• Most Hong Kong films are in Cantonese with subtitles in Mandarin characters and English, unless it's dubbed.
• China has always been an ethnocentric country. All foreigners were called "gwai lo", foreign devils. So naturally there is alot of resentment towards Great Britain who colonized Hong Kong way back when. So most Hong Kong films are ethnocentric too. The occasional poor portrayal of other races is there, so just overlook it and enjoy the action.
• Most of the movies feature flying and supernatural special effects. These stunts are done with wires and bombs. The trademark of Hong Kong films are the wire stunts.
• Most of the fight sequences are sped up, so don't try their moves as fast as they do 'em, you'll pull a muscle!
• Hong Kong films are bloody! Another trademark of Hong Kong is the spitting up of blood, no matter what the injury.
• The actors and stunt people are the best trained martial artists in the movie industry. The action choreography is the best too.

Now that you've got an idea of the style of Hong Kong, here is as much "history" as you'll need to know about China.

Shaolin, (Siu Lam in Cantonese), is a Buddhist temple in northern China where the martial arts is said to have originated. In the movies, they are the ones with the bald heads and robes. They were thought of as undefeatable in battle, hence their invincibility, supernatural skills, healing knowledge, and prowess at kung fu. They are led by the "Fong Jeung" or Abbot, usually with the longest, whitest eyebrows. If a movie needs some action, throw in a Shaolin monk, and presto!

Styles

Kung fu was originally patterned after the movements of animals, elements, and individuals. There are many styles of kung fu: The Five Animals - Tiger, Crane, Snake, Dragon, Panther; Praying Mantis; Eagle Claw; The Five Element Fist - Earth, Water, Fire, Wood, Gold; Drunken Boxing; Hung Family Fist - a combination of Tiger and Crane styles; Wing Chun - Bruce Lee's original style; Choy Li Fut - a southern style; Other styles made up by the film industry.

Sometimes, one style can defeat another, and in the movies, the characters usually know more than one.

Kung Fu refers to the ability to do martial arts, cooking, painting, or anything that requires skill and time to master. The best part of Hong Kong films are these supernatural abilities. Kung Fu in martial arts is called Mo Gung in Cantonese. There are so many kinds of martial Kung Fu that anything is possible. Things like flying, invincibility, bursts of energy, sensing people around you, walking on water, all kinds of things.

The ability to heal is another form of martial Kung Fu. Using accupunture points, masters in the movies can heal any wound, and injure or kill an opponent.

When the characters have a bun-hairstyle with swords as their main weapons, and travel on horseback, the movie is taking place in the knight-errant, feudal period of China. This is the time period of the roving hero, the mercenary. Princes and Princesses of the Ming dynasty.

When there are characters dressed with the vests, kung fu uniforms, Bruce Lee shoes and longer hairstyles, the movie is probably set during the Ching Dynasty. If there are Ching Officials and Officers, you're in this era. The plots are usually about the overthrow of the Ching government.

When the characters all have the queue's, the half-shaven heads with the long ponytail, the movie is probably taking place in the early 1900's. This is at the end of the Ching dynasty with the invasion of the foriegn powers. Also, it is the time around the Opium Wars and the Boxer Rebellion.

Here are some of the most common plots in Hong Kong:

• Boy is a wimp, boy finds a sifu, boy learns gung fu, boy's sifu is killed, boy takes revenge.
• An all out fight against good and evil to control the Martial Arts World!
• Sacred scrolls, buried treasure, hidden gold...why do they always lose this stuff?

I hope this gets you started. Happy Hong Kong Movie viewing!

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