 2005, Lau was awarded “No.1 Box office Actor 1985–2005” of Hong Kong, yielding a total box office of about HKD1.7 billion.

Lau plays General Hou Jie in Shaolin, who is one of the lawless warlords whom the early Republican China was in a power struggle with. Once a tyrant who fights ruthlessly for power, riches and territories, he seeks refuge in the Shaolin temple and finds peace.

侯 杰 刘 德 华

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wĂš Cast

Nicholas TingFung Tse as Cao Man

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曹 蛮 谢 霆 锋 Nicholas Ting-Fung, Tse was born on 29 August 1980. Tse is a Hong Kong actor, singer, songwriter, musician, entrepreneur and martial artist. Tse is a member of the Emperor Entertainment Group.

Tse first entered the entertainment industry in 1996 as a singer. He originally learned martial arts from Philip Ng, Andy On and Sammo Hung for the screen and television, which Tse continues to practice. He made his film debut in 1998 with the crime film Young and Dangerous: The Prequel, for which Tse received the Best New Performer Award at the Hong Kong Film Award. In 2003, Tse founded Post Production Office Limited, the biggest special effects company in Hong Kong. In 2011, Tse won the award for the Best Actor Award.

Cao Man is the main villain in Shaolin. Played

by Tse, Cao is Hou’s trusted captain and sworn brother, who later betrays Hou. Shadowing Hou in his battles, he grows to be merciless like his chief and turns against him for power.

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wĂš Cast

Jackie Chan as Wu Dao Special appearance Jackie Chan was born on 7 April 1954. Chan is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director, producer, stuntman and singer. He is known for his fighting style and innovative stunts, which he typically performs himself.

Chan plays a cook monk in Shaolin, Wu Dao. Wu is good natured and crowd pleasing, albeit goofy, and becomes Hou’s spiritual mentor.

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wù wù Cast Cast

Shaolin monks The large numbers of monks in the film are actual monks of Shaolin temple, who fight real Shaolin kung fu. The main cast includes Wu Jing as Jing Neng, Hou’s oldest senior; Xing Yu as Jing Kong, Hou’s second senior and Yu Hai as the Shaolin abbot.

Director Chan and his crew built their own Shaolin temple in Zhejiang that cost RMB10 million (approximately USD1.5 million) to avoid damaging the actual temple.

悟 道 成 龙

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wù Theme One

Ch ap te r One

无

Insatiable Hunger: T

贪

嗔

造

恶 16

wù Chapter One

始

The Clash

嗔

痴

恶

业 17

wù Chapter One

把 郑 州 也 打 下 来

我 有 们 了 多 钱 买 些 快 枪 大 炮

General Hou is a ruthless warlord who fights numerous wars. Hou has an insatiable hunger for power, territories and riches, for which he is determined to seek at all costs, including betraying his sworn brother. General Hou defeats a rival and seizes control of Dengfeng.

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wĂš Chapter One

Hou’s second-in-command, Captain Cao Man follows Hou to all battles he fights in his expansion of power. Through the clashes between territories, he witnesses how Hou kills mercilessly and is always ready to sacrifice people around him, including Cao himself.

Warlord era

Following the example set by Hou, Cao learns to be selfish and violent. Fuelled by their recent success, Cao proposes to acquire guns and cannons to seize more territories.

Insatiable hunger 19

wĂš Chapter One

Violent shift to modernity The late colonial and post-colonial period from about 1880 to 1930s is timely for stories of burgeoning nationalist sentiments.

Shaolin is set in the transition, which witnessed violent shift from preindustrial past to the modern era.

Railway development was rapid post warlord era, which sees foreigners expecting to profit from the rail, and also snapping up every Chinese treasure and antiquity they can find.

Hou is highly wary of the foreigners.

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[Edge finishing: torn]

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[Edge finishing: torn]

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wĂš Chapter One

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wĂš Chapter One

Kung fu vs. machines Back in the days of early Republican China, temples were always a target for bandits and rebellious army who intended to rob or use the places.

In Shaolin, Shaolin temple is a target for Hou, Cao, their armies and foreign power. The arrogant Hou charges into Shaolin temple to kill a rival warlord who seeks help from the temple. This is one of the many instances where fists and non-fatal tools are being pitted against guns and cannons.

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[Edge finishing: torn]

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[Edge finishing: torn]

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wĂš Chapter One

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Th clas

无 始 贪 嗔 痴 造 恶 业

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wĂš

nsatiable unger

Chapter One

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Chap ter Two

佛

Shaolin: Mercy

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缘 30

wù Chapter Two

In an era of machines which are faster than fists, what is the role of Shaolin kung fu in overcoming inhuman violence?

度 人 31

wĂš Chapter Two

Role of Shaolin 32

wù Chapter Two

正 来 烦 恼 除

邪 来 烦 恼 至

Evil intention breeds trouble; well intention brings peace.

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wĂš Chapter Two

Shaolin: Overcoming inhuman violence

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wĂš Chapter Two

Historical significance

Shaolin has deep historical and cultural roots in Shaolin kung fu. Shaolin kung fu is among the oldest institutionalised styles of Chinese martial arts. Known in Chinese as Shaolinquan, it originated and was developed in the Buddhist Shaolin temple in Henan province, China. During the 1500 years of its development, Shaolin kung fu, with its rich content, became one of the largest schools of kung fu.

Young army leader Hou and his sworn brother Huo Lung find little resistance invading the township of Dengfeng. The nearby Shaolin temple opens its doors to the wounded and offers protection.

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wù Chapter Two

唯 因 果 不 空

万 法 皆 空

Karma will serve itself.

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wĂš Chapter Two

Shaolin martial arts is a key component of Chinese culture. It arose out of the need for self-defence to protect the temple, its people and the way of life it preaches.

Cultural significance

In Shaolin, disciples Jing Neng and Jing Kong lead some monks, all masked to steal rice to help the poor at night.

In another scene, the monks break into Cao’s house to save imprisoned labourers.

Jing, is brutally killed while covering for his juniors to escape.

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wĂš Chapter Two

Spirit of Shaolin:

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wù Chapter Two

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wù Chapter Two

Spirit of Shaolin: 慈 Compassion

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wù Chapter Two

谐 Harmony

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wù Chapter Two

Spirit of Shaolin: 勤 Diligence

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wù Chapter Two

容 Inclusiveness

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wĂš Chapter Two

Spirit of Shaolin:

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wĂš Chapter Two

Buddhist teachings Shaolin kung fu is different than other martial arts systems because it incorporates the teachings of Buddhism.

The film explores the spirit of Shaolin kung fu, including compassion, harmony, diligence and inclusiveness. It is not a brutal fighting system. In addition to selfdefense skills, Shaolin kung fu exercises also improve the health and overall spirit.

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Chap te r Th ree

æ‚&#x;

Nothingness: The Pursuit

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wĂš Chapter Three

Life inevitably pulls us into the rat race, where we get lost chasing after riches and power. Seek to pursue less and start living at ease.

猅 47

wù Chapter Three

Karma Karma is the principle of cause and effect.

In the film, we observe the effects of Hou’s past misdeeds — Hou experiences a swift and sudden fall. Cao, feeling that he was being used by Hou, decides to betray him. Hou’s family and possessions are wiped out in an unexpected turn of events.

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等 人 家 喘 过 气 来 死 的 就 是 你

如 果 你 不 下 手

Do not hesitate to eliminate your enemy when you have the upper hand.

当 你 占 上 风 的 时 候

[Paper: translucent]

wù Chapter Three

I have not forgotten what you taught me.

我 你 记 教 得 过 我

Cao: Hou's shadow Hou's retribution

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我 他 睡 不 不 死 着

I cannot sleep at ease as long as he is still alive.

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[Paper: translucent]

wù Chapter Three

你 我 睡 不 不 死 着 吧

I know you won't be able to sleep at ease as long as I am alive.

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wĂš Chapter Three

Death of Hou's daughter Cao betrayed Hou

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wù Chapter Three

皆 因 无 始 贪 嗔 痴

往 昔 所 造 诸 恶 业

In Cao’s attempt to assassinate Hou and his family, Hou manages to escape with his daughter, who is severely injured. In desperation, Hou brings his daughter to Shaolin, which is the very temple that he despoiled. Hou begs the monks to save her life, but in vain.

Hou becomes disillusioned and wanders near Shaolin, until he meets the cook monk Wu. Hou finally finds himself at the doorsteps of the Shaolin temple again to seek refuge.

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wĂš Chapter Three

Spiritu transform Hou

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Sp ual mation transf of Hou Hou finds inner peace In Buddhism, nirvana is a state of mind without desire, aversion and delusion. It is the highest state one can attain, where all desires and suffering — nothingness.

During his stay in Shaolin, Hou gradually understands Shaolin’s principles through study and practising martial arts. He overcomes his past and finds peace from his heart.

As the civil unrest spreads and the people suffer, Hou and the Shaolin monks are forced

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处 心 处 善 是 净 土

wĂš Chapter Three

to take a fiery stand against the evil warlords.

They launch a daring plan of rescue and escape. After saving refugees recruited to unearth Chinese relics on pretext of building a railway, Hou and other monks returned to the

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wù Chapter Three

End free

temple to defend the monestary and buy time, while everyone else evacuate.

重生

In an admission that Cao’s present evil doings stems from his own past misdeeds, Hou asserts that it is his responsibility in guiding Cao back to the correct path. Hou defeats Cao in a fight and eventually sacrifices himself to save Cao from being crushed by a falling beam.

Meanwhile, the Shaolin temple collapses, but the Shaolin spirit continue to live in the people.

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wù Chapter Three

清 净 至 无 余

| 方 丈

则 一 切 不 住 才 懂 得 面 对

先 懂 得 放 下 一 切

Paradise is where there is no desire, aversion and delusion.

Let go and be at ease.

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邪 正 俱 不 用

wù Chapter Three

The extinction of greed, hate and delusion: this indeed is called Nirvana.

— Samyutta Nikaya 31,1

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Conclusion

Less desire, more contentment Less attachment, more ease

SHAOLIN

新少林寺 65

wĂš Conclusion

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. — Mae West Possessions are temporal. They perish, spoil, and fade. Possessions briefly impress, so they are never enough. Living life in pursuit of possessions is dangerous. Find contentment, love and clarity in pursuing less.

Be simple, be at ease.

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wù Conclusion

简 单 自 在

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e n d f ree

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Wù is an analogy for life journey. Life inevitably pulls us into the rat race along the journey, seeking riches and power. General Hou Jie is the protagonist in the film Shaolin. His story raises questions about the purpose of living life in pursuit of things, as the warlord fights for territories and wealth ruthlessly. Having lost everything overnight, he repents and finds peace.

悟 道 悟 禅 。

贪 不 嗔 不 痴

空在 ，。 不万 如物 不皆

禅 ， 自 得 自

林 寺 以 武 修

失 ， 寄 宿 少

之 间 财 权 两

帅 侯 杰 一 夜

中 的 军 阀 少

新 少 林 寺 」

的 方 自 能 在 一 。生 「 活

一 生 随 缘 ，

随 缘 一 生 ，