Once Upon a Time in China IV

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Once Upon a Time in China IV
Once Upon a Time in China IV
Directed by	Yuen Bun
Produced by	Ng See Yuen Tsui Hark
Written by	Tsui Hark Elsa Tang
Starring	Zhao Wen Zhou Max Mok
Cinematography	Arthur Wong
Editing by	Marco Mak
Release date(s)	1994
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Cantonese
Preceded by	Once Upon a Time in China III
Followed by	Once Upon a Time in China V
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Once Upon a Time in China IV is a 1994 Hong Kong action film directed by Yuen Bun. The film stars Zhao Wen Zhou as legendary Chinese folk hero, Wong Fei Hung. It is the fourth film in the Once Upon a Time in China series.

In the previous three films, Tsui Hark had written and directed, though he only co-wrote Once Upon a Time in China IV. Other key absentees were Jet Li, who had played Wong in the original trilogy, and Rosamund Kwan who had played Aunt Yee (aka 13th Aunt).

1 Plot
- 1.1 Box office
2 See also
3 External links

[edit] Plot

The year is 1900 and Wong Fei Hung (played by Zhao Wenzhuo) and Leung Foon (the returning Max Mok) along with Wong's father and Club Foot face new enemies of China, this time in the form of German rivals and British forces, as well as the Red Lantern Society - a gang of women, who, like the White Lotus Cult from Once Upon a Time in China II, want to rid China of all foreigners. This time, 13th Aunt is substituted by her sister, Aunt May (aka 14th Aunt, played by Jean Wong) as Wong Fei Hung's love interest.

During a parade, the hosts, the Red Lantern Society, attack a German church. Before things get too out of hand, Wong comes to the foreigners defence and as a result, is forced to confront the gang, who fight using rope weapons and ether-filled lanterns.

Later, due to his success in winning the Golden Lion Medal in the previous film, Wong is asked to represent China in a world lion dance martial arts contest against seven other countries, with the German contingent being a particular threat. The lion dance is symbolic - the intentions of the German residents is to take control of China, and China need to win the contest to save face and show their strength. Rather than being limited to lion heads, various animal heads are used by the represented nations including dragon, centipede and eagle. The dance inevitibly descends into fighting and Wong's troupe eventually overcome the imperialist enemies.

Meanwhile, two Chinese villains have joined forces with the Germans who wish to control China. They break into the Forbidden City of China, and Wong must face the Chinese villains and stop the German General once and for all.

[edit] Box office

The departure of Jet Li from the series was a heavy box office blow. The fourth installment grossed $11,301,790 HKD[1], less than half of what the previous films in the series managed.