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| I'm not to sure if this is genuinly you on here or not,
but there is a question that no one seems too sure about, is it you or
a double playing you in Hero where you are stood with no cloth's on?
It is a double. While there are many things I do not mind doing
on film I am still not comfortable with being unclothed in front of
others. I am a fairly traditional man and I don't feel that it is
something I need to do. I understand that it was necessary for
the movie - to show the lengths by which they assured the safety of the
King (can you imagine the Secret Service doing that to someone visiting
the president?) - however I did not feel comfortable doing that myself,
so they hired a double to play my character in that moment.
And, as I have said before, I do not consider myself to be particularly
muscular or well-built. If you were to walk down any street there
would undoubtedly find a dozen or so men with physiques much better
than mine.
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| "It always supprises me when asian movie stars change or alter their
name when releasing a movie(s) in America. I find nothing wrong with
that, but i was wondering if you were forced to display yourself as Jet
Li rather than your Chinese name (which i believe is Lian Jie Li ) or
was it your decision"
The name "Jet" was actually given to me by people in the
Philippines. When my first movie was coming out there in 1982 the
marketing people who were helping to distribute the film felt that
"Lian-Jie Li" would be difficult for many people to remember easily, so
they thought to shorten the name to "Jie Li".
When people saw my films and noted that my career seemed to have taken
off like a jet plane, they started referring to me as "Jet Li", which
sounded similar to "Jie Li". I suppose the name just stuck from
that point on.
The decision to change my name was not my own, and I still refer to myself among family and friends by my Chinese name.
However, I can also appreciate the circumstances under which this name
was given to me and I do not have any negative feelings associated with
it. In fact, the name was given to me as a sign of respect for my
accomplishments and so I see it as a positive, not a negative.
When it all comes down to it, a name is nothing but a label. It
is not my identity. Calling me Jet Li, or Li Lian Jie, or Li Lin
Git, or whatever you wish to call me doesn't define me as a
person. I am still the same individual regardless of what I am
called, and as long as I am true to that reality, I have no problem
with different names people might give me. It is not important
what one is called, it is important how one lives their life. I
try to keep that in mind at all times.
And, as was once said, "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
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| "What do you think
about Wushu in full-contact events like UFC,Pride FC, and etc...I'm
saying that what would you think if you could enter in these events?
I'ved heard that some Wushu schools incorporated grappling into their
system such as Shui Chiao and I wonder if this is true?"
I was never interested in using wushu for fighting, and have not really
thought about enterting those types of competitions. As a result I have not spent
much time considering the results of such an action.
However, I think it is important to understand the disctinction in terms such as
"wushu", "martial arts", "shui chiao" and the like. In fact, the
broadest translation of "wushu" is "martial arts", and this applies to
any martial art such as Shui Chiao, Boxing, Karate, and others.
For many Chinese the term "wushu" is synonmyous with saying "martial
arts" in English. To say one practices wushu, in this sense, is a
very broad statement since there are many branches and divisions within
the world of martial arts. In fact, there is even a division of
martial arts that is medical in nature, so you could say that some
doctors practice wushu as well.
So, in light of this, Shui Chiao is already included within
wushu. Even if you refer to wushu as only Chinese martial arts,
it is still included within that definition.
However, semantics aside, it is important to understand that martial
arts, like all things in life, are fluid, not stable. Systems,
styles and understandings of wushu change and evolve over time.
What was once considered rare becomes common. What was once
outrageous becomes established. Likewise, the every-day can
become esoteric as well.
When one attempts to define a thing, then you begin to limit it.
If you say that X is only X and never anything else, then you limit
it's ability to grow and develop beyond those confines.
With martial arts, as with life, it is important to keep an open mind
and embrace alternative approaches and techniques. To constrain
martial arts within a specific definition does not allow it the freedom
to grow and evolve. And anything that is not allowed to grow will
eventually die.
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| It has been a very long time since I have posted up any information on
this web log. My life has been very busy since returning to
China. While you may not see any new films in theaters the
process of developing stories, looking at scripts and pursuing various
projects keeps me very busy "behind the scenes".
Again, with the help of one of the translators in my staff I am able to
reply to questions that fans might want to ask. I will make my
best effort to stay consistent in this endeavor, but please be aware
that other responsibilities might keep me from replying in a timely
manner.
As many of you know, my family and I recently had a brush with the
Tsunami while vacationing in the Maldives. The experience has
affected me in a very profound manner and I have had to re-examine many
of my priorities and the direction of my life. I have started a
foundation to aid future victims of natural disasters called ONE
Foundation. More information will be available in the future once
I have returned to China from my current travels. However you can
read some of the information at my website, jetli.com.
My current publicity and working trip has been quite hectic and I have
had a nice time visiting with fans in Europe and taking care of other
projects which required my attention. My newest film, "Unleashed"
is due in theaters this spring so I hope that you will have the
opportunity to watch and enjoy it.
Thank you for your continued support, both today and in the future.
Jet
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| "dear jet li,
I live in Beijing and I have practiced wushu for around 4-5 years now. From then onward, my interests really evolved to fight choreography (exploring how to create a feeling with fight choreography basically; i watch movies and basically analyze the choreography, and try to develop fight concepts of my own) and kind of self-teaching myself some moves from watching the movies...
I have my first wushu exam coming up really soon and I just want to ask a few questions..
1) i've watched some videos of myself doing wushu,.. i feel that i lack "explosiveness".. the movements dont really look convincingly powerful... i've tried with more snapping in my movements(putting the waist in it and all) but do you have any advice on that?
2) i think im going for a level 3...as im told by my teacher.. would you know the criteria i would be judged on by the judges?
3) any additional tips or anything to look out for?
thanks.."
An explosive quality in your wushu can be difficult to develop depending on many factors. Your body type, your musculature, your individual strengths and weaknesses ... everything contributes towards the type of wushu athlete you eventually become. For some things are easier than others. Such is the nature of our lives.
Again, I think one's coach is the best person to evaluate how you can achieve your specific goals, but in general there are a few ways you can develop good "fa li". I think principally the explosive quality originates from 2 things.
The first is the technique itself. Many times a person lacks explosiveness simply because they are executing the technique incorrectly. Some small adjustment might be enough to bring out that quality. Part of technique is timing. Understanding the proper rhythm of the movement -- when to be fast, when to be slow, when to explode forward and when to retreat back -- can help bring it out as well.
The second is strength and type of muscles. One can build up your muscles using certain techniques to develop a more explosive response. I understand there is a system called plyometrics that is helpful in developing one's fast-twitch muscle response. I have no personal experience but it might be something to look into. Often times the way we train our muscles contributes to a lack of explosiveness. Changing how you train and strengthen your body could have a positive result.
In any case, without having seen your wushu in person over the course of time it is difficult for me to offer more than general information. Hopefully your coach can help you reach your goals.
Concerning the second question, the judging and level testing requirements for wushu are much different today than in my competition and training days, so I am unfamiliar with what your level testing will entail. However, I believe that in any test of wushu ability, your foundation and ability to demonstrate good basics would be paramount. If I were to judge wushu I believe strong and clean basics would be my main priority.
I don't have any specific tips to give. The best way to improve in wushu, or any endeavor, is to train hard and train consistently. If you combine hard work and consistent practice together I'm sure you'll see positive results.
Good luck. | | |
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