For years, people around the world have associated the term 'Kung Fu' with a form of martial arts in China. However, it turns out that many have been wrong about what the term actually means. And who else but Jet Li to have it down to a science. In a recent video appearance, Jet Li revealed the real meaning of the term.
According to the iconic actor, people call it 'wushu' in China, and people mostly use it to refer it to "somebody spending a lot of time doing one thing". He went on to add, "Like if you have been painting for many many years, your painting kung fu is good. When you spend a lot of time cooking, your cooking kung fu is very good."
However, the actor revealed that the emergence of Bruce Lee as a major action star in the 1970s contributed to the term getting associated with Chinese martial arts.
"In the 1970s, Bruce Lee made action films, and a lot of people said, 'That's Chinese kung fu. So, everybody around the world think that kung fu equals to wushu and martial arts. Something like that,'" the actor said.
Besides Bruce Lee, the likes of Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Donnie Yen, among others, also played a part in making kung fu popular around the world, taking it to different generations like only they can. As a result, even those who have little to interest in acting or films have entered the field of cinema due to their admiration for such big proponents of the martial arts form.
Li's 2002 film Hero, directed by Zhang Yimou, often finds a place on the lists of the best kung fu movies of all time. The actor's upcoming films include another martial arts film, Blades of the Guardians.
