Wong Kar-wai

by Silver Wai-ming Lee

  “The determination of the people during the Republican era reached this ultimate level,” Wong Kar-wai told Southern Weekend.

  In the film, Ip Man of Foshan began practicing kung fu at the age of seven. He became an apprentice of Wing Chun master Chan Wah-shun. Later Ip Man was named Ip of the Peide Lane because the family owned the entire lane. Before Ip Man turned forty, he did not have to work for a living. He could indulge in his kung fu practice. The real story of The Grandmaster began in 1936 when Ip Man was chosen by kung fu schools in Guangdong and Guangxi to have a match with Master Gong Bao-sen. He went to the south to hold his retirement ceremony—he had retired from the chairmanship of the Northern Martial Arts Union. Ip won the match. The daughter of Master Gong challenged Ip by inviting him for a match. This time Ip Man lost. Then the war between Japan and China broke out, and kung fu masters of that era such as Ip Man, Gong Er, and Razor (Yixiantian) left Guangdong and became exiles.

  In fact The Grandmaster should have belonged to the wave of kung fu genre Chinese films. Ang Lee made Hidden Tiger, Crouching Dragon in 1999. Zhang Yimou made Hero in 2001. The script of The Grandmaster was registered [with the authority] in 2001, but production began only at the end of 2009. Some popular faces [in the wave of kung fu genre] such as Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen showed up again. But this time, Tony Leung really started to practice kung fu. Tony Leung told Southern Weekend, “I have always liked kung fu and have starred in many television shows [of this genre], such as The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber and The Deer and the Cauldron,2 but I have never learned kung fu. When I started to practice Wing Chun a year before The Grandmaster went into production, I was forty-seven.” The Grandmaster was supposed to be released in 2012, but it did not happen. Luckily The Grandmaster has not become “a disappearing master.” The self-mocked “Wong the procrastinator” Wong Kar-wai really handed in his work. He wanted to release it in 2012 to mark the centennial of the establishment of the Republic of China. Wong Kar-wai hoped that the Republican era would be revisited [in The Grandmaster] in which the beauty of Chinese would be shown.

  Wong Kar-wai: When we look back today, there are many fine things during the Republican era. But fifty years from now when we look back to 2013, it will have its own fine things as well. It is the same every time we look back. We always say that a lot of fine things are no longer here when, in fact, they may just be temporarily obscured.

  Many films talk about the ugliness and darkness of human kind. The story [of those films] is well developed and the script is also well written. But then you meet some people and feel the beauty in them. There is something beautiful about the Chinese.

  From the time of preproduction, The Grandmaster has taken ten years [to finish]; the shooting took three years. Until early November 2012, the crew was still working in Kaiping city in Guangdong. Even on the last day of filming, they spent nine hours working. Wong Kar-wai had a hard time calling it a day because that might be the only time in his professional life that there was such a star-studded cast and crew and such a huge effort put into the production. He even said this might be his last time to shoot a feature on film stock. The Fuji film reel used to shoot The Grandmaster was the last batch manufactured for this camera model. Wong Kar-wai deliberately kept one for himself: “Very sad, you look at those movie cameras and wonder what will happen to them.”

  The last scene of the film takes place in the Buddhist temple where Gong Er decides to avenge her father. That is the Grand Hall (Daxiong Baodian) of Fengguo Monastery located in Yi County, Liaoning Province (in Northeast China). It was built in 1020, and it represents the highest achievement of Buddhist architecture in the Liao Dynasty (915–1125). In 1948, Liaoning was a war zone. One cannon shot through the roof of the Grand Hall and landed on the palms of the Buddha, but it did not explode. It only burned the right hand of the stature. The camera panned across brightly-lit candles on the dust-covered altar. The candle echoes the preaching of the older kung fu generation to the younger one, “Be determined to light a lamp.”3 Wong Kar-wai said, “Fine things would be preserved one day.”

  Southern Weekend: What do you miss the most about the Republican era?

  WKW: It is not that I am particularly interested in the Republican era. I am only interested because this is a film with Ip Man as the main character. Ip Man’s life is a vivid story about the history of the Republic. The Republic was a golden age of Chinese kung fu. At that time everyone believed China needed to be strong. The Republic was a very special era [that can be reflected from] the nationalist sentiments of kung fu masters. Many films showed the realistic face of Chinese. I hope this film shows the beauty of Chinese.

  For example, between Master Gong and his senior classmate Ding Lianshan, one of them [Master Gong] was willing to become the public figure. The other was willing to live in the shadow because each of them has a different responsibility. They were separated for thirty years. To Master Gong, kung fu masters ought to weigh life and death lightly but separation heavily. This belief is not shared by other cultures.

  SW: How can the viewer understand the concepts of mianzi and lizi?

  WKW: In the scene where Ding was stewing snake soup, you may notice that he said he left the Northeast in 1905. In that year, there was a major event in Chinese history, the assassination of five Qing officials by Wu Yue of the Northern Assassination Corps. Heroes like Wu Yue and Zhang Rong wanted to revolt against the Manchurian Qing rulers, and their means was assassination.

  Liang Qichao [a writer and an intellectual of the late Qing Dynasty and Republican era] said that era was marked by assassinations. To revolt against Manchurian China, some chose republican revolution. Others chose the most extreme means such as assassination. The former choice was on the bright side, the latter one on the dark side. When Ding Lianshan and Master Gong separated, Ding asked Gong whether it is easier to be the head of a sect [of martial arts] or to wander in wilderness. Master Gong said, of course, it is easier to be the head of the sect. Then Ding said he is going to do the less easy thing, [that is, to assassinate.]

  There was a real story: there was a Japanese wanderer called Bo Wugui. He used a samurai sword to mark a circle in the main street of Fengtian city [Shenyang City of today] in Northeast China. That circle symbolized the Japanese territory, and any Chinese who stepped inside would die. That was the plot. Many hot-blooded citizens walked into the circle and died. The circle then grew bigger and bigger. Ding killed Bo Wugui. Afterwards he left the Northeast and lived a life in shadow. That’s why he gained the nickname the “Rascal of Guandong.”4

  Master Gong was the mianzi. He took over after his senior to become the chairman of Chinese martial arts association. The association had a stated purpose of saving the nation, but it was actually the Northern Martial Arts Union. It is like the Yagyu clan in Japan that had the “Bright Yagyu” and the “Dark Yagyu.” The legal branch was the training place for the samurai class, while the illegal branch was the ninjas who specialized in assassination.

  The story was very touching. But Zhao Benshan [who played Ding] had some health problems, so there was no way to fine-tune that story.

  SW: In the film you arranged many characters who made completely opposite choices when facing the same problem.

  WKW: From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republican era, resistance against Japan, and arrival in Hong Kong, that was a trying time [for Ip Man and others]. Many things happened during those years. Everyone had to choose—some chose to go forward, some chose to stay in the same place, and some made wrong choices.

  In such a trying time, the most challenging thing in life was to live. Regardless of how good your kung fu skill was, living was the most challenging obstacle. It can frustrate you and ruin your profession. At the end of the film, many people could have become a grandmaster: Zhang Ziyi [who plays Gong Er] could have, Razor [played by Chang Chen] could have, and Ma Shan [played by Zhang Jin] also had the potential. But at the end, only Ip Man became the grandmaster who continue
d what the older generation passed on.

  SW: That’s why you feel Ip Man overcame the largest obstacle.

  WKW: Correct. At that time, many people believed that the secrets of each kung fu school should only be passed on to fewer than sixteen people. Apprentices could not be someone who came from another background. When Ip Man arrived in Hong Kong, he made Wing Chun flourish. Some said he destroyed the essential spirit of Wing Chun, and that’s why Wing Chun was started and ended by him. But to Ip Man, he did not believe in tribalism. He felt kung fu should be universal.

  SW: Other than making important choices, the film also has two key phrases, which are “moving on” and “looking back.”

  WKW: The reason I contrast Ip Man with Zhang Ziyi is because one is on the bright side, one is on the dark one. This contrast is the same as their schools of kung fu: basically Wing Chun is about a straight line; you can only go forward. The main strategy is to face each other. Ip Man believes that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But the practitioners of Bagua Palm of Gong School believe that although the line between two points is the shortest, it may not be the fastest route. She can circle [her counterpart] and go behind his back. This also represents the life attitude of both: some only look forward, but Zhang Ziyi always looks back. At the end she chose to stay at the same point because she chose to look back all her life.

  That’s why Tony Leung told Zhang she does not move on. She does not look forward. The Gong School has a pair of moves: “the old monkey hangs up his badge” followed by “turning back and looking at the moon.” [That was the move that Master Gong taught Ma San.] The key of that move is to “turn back.” That is to say, many times looking back is about introspection, about reflection, but sometimes it is also about nostalgia.

  SW: Chang Chen plays Razor, but he does not have a scene with Tony Leung. What is their relationship?

  WKW: He and Tony Leung have parallel lives: both of them are kung fu masters, and both of them have suffered much. When they arrived in Hong Kong, they had to do less than ideal things in order to make a living. At the end they build their own business, but one has a halo and became a grandmaster, the one became a barber. Like what the film said, in one’s life, some become the public figures; some become the supporters. [What one becomes] has less to do with talent and potential, but more to do with circumstance. The most touching thing is many people work hard in silence and don’t complain [even though] they are not given a halo. They silently pass on what the older generation teaches them and they move forward.

  SW: That’s why the touching thing is those grand barbers?

  WKW: When I was small, there was a barbershop beneath my home. I heard rumors that many skilled kung fu masters mingled there. When they came to Hong Kong, they became local bullies.

  Chang Chen plays Razor. The character comes from two historical figures: one was a Baji Fist master called Li Shuwen. He always killed when he fought, but he was very lazy. He said he only needed one move. Another historical figure is a master from Taiwan. His name was Liu Yunqiao. He was a spy during the Republican era. He had done much killing during the resistance to Japan. When he arrived in Taiwan, he made Baji flourish.

  Many people were skilled, but some were given a halo because of fate. But for those who didn’t have that fate, it does not mean they didn’t need to do what they ought to do. Some people didn’t have a halo, but they continued doing what the older generation passed on to them. I feel this is a very important thing.

  SW: The kung fu masters liked to gather in the brothel. One dialogue says it well, “among all the worldly people, there would be those who act from the heart.”5 Is that what you discovered in historical research, or is it your own conclusion?

  WKW: That is my conclusion. Notice that the Gold Pavilion (that brothel) is [also] called “The Republic House.” Before Master Gong said in the scene, “I have done three things in my life,” there was actually another scene, but it was too long [so it was cut]. Master Gong said that year when he led his clan to escape from the Northeast, they kept on taking off the warm clothing until they reached southern China. When they arrived in Foshan, only when they visited the brothel did they realize they are country bumpkins. The brothel was adorned with gold and was extremely well-kept … However, they went to the brothel, not because of the women but to deliver a bomb. The bomb was made by [revolutionist] Cai Yuanpei. Three days later, the bomb killed Feng Shan, a Guangzhou military leader of the Qing government, and thus began the Republican era. That’s why the brothel was renamed the Republic House. That is a place with worldly people, but inside it had many heroes.

  That scene was cut, so many people asked why the kung fu masters were all in a brothel. You have to know that the concession announcement of [the last Emperor of Qing dynasty] Puyi was drafted there. It was written by a few people who hid inside the brothel. Their existence had to be kept secret.

  SW: There is also a line that says, “If you have faith in what you believe in, one day it will be answered.” What is the belief?

  WKW: The belief is one’s dream. Heroes are those who don’t change their intention [because of the circumstance]. You can’t be a great master if you don’t insist on your own thoughts. You have to bear in mind your intention, you have to concentrate on [making it happen]. After you water your plant enough, there will be a tree sprouting there.

  Those from the first generation of Northern Martial Arts Union said strong country, strong race; martial arts can save the country. The snake stew made by Ding is their intention and belief. They hope this belief will continue. Master Gong was a very great elder, he saw that hope from Ip Man. So he conceded to Ip Man and said he would pass his reputation to Ip Man. He had a hope that Ip Man would relay the torch to the next generation.

  SW: Gong Er defeated Ma San. The key move was to place her palms on his chin and press up [to break his neck]. Master Gong hit Ma San in the same way. Was this your decision because of aesthetic reasons, or was it a decision based on literature about bagua?

  WKW: I hope the kung fu moves in the film correspond to the plot. There is a move in xingyi (part of Gong School) called “the old monkey hangs up his badge [Laoyuan Guayin],” which is very simple. When one lifts the knee to the opponent’s sternum, that is “hanging up the badge.”6 That move is lethal. Ma San at that time worked for the Japanese militants. She hoped to take an official post. But Master Gong told her that the key of that move is “turning back.” I feel that corresponds to the plot: Old Master hoped Ma San would realize his mistake [for working for the Japanese], but he did not turn back. The move of Zhang Ziyi is called “a hidden flower below the leaf” (yedi canghua). It breaks the “the old monkey hangs up his badge” move. [This arrangement] emphasizes both brain and brawn.

  SW: During the shooting, the actors’ kung fu teachers and action choreographer Master Eighth (Yuen Woo-ping) were on location. They must have a different view of the action sequence. Who had the final say?

  WKW: That is the most intriguing thing about this film. To an action choreographer like Master Eighth, there is a saying: children, dogs, and headmasters are the most difficult to deal with. Children are difficult to teach to play kung fu; animals, needless to say, are more difficult. Then there are the headmasters. They all have their perspectives—“This is not acceptable because this is not something from our school.” But this time the collaboration was quite good because everyone had a clear objective, which is every move of every kind from every school had to be precise. When making a decision, sometimes a move is not precise enough—but it looks great—and that is acceptable. There is a balance in the film.

  These teachers always tell me, “We can kill a person in one move (of our school).” But you can’t just have one move. That would kill the film. It will not make a good film. Like Akira Kurosawa, you could have one move with a knife and sword, but one move won’t do for fists and legs.

  SW: During your interview process with kung fu masters in China, some
masters would say they are willing to demonstrate their kung fu in the film only under the condition that they cannot lose to Wing Chun. What do you think about that?

  WKW: That’s why at the end I am very thankful for Master Wang Shiquan and a few bagua masters. They did not mind that much. Generally, when they found out this film is about Ip Man, they wanted to know whether their school would lose or win. They did not want to be the one who loses because they would be blamed [by people in the school]. I explained to them that there is more than one grandmaster in this film, so the question is not about who wins and who loses. At the end those elderly masters put their trust in me. I was very lucky.

  Actually out of all the martial arts in the film, some of them are very interesting. For example, in the scene when Ip Man and Master Gong were fighting for a piece of cake, most people don’t know why one time Tony Leung has the palm up, another time the palm down. But if you are in this world [of martial arts], you’d know when the palm faces up, it is the yang hand. Generally it is a mercy hand—your gravity comes from the ground. You will injure but not kill your opponent. Yin hand is “beyond the boundary” [meaning expiating the sins of the dead in Buddhism and Taoism]. Ip Man had tried the yang hand and the yin hand, but neither could make him win. At the end he used ting qiao [literally: listening to the bridge]. It is like the nian hand [literally: sticky hand] of Wing Chun. This is similar to the tui hand [literally: push hand] in tai chi, which is you feel the power of your opponent and follow his move. That is actually very fun. But some of these things only make sense to the practitioners who later think, “Hey, Director Wong, you know a bit [of kung fu]!”

  SW: At the beginning of the film, Ip Man says, “Kung fu has two characters, one horizontal, one vertical. The loser lays flat; the winner stands proud and is qualified to talk.” Isn’t this a tactic for the winner?

  WKW: No, this is not a tactic for the winner. At the end martial arts is like a kind of art. There are more than one hundred and twenty kinds of Chinese kung fu. Each school has its own methods. At the end it is a tactic. At the end it is about the purpose, either you lay flat or you stand proud. Only those who stand proud are correct. Others say your fist is not very powerful. My fist is more powerful than yours. But this does not need any discussion because you only need to have a match and you can tell [who the winner is and who the loser is].