Once upon a time in China (4 Stars)

The Historical Background

Once Upon a Time in China (1991), directed by Tsui Hark, is set in Foshan during the late Qing dynasty, a period of intense social upheaval as China struggled to reconcile tradition with the pressures of Western imperialism and internal decay. The film blends martial arts spectacle with a historical drama about cultural identity, national pride and the painful cost of modernization.

Foshan, located in Guangdong province near the Pearl River Delta, was one of southern China’s most important commercial and cultural centres in the nineteenth century. It was famous for its ceramics, metalworking and bustling trade networks, and it was also a stronghold of southern Chinese martial arts. Styles such as Hung Gar, Wing Chun and Choy Li Fut flourished there, often taught through family lineages or associated with local guilds.

By the time the film is set, roughly the 1880's to 1890's, Foshan was caught between worlds. Western powers had forced China to open treaty ports after the Opium Wars, bringing missionaries, merchants and military influence deep into Chinese society. Foreign factories, churches and consulates appeared alongside traditional temples and schools. Many locals saw Western technology as both impressive and threatening, while resentment simmered over unequal treaties, extraterritorial rights and cultural humiliation. This tension provides the political and emotional backdrop of the film.

Wong Fei-hung was was born in 1847 in Xiqiao, Nanhai County, Guangdong. He moved to Foshan as a child, and he was raised in a family deeply rooted in martial arts and traditional Chinese medicine. He was a master of Hung Gar kung fu, a physician and a respected community leader. Wong was known not only for his fighting ability but also for his moral code, emphasizing discipline, compassion and restraint. Over time, his life became heavily mythologized through oral stories, opera and later cinema, transforming him into a symbol of Chinese virtue and resistance.

In Tsui Hark’s film, Wong Fei-hung represents the ideal Confucian hero struggling to uphold ethical traditions in a rapidly changing world. He is not portrayed as blindly anti-foreign; instead, he is cautious and reflective, recognizing the need to learn without surrendering cultural integrity.

Plot Synopsis

The story follows Wong Fei-hung, played by Jet Li, as he navigates the growing chaos in Foshan. Foreign missionaries and businessmen arrive with modern weapons and machines, while local gangs exploit fear and confusion for profit. Kidnappings, human trafficking and exploitation of women become rampant, often hidden behind the façade of Western progress or criminal opportunism.

Wong runs a martial arts school and a medical clinic, positioning him as both protector and healer of the community. His attempts to maintain order are constantly challenged by corrupt officials, violent bandits and cultural misunderstandings between Chinese citizens and foreigners. These conflicts escalate when a local criminal ring collaborates with foreign interests, leading to public unrest and violent clashes.

Central to the film is Wong’s internal struggle. He must decide how to defend Chinese values without becoming reactionary or xenophobic. His relationship with his 13th aunt, a Western-educated woman who adopts foreign dress and ideas, embodies this tension. Through her, the film explores the possibility of coexistence, while also highlighting the prejudices and dangers faced by those who cross cultural boundaries.

The climax sees Wong confronting both physical enemies and symbolic ones. Traditional kung fu faces off against guns and modern weaponry, raising the question of whether moral strength and discipline can survive in an age of industrial violence. Wong ultimately prevails not simply through combat, but through leadership, restraint and a reaffirmation of cultural dignity.

Themes and Legacy

Once Upon a Time in China reframes the martial arts film as a historical epic. It uses Foshan as a microcosm of China’s national crisis, and Wong Fei-hung as a moral anchor in a society under siege. The film argues that true strength lies not in rejecting change outright, but in confronting it with clarity, ethics and self-respect.

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