Once Upon a Time in China (1992)
Once Upon a Time in China II is a 1992 Hong Kong martial arts film written and directed by Tsui Hark, and starring Jet Li as Chinese martial arts master and folk hero of Cantonese ethnicity, Wong Fei-hung. It is the second instalment in the Once Upon a Time in China film series, and co-stars Donnie Yen, Rosamund Kwan and Max Mok. The iconic theme song, “A Man Should Better Himself” (男兒當自強), was performed in Cantonese by George Lam at the beginning of the film, and by Jackie Chan in the end credits. Chan also sang the Mandarin version.
Plot.
The film is set in China in 1895 during the Qing dynasty. Wong Fei-hung travels by train from Foshan to Canton to attend a seminar on medicine. He is accompanied by his romantic interest 13th Aunt and apprentice Leung Foon. The situation in Canton is rather chaotic. On one hand, there are protests in the streets against the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. On the other hand, the White Lotus Sect, a xenophobic cult, goes around attacking Westerners and destroying everything regarded as alien to Chinese culture. At one point, 13th Aunt is almost captured by the cult when she tries to take a photo of them, but Wong shows up, fights with the cult members, and saves her. Wong gives a lecture on acupuncture at the seminar while a Western-trained Chinese doctor, Sun Wen, helps him translate for the predominantly non-Chinese audience. The seminar is disrupted when the White Lotus Sect shoot flaming arrows into the building; Wong, Leung and Sun manage to escape safely. Wong feels that Canton is not safe and wants to bring Leung and 13th Aunt with him back to Foshan.
However, just as they are about to leave, they learn that the White Lotus Sect is attacking the Tongwen Guan, a school for Chinese children to study foreign languages. They head over and save the children. The innkeeper refuses to allow the children to remain in his inn because he is worried that the White Lotus Sect will find trouble with him.
When Wong goes to the local government office to ask if the children can take shelter there, he encounters a military officer, Nap-lan Yun-seut, who spars with him to test his skill in using the staff. Although Nap-lan is impressed with Wong’s skill, he does not approve Wong’s request. In the meantime, Leung and 13th Aunt bring the children to hide in the British consulate, which is under siege by the White Lotus Sect. At the consulate, Wong meets Sun Wen again and learns that Sun and his friend, Lu Haodong, are part of an underground movement planning to overthrow the Qing government and establish a republic in China. Nap-lan shows up with his soldiers and tries to enter the consulate to capture Lu but the British consul stops him. That night, Nap-lan orders his men to disguise themselves as White Lotus Sect members and break into the consulate.
