Donnie Yen’s growth experience

Donnie Yen was born in Guangdong, came to Hong Kong at the age of 2, and immigrated to Boston, United States at the age of 11. His mother, Mai Baochan, is a world-famous martial artist and Tai Chi master who founded the Chinese Martial Arts Research Association locally. Donnie Yen learned martial arts from his mother since he was a child, but he first learned piano and could play Chopin marches. Music is one of the sources of inspiration in his life. His father, Zhen Yunlong, is the editor of China Daily in Boston. He is good at string music and can play the violin and erhu. Donnie Yen inherited his parents' musical talent and used it in his films. His mother started teaching Donnie Yen martial arts when he could walk. From this, he learned traditional and modern martial arts, as well as Tai Chi, and understood the internal and external laws of martial arts. In Boston's Chinatown, the young Donnie Yen never missed every Kung Fu movie. After watching the works of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and others, he could accurately imitate their movements. He even skipped school to watch Kung Fu movies. Out of a thirst for knowledge and some rebelliousness, he began to look outward and learn various styles of martial arts. Because of his talent in martial arts, Donnie Yen made great strides in his pursuit of martial arts truth. As a teenager, a rebellious Donnie Yen rampaged through Boston's notoriously violent neighborhoods. So his parents arranged for him to study with Jet Li in the Beijing Wushu Team. Donnie Yen became the first non-Chinese athlete in the team. The Beijing Wushu Team set a precedent, and more foreigners later came. Although the training in the team was very strict, Donnie Yen wanted more, so he only stayed in Beijing for a while. On his way back to the United States, he passed through Hong Kong and was introduced to meet the famous director Yuen Woo-Ping. Yuen Heping was looking for a new screen hero, and when he met Zhen, he knew he had found him, and a long-term collaboration began. Inspired by his idol Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen not only explored various martial arts styles, but also established his own unique martial arts system. In "Laughing Tai Chi", his excellent physical fitness is reflected; in "SWAT Dragon Slayer", his boxing shows the versatility of martial arts style; in "Iron Horse", he shows the charm of traditional martial arts, playing Huang Qiying was so lifelike that the film became one of the most influential of that decade. During the process of filming, he did not stop practicing martial arts. In the process of improving his intelligence and physical fitness at the same time, while his martial arts grew, his understanding of Bruce Lee's philosophy also became deeper and deeper. 'I have been studying martial arts for many years, and I will never break down the details of martial arts again. I agree with Bruce Lee, we all only have two hands and two legs, so there won't be many different styles of martial arts. ' In "The Dragon Slayer", he guides talented martial artists and friends Michael Woods (the black burly guy he often defeats) and Stephan Berwick (bearded), and their boxing, taekwondo and traditional martial arts are integrated into one. In "Witness Witness", he also supported his friend John Salvitti (a white man who was kicked unconscious in the dark). He innovatively designed the fighting scenes and demonstrated superb fighting skills. His modern take on "Laundered" is considered by many to be one of the best in action movie history. Tsui Hark found Donnie Yen as Jet Li's final opponent when he was filming "Once Upon a Time in the World". In that scene, Donnie Yen devised a creative move, which was to use wet cloth as a weapon.

This film established his status as a kung fu star, and he was nominated for Best Actor at the 12th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1992.