Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
1991 film by Tsui Hark
- Released
- 15 August 1991
- Country
- Hong Kong
- Language
- Cantonese
- Genre
- Martial arts film
- Director
- Tsui Hark
- Screenplay
- Tsui Hark
- Producer
- Tsui Hark
- Music
- James Wong
- Editing
- Marco Mak
- Starring
- Jet Li, Yuen Biao, Jacky Cheung, Rosamund Kwan, Kent Cheng, Yen Shi-Kwan, Wu Ma, Yuen Cheung-yan
- Running time
- 128 minutes
- Production company
- Orange Sky Golden Harvest
- Distributor
- Dall'Angelo Pictures, Netflix
- Set in
- Guangdong
Once Upon a Time in China (Chinese: 黃飛鴻; lit. 'Wong Fei-hung') is a 1991 Hong Kong martial arts film directed, produced, and co-written by Tsui Hark. It stars Jet Li as Wong Fei-hung, a Chinese martial arts master, physician, and folk hero in late-19th-century Guangzhou. The film also features Yuen Biao, Jacky Cheung, Rosamund Kwan, and Kent Cheng.
The first installment of the Once Upon a Time in China film series, it was a critical and commercial success upon its initial release, and has come to be regarded as one of the most influential martial arts films of all time. At the 11th Hong Kong Film Awards, the film won in four categories, including Best Director and Best Action Choreography.
More films directed by Tsui Hark
- The Butterfly Murders 1979
- Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain 1983
- Righting Wrongs 1986
- The Master 1989
- The Swordsman 1990
- The Raid 1991
- Once Upon a Time in China 1991
- Once Upon a Time in China II 1992
- New Dragon Gate Inn 1992
- Twin Dragons 1992
- Once Upon a Time in China III 1993
- Once Upon a Time in China V 1994
- Love in the Time of Twilight 1995
- Black Mask 2: City of Masks 2002
- Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame 2010
- Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 2011
- Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants 2025
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q947446 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.