Martial artist-cum-actor Carter Wong (aka Wong Ka-tat) would have turned heads in the 1970s, when 'chop socky' movies had audiences punch-drunk and hungry for more. Now his bulging muscles and button-sized calluses attract only quizzical looks.
Nevertheless, at a cafe at the Holiday Inn Golden Mile, where he slinks in wearing an imitation snake-skin suit and a bulky jade-and-gold necklace, sidelong glances from guests lift his spirits. 'Martial arts made me a star,' he declares.
While it is obvious Wong is still in shape, the protege of director Huang Feng has been lying low in the entertainment world for the past few years.
But he has not been idle. Instead of making movies, he now promotes Muay Thai (Thai boxing) and kickboxing on the mainland, and manufactures and markets his 'Carter Wong Kung Fu Balm', which promises to relieve not only muscular pain but also headaches, stomach aches and travel sickness. He also holds tai chi classes for policemen in Yuen Long and Macau.
The demand for his skills is understandable. Wong is a former chief instructor in karate for the Hong Kong Police and in Muay Thai for its New York counterpart. He claims to have trained movie stars Sylvester Stallone and William Shatner. In 1996, he was inducted as a member of the World Muay Thai Council and the World Kickboxing Association, of which he is China's representative.
His expertise is sought not only in Asia, but also the United States, where he returns occasionally to give American crime-busters pointers on self-defence.