This Martial Arts Star Played The Same Character 3 Times (Before Jet Li Played Him Twice)

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Before Jet Li brought the martial arts hero Fong Sai-yuk to a wider audience in the 1990s with a couple of popular films, the character had already been portrayed many times by a different famous actor. Jet Li’s role in Corey Yuen’s Fong Sai-yuk was another success for an already accomplished career.

I absolutely loved Fong Sai-yuk! It’s a fantastic kung fu movie from 1993 about this incredible fighter who enters a tournament and, believe it or not, accidentally ends up with a wife! Things get really interesting after that, as he gets caught up with the Red Lotus Society, fighting against the ruling Manchus. It was such a hit they made a second one, Fong Sai-yuk 2, to keep the story going, and it’s just as good!

With an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Fong Sai-yuk is now considered one of Jet Li’s best martial arts films. The sequel, Fong Sai-yuk 2, is also well-regarded. Overall, the role of Fong Sai-yuk is one of Li’s most memorable. However, actor Alexander Fu Sheng arguably delivered an even stronger performance as the same Chinese folk hero.

Before Jet Li’s 2 Fong Sai-yuk Movies, Alexander Fu Sheng Played Him 3 Times

In the mid-to-late 1970s, Alexander Fu Sheng became a major star at Shaw Brothers, the most prominent kung fu movie studio in Hong Kong. He gained significant recognition for playing Fong Sai-yuk in the film Heroes Two, directed by Chang Cheh.

This classic kung fu film from 1974 follows two heroes who join forces to fight against the Manchus after the Shaolin Temple is destroyed during the Qing Dynasty. The film was a success for Shaw Brothers and inspired director Chang Cheh to create several more movies with similar storylines, characters, and settings.

I’ve been revisiting what’s now known as The Shaolin Cycle – a series of six films directed by Chang Cheh. What’s really cool is that they all feature Alexander Fu Sheng, and each one, in its own way, explores the destruction of the Shaolin Temple. Sometimes the temple falls during the movie, and other times it’s an event that sets the whole story in motion. They’re not directly connected, more like linked by a common theme and star, but together they form a really compelling arc.

I’m a big fan of Alexander Fu Sheng, and I loved seeing him as Fong Sai-yuk! He didn’t just play the character in Heroes Two; he also starred as Fong Sai-yuk in Men from the Monastery and Shaolin Temple. Shaolin Temple was a really special movie – a huge Shaw Brothers production with a ton of famous martial arts stars, and it was awesome to see Fu Sheng’s Fong Sai-yuk fighting alongside all those Shaolin masters to defend the temple.

Similar to Heroes Two, Men from the Monastery centers around three well-known Shaolin warriors. Director Chang Cheh draws on legends about Fong Sai-yuk, portraying Fu Sheng’s character as an almost unbeatable fighter with one critical weakness: a vulnerable groin area.

These three movies are all great kung fu films with impressive fight scenes. Heroes Two and Shaolin Temple are particularly noteworthy, ranking among the best martial arts movies Shaw Brothers produced in the 1970s. These films helped establish Fu Sheng as a legend, especially for his portrayal of Fong Sai-yuk.

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2026-02-24 08:48