Jet Li facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jet Li
Li in 2006
Born	Li Lianjie (1963-04-26) 26 April 1963 (age 62) Beijing, China
Nationality	Chinese (until 1997) American (1997–2009) Singaporean (from 2009)
Occupation	Martial artist actor philanthropist film producer director
Years active	1982–present
Height	5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Spouse(s)	Huang Qiuyan ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 1990)​ Nina Li Chi ​ (m. 1999)​
Children	4
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	李連杰
Simplified Chinese	李连杰
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐ Liánjié Wade–Giles Li Lien-chieh IPA [lì li̯ɛ̌n.tɕi̯ě] Yue: Cantonese IPA [le̬i lɪ̏ŋkìt] Jyutping Lei5 Lin4 Git6 Hong Kong Romanisation Lee Lin Kit
Li Yangzhong
Traditional Chinese	李陽中
Simplified Chinese	李阳中
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐ Yángzhōng Wade–Giles Li Yang-chung IPA [lì i̯ǎŋʈʂʊ́ŋ] Yue: Cantonese IPA [le̬i jœ̏ŋtsʊ́ŋ] Jyutping Lei5 Joeng4 Zung1 Hong Kong Romanisation Lee Yeung Chong

Li Lianjie (born April 26, 1963), known as Jet Li, is a famous martial artist, actor, and someone who helps others (a philanthropist). He was born in China and is now a citizen of Singapore.

Jet Li started training in wushu (a type of Chinese martial arts) when he was young. He became a national champion and later became a huge movie star. His first big movie was Shaolin Temple in 1982, which made him famous in Asia.

He starred in many classic martial arts films in the 1990s, like the Once Upon a Time in China series where he played the hero Wong Fei-hung. He also made movies that mixed martial arts with gun action. His films helped make wushu popular again in Hong Kong movies.

Later, Jet Li moved to Hollywood. He played a villain in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) and then had his first main role in Romeo Must Die (2000). He has worked with other famous actors like Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom and Jason Statham in The Expendables movies.

Jet Li is seen as one of the most important Chinese film stars and one of the greatest martial arts stars ever. Besides acting, he started a charity called One Foundation to help people. He also co-founded Taiji Zen, a program for health and wellness.

Early Life and Martial Arts

Jet Li was born in Beijing, China. He was the youngest of four children. His father passed away when Jet Li was only two years old, and his family faced tough times.

When he was eight, his talent for wushu was discovered during a summer school class. He joined the Beijing Wushu Team and quickly became very good. His coaches, Li Junfeng and Wu Bin, helped him a lot. Wu Bin even bought food for Li's family to make sure he got enough protein. Jet Li competed against adults and won the national championship five times in a row, from 1975 to 1979.

My winning first place caused quite a sensation because I was so young. I was 12 years old, and the other two medalists were in their mid- to late twenties. During the awards ceremony, as I stood on the top step of the podium, I was still shorter than the 2nd and 3rd place medalists. It must have been quite a sight.

Once, when he was a child, Jet Li was part of the Chinese National Wushu Team that performed for President Richard Nixon in the United States. Nixon asked Li if he would like to be his personal bodyguard. Li famously replied, "I don't want to protect just one person. When I grow up, I want to defend my one billion Chinese countrymen!"

Jet Li is a master of many wushu styles. These include Chángquán (Northern Longfist Style) and Fānziquán (Tumbling Fist). He also learned Baguazhang (Eight Trigram Palm), Taijiquan (Supreme Ultimate Fist), and Zui Quan (Drunken Fist). He is also skilled with wushu weapons like the Sanjiegun (Three Section Staff) and the Dao (Broadsword).

He stopped competing in wushu at 18 due to a knee injury. However, his amazing martial arts skills later helped him become famous around the world.

Acting Career

Chinese and Hong Kong Films

Li's hand print and autograph at the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong

His fame from sports led him to become a martial arts film star. This started in mainland China and then moved to Hong Kong. He got his stage name "Jet Li" in 1982 in the Philippines. A company thought his real name was hard to say. They compared his fast rise to fame to a jet aircraft taking off.

His first movie was Shaolin Temple in 1982. This film broke box office records in China. It sold about 500 million tickets! Its sequel, Kids From Shaolin, sold about 490 million tickets.

Some of his most famous Chinese films include:

• The Shaolin Temple series (1, 2, and 3). These movies are believed to have helped bring the real Shaolin Temple back to life.
• The Once Upon a Time in China series. In these films, he played the legendary Chinese folk hero Master Wong Fei Hung.
• Fist of Legend, which was a remake of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury.
• The Fong Sai Yuk films, about another Chinese folk hero.

In 2011, Jet Li starred in two wuxia films: The Sorcerer and the White Snake and Flying Swords of Dragon Gate. To promote tai chi, he also starred in and helped produce a film called Tai Chi in 2012. He played the tai chi master Yang Luchan.

American and Western Films

In 1998, Jet Li made his first international film, Lethal Weapon 4. This was the first time he played a villain. He agreed to do the movie because the producer promised him a main role in his next film, Romeo Must Die (2000). That movie became a big success. Even though Li didn't speak much English then, people praised his acting.

He turned down a role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) because he promised his wife he wouldn't make movies during her pregnancy. He also said no to a role in The Matrix movies. He felt his skills weren't needed and the movies were already amazing.

In 2001, he appeared in The One, his first film with Jason Statham. He also starred in Kiss of the Dragon with Bridget Fonda. In 2002, the martial arts movie Hero was released in China. It was a huge success and became the highest-grossing Chinese film at the time. In 2003, he worked with producer Joel Silver again in Cradle 2 the Grave.

In 2005, Jet Li took on a more serious role in Unleashed (also known as Danny the Dog). He played a character who was raised like an animal. This film showed more depth than his previous action movies.

In 2006, the martial arts epic Fearless was released. Jet Li played Huo Yuanjia, a real-life martial arts master. He said this would be his last wushu martial arts film. He wanted to make other types of movies, focusing on religious and philosophical ideas.

I stepped into the martial arts movie market when I was only 16. I think I have proved my ability in this field and it won't make sense for me to continue for another five or 10 years. Huo Yuanjia is a conclusion to my life as a martial arts star.

His 2007 Hollywood film, War, reunited him with Jason Statham. In late 2007, Li returned to China for the war film The Warlords. This movie focused more on drama than martial arts. For his role, he won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor.

Li in 2006

Jet Li and Jackie Chan finally appeared together for the first time in The Forbidden Kingdom. This movie was released in 2008 and was a big success. Li also played the main villain, Emperor Han, in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

In 2009, he started his own fitness program called Wuji, which combines martial arts, yoga, and pilates. From 2010 to 2014, he appeared in the first three The Expendables films, working with many other action stars. Jet Li also played the Emperor of China in the 2020 live-action movie, Mulan.

Personal Life

In 1987, Jet Li married Huang Qiuyan, who was also a member of the Beijing Wushu Team and acted with him in Kids From Shaolin. They had two daughters, Si and Taimi. They divorced in 1990.

In 1999, Jet Li married actress Nina Li Chi. They have two daughters, Jane (born 2000) and Jada (born 2002).

Jet Li became a US citizen in 1997, but he gave up that citizenship in 2009. In July 2009, he became a citizen of Singapore.

In 1998, Jet Li became a Tibetan Buddhist. His teacher is Lho Kunsang.

In 2013, Jet Li shared that he had hyperthyroidism, a health condition. By 2016, he said he had recovered and was taking fewer film roles because of his charity work, not his illness.

In his free time, Jet Li enjoys playing badminton and table tennis. He also likes to ride his bicycle, read, and meditate. He collects rare Tibetan beads.

Views on Life and Martial Arts

As a Buddhist, Jet Li believes that challenges in life can be overcome with the help of religious ideas. He feels that fame is not something he can control, so he doesn't worry about it.

I never say to myself I'm the best fighter in the world. If someone learns martial arts solely to pick fights on the street, to lean on it as a keystone weapon in conflicts, to use it to bully and intimidate others – then that person, in my opinion, cannot be considered a true martial artist.

Jet Li believes that everything he wants to tell the world can be found in three of his films:

• Hero teaches that one person's suffering is not as important as a nation's suffering.
• Unleashed shows that violence is never the answer.
• Fearless explains that a person's biggest enemy is themselves.

He thinks the greatest weapon is a smile, and the biggest power is love.

About wushu, he says that its true meaning is not about strength or speed, but about inner peace. He feels it's sad that today's wushu competitions focus more on perfect moves than on the true spirit of a martial artist. He believes wushu should be an art form, where each artist has their own unique style.

Jet Li also believes that wushu is not mainly for self-defense. Instead of trying to be a hero, people should try to solve problems peacefully. They should call the police if needed.

"A gun outdoes years of martial arts training in a split second. Like I've said many times before, it is important to differentiate between movies and reality. The hero in movies may be able to knock the gun off his opponent and save the day, but in real life – probably that is not the case."

He has also said that he has never had to use his martial arts skills in a real fight, and he hopes he never will.

Philanthropy and Helping Others

Li speaks at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin, China, September 2008

Since 2006, Jet Li has been a "philanthropic ambassador" for the Red Cross Society of China. He gave money from his film Fearless to a Red Cross project that helps with mental health.

In April 2007, after nearly dying in the 2004 tsunami in the Maldives, Jet Li started his own charity called The One Foundation. This foundation helps with disaster relief around the world and also supports mental health awareness. He has helped with recovery efforts for many disasters, including the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

In September 2010, the International Red Cross made him their first Good Will Ambassador. He said online:

"Today I signed a deal with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – IFRC – to become the FIRST goodwill ambassador in the history of this humanitarian organization. I am very honored! At the same time, I will not pause to celebrate, but instead keep pushing forward and do my best to help the world! Thank you all once again for your support and belief in me!"

He also met with famous people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to talk about charity work.

Taiji Zen

In 2011, Jet Li co-founded Taiji Zen with Jack Ma. Taiji Zen combines the martial art of Taijiquan (also known as T'ai Chi Chuan) with practices like meditation. It offers different classes and online programs to teach these practices.

Filmography

Some of Jet Li's most successful films in the US include Lethal Weapon 4 and The Expendables. Hero is one of the most successful foreign language films in the US and is highly praised by critics. Fist of Legend is also very well-liked by critics.

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Jet Li para niños

• Cinema of China
• Cinema of Hong Kong