Welcome to this short list of top ten most popular Chinese martial artists of all time, whose fighting skills remain as great influence to modern actors.
1. Bruce Lee (1940 – 1973)
Bruce Lee will ever remain the best martial artist in the world and of all time. He founded Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy, for which he is credited with paving the way for MMA ( modern mixed martial arts). He is today considered the most influential martial artist of all time. Bruce Lee is known for his incomparable roles in five martial arts movies in the early 1970s: The Big Boss (1971), which is his first major film, Fist of Fury (1972), Way of the Dragon (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973), and his final film project The Game of Death (1978). Lee sadly passed away at the age of 32, on July 20, 1973. Since his death, Lee has remained the most influential personality in modern combat sports.
2. Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, whose full name is Chan Kong-sang, is considered the most influential cinematic personality in the world after Bruce Lee. Also considered as one of the most best action movie stars of all-time, Chan in his movies, is know for his innovative stunts, slapstick acrobatic fighting style and comic timing. Chan probably is the most recognized actor in the world. Forbes magazine estimated his net worth to be $350 million, and was the second-highest-paid actor in the world. in 2016.
3. Jet Li
Jet Li, whose real name is Li Lianjie, is a retired Wushu champion and one of the best martial arts actors in the world. Born on 26 April 1963, Li was recognized as an actor is China at the age of 19, debuting with the film Shaolin Temple (1982). He proceeded to star in numerous widely praised combative techniques epic movies, most notably in Hero (2002), Fist of Legend (1994), and in the Once Upon a Time in China series (1991–1993). Li went on to star in various international action movies including, Kiss of the Dragon (2001), Unleashed (2005), The One (2001), War (2007), The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) with Jackie Chan, and all three of The Expendables films with Sylvester Stallone. According to celebrity net worth, Jet Li’s net worth is estimated to be $250 million.
4. Donnie Yen
- Born: July 27, 1963
- Height: 1.73 m
- Martial arts: Wing Chun, Karate, Wushu, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts
Yen is one of Hong Kong’s top action stars. Yen has shown expertise in a variety of combative techniques, being knowledgeable in Tai Chi, Boxing, Kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do, Hapkido, Taekwondo, Karate, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Wing Chun, and Wushu. Perhaps the most famous film stars in Asia of the mid 2000s, Yen is reliably one of the most generously compensated entertainers in Asia. Yen acquired HK$220 million (US$28.4 million) from four movies and six commercials in 2013.
Yen is credited by numerous individuals for adding to the promotion of Wing Chun in China. He played Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the 2008 film Ip Man, which was a film industry achievement. This has prompted an expansion in the quantity of individuals taking up Wing Chun, prompting many new Wing Chun schools being opened up in terrain China and different pieces of Asia. Ip Chun, the oldest child of Ip Man, even referenced that he is thankful to Yen for making his family’s craft well known and permitting his dad’s inheritance to be remembered. He has additionally gained worldwide acknowledgment for playing Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Xiang in xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017).
5. Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung is a Chinese martial artist who is known for his work in numerous combative techniques movies and Hong Kong action film. He has been a fight choreographer for different entertainers like Jackie Chan.
Hung is one of the critical figures who led the Hong Kong New Wave development of the 1980s, reexamined the combative techniques classification and began the vampire-like jiangshi sort. He is broadly credited with helping large numbers of his countrymen, giving them their beginnings in the Hong Kong entertainment world, by projecting them in the movies he created, or giving them jobs in the creation group.
6. Vincent Zhao
Vincent Zhao Wenzhuo, in some cases credited as Vincent Chiu or Chiu Man-cheuk, is a Chinese entertainer and martial artist. Zhao is most popular for playing the Chinese society saint Wong Fei-hung in the Once Upon a Time in China film and TV series and is also for his movies The Blade, True Legend and God of War.
7. Yuen Biao
Yuen Biao is a Hong Kong entertainer and martial artist. He has some expertise in aerobatic exhibition and Chinese hand to hand fighting and has worked on more than 80 movies as an actor, stuntman and action choreographer. Alongside Peking Opera School “siblings” at the China Drama Academy, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan, he was one of the Seven Little Fortunes.
Yuen Biao has starred in more than 130 movies. He has assumed parts in eight TV series for Hong Kong channel TVB.
8. Wu Jing
Wu Jing is a Chinese martial artist, entertainer and film director. Wu is most popular for his parts in different hand to hand fighting movies, for example, Tai Chi Boxer, Fatal Contact, the SPL films, and as Leng Feng in Wolf Warrior and its continuation. Wu positioned first on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 rundown in 2019 and 23rd in 2020.
9. Gordon Liu
Gordon Liu is a Chinese combative techniques film entertainer and martial artist. He played the lead job of San Te in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) and its continuations, and later assumed two parts in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films: Johnny Mo, the head of the Crazy 88 Yakuza pack in Volume 1 (2003); and kung fu ace Pai Mei in Volume 2 (2004).
10. Billy Chow
Billy Chow, is a Hong Kong film entertainer, kickboxer, martial artist, and business person and is likewise a sharp Boxing and Muay thai specialist. Chow is the previous WKA world kickboxing champion. Chow is maybe most popular for his parts as General Fujita in the 1994 film Fist of Legend, and Wong, Great Kick of the North in the 1996 film Tai Chi Boxer.
