It's been almost half a century since Yuen Wah used to rise at dawn for a full day of drills in acrobatics, acting and singing under the stern gaze of Peking opera maestro Yu Zhanyuan. The childhood image of his teacher clutching a cane in one hand is indelible, he says.
"My talent was unearthed by my master and it was because of the cane," says Yuen Wah, a veteran kung fu comedian and martial arts choreographer. "I knew if I couldn't do [the tumbling] I would get a severe beating."
Yu's notoriously disciplinarian programme at his Hong Kong-China Drama Academy produced alumni who went on to influence action movies worldwide during the past three decades. Dubbed the Seven Little Fortunes, prominent former apprentices - including Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung Kam-bo, Corey Yuen Kwai, Yuen Biao, Yuen Bun and Yuen Mo - became sought-after action choreographers and actors. Yu gave his apprentices stage names with the surname Yuen, so they were also known as the Yuen troupe (Chan was called Yuen Lau and Hung, Yuen Lung).
To mark the 50th anniversary of the academy, former pupils have organised a showcase of their early films and an exhibition of childhood snaps, memorabilia and movie stills, which begin this weekend at the Hong Kong Film Archive.
"They are the first - and last - batch [of action stars] trained in martial arts since childhood," says director Alex Law Kai-yui, whose 1988 film Painted Faces gives a dramatised account of life at Yu's opera school.
"At the time, people looked down on the apprentices, viewing them as children who took up tumbling because they couldn't make the grade in school," Law says. "But their experience is a proof of the Chinese adage that every field produces its masters."
Yu's daughter, Yu So-chau, had found fame as a kung fu actress in Hong Kong when he relocated from the mainland in 1959 and didn't want him to start his opera academy.
"She thought sifu [master] was getting old and should sit back and enjoy life," says Yuen Mo, who worked as an action choreographer on movies such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. "But sifu felt he had the responsibility to pass on his skills in Peking opera to the next generation."
Because Peking opera wasn't a popular art form here, Yu took up a friend's suggestion in 1961 to form a children's troupe to bring in extra income.
"That's how the Seven Little Fortunes came into being," says Yuen Mo.
The young troupers were regularly recruited as child actors in movies thanks to Yu's show business connections.
"Our students have always been involved in film production, so it was natural for us to make a living in movies after graduating from the academy," Yuen Mo says.
Coming from poor families, most pupils were signed on long apprenticeship contracts. Yu fed and housed them at his premises in Mirador Mansion and taught Peking opera skills, from singing and acting to complicated acrobatic routines. In return, he received most of the income from their performances.
The young apprentices were kept busy with practice throughout the day and performances at amusement parks or nightclubs after dark. Thrashings were routine.
"Every day I would thank the heavens if I wasn't beaten," says Chan, who joined the academy at the age of seven.
The sight of the master clapping in the wings was never a good sign - it was an ironic gesture to show his dissatisfaction with a performance.
"It was no use even if you behaved yourself because if one person did something wrong, everyone would get a beating," Chan recalls. "That's why we always kept an eye on each other to make sure no one made a mistake."
Discipline became so harsh there was a period when Hung would run away during the day, hiding in obscure corners in the building to wait for Yuen Wah to bring him food. Both were severely punished.
"Those days were painful," says Hung. "Who enjoys practising handstands at seven in the morning? But that's how children were trained in the old days."
In 1976 Yu closed his academy as interest in Peking opera waned. But many students were already building careers as stuntmen, martial arts choreographers, and eventually leading actors and movie directors.
They struck out at the right moment: Bruce Lee's enormous popularity led to a boom in martial arts movies, creating plenty of work for the Yuen troupers, who had kung fu training.
Yuen Wah, for instance, played a Japanese villain in Fist of Fury (1971) and served as a stunt double for Lee in Enter the Dragon (1973). He later became an action choreographer, but continues to appear in front of the camera in television dramas and films such as Kung Fu Hustle with fellow alumni Yuen Qiu.
"Kung fu youngsters like us, who could act and perform acrobatics, were in demand. As action doubles, we could earn as much as HK$600 a day, which was very good pay at that time," says Yuen Tak, who became an action director.
Lee's death in 1973 left a void, and new talents such as Chan and Hung emerged to fill the gap.
Hung quickly made a mark in his directorial debut with The Iron-Fisted Monk (1977), which was a hit, while Chan became a star playing a young Wong Fei-hung in Drunken Master (1978). The pair further confirmed their stellar appeal with Project A (1983), which also starred Yuen Biao, the youngest of Yu's apprentices.
The trio collaborated on a number of successful kung fu comedies, earning themselves a nickname as the "Three Brothers" of action cinema.
Yuen Biao, who joined the school at five, attributes their success to versatility. "[To star in an action movie] isn't just about playing a kung fu kid. You need to be able to act too. Nowadays, we don't have all-round actors any more."
He, too, started as stuntman and action choreographer, but was chosen by Golden Harvest studio co-founder Leonard Ho Koon-cheong to play the lead in kung fu flicks such as Knockabout (1977) and The Prodigal Son (1982). He later acted in and directed movies such as Peacock King (1989), based on a manga, and A Kid from Tibet (1992), which made him famous in Japan.
Film historian Law Kar says the Yuen troupe comedies offered a refreshing take on Guangdong kung fu legends, portraying uptight heroes as rebellious youngsters. The style went down well in the late 70s and 80s, when uncertainties about the handover loomed even as Hong Kong grew as a commercial centre.
"They made the characters more humorous and human. The relationship between the master and disciples was also more playful," says Law. "Their movies take digs at human flaws such as greed and the absurdities of life. These elements are new to the kung fu genre."
Their Peking opera training also transformed fight scenes, turning screen duels into choreographed, dance-like sequences. It was much more engaging than the realistic but visually unappealing southern boxing techniques showcased in old martial arts movies.
"Northern styles emphasise gestures, legwork and flexibility," says Yuen Bun. "Southern styles, on the other hand, are very solid and direct [combat skills]. We combine both to give more artistic action."
Fight sequences became longer and more spectacular. "Complex action also gives more choices in expression, such as [the application of] slow motion," Yuen Bun says.
Hung, in particular, is renowned for choreographing complex one-on-one fight scenes in urban settings. "He combines free-fighting with Northern acrobatics, creating a new action style for contemporary urban films," says Yuen Tak.
Also a martial arts choreographer, Yuen Tak helped choreograph the action in John Woo's A Better Tomorrow II, which features complex, close-up gun play. "This brand of body language in [action sequences] is uniquely ours," he says.
With audiences now seeming to prefer special effects to real action, prospects look gloomy for Hong Kong's action heroes. Still, they continue to wield influence behind scenes and help groom the next generation of martial arts talent. Hung, for example, choreographed the action for last year's kung fu hit, Ip Man, and appeared in the recent Wushu with young mainland talents such as Wang Wenjie.
Yuen Biao, meanwhile, plans to make his version of the Seven Little Fortunes story to promote the spirit of perseverance in hard times.
"Our master always told us `You have to put your heart into training ... Only then can you stand out and stand tall'," he says.
Humble Beginning: Early Films of the Yuen Clan, tomorrow to Nov 29; Exhibition, Nov 15-Feb 21, 2010. Both at the HK Film Archive, 50 Lei King Rd, Sai Wan Ho, tel: 2739 2139
