How martial arts movie choreographers Tony Ching Siu-tung and Tong Kai – best known for their works with Tsui Hark and Lau Kar-leung – distinguished themselves
- Tony Ching directed classic Hong Kong movies A Chinese Ghost Story and Swordsman II and was known as an innovator and a craftsman who got the job done
- Tong Kai, whose notable works include One-Armed Swordsman and The Jade Bow, was skilled at handling action with big crowds and at devising unusual weaponry
Martial arts choreographer Tony Ching Siu-tung’s directorial work was often overshadowed by his indomitable producer Tsui Hark. Fellow choreographer Tong Kai, meanwhile, stayed in the background while his colleague Lau Kar-leung went on to achieve widespread fame. Neither choreographer, however, minded much. Here are their stories.
Tony Ching Siu-tung
Tsui is well-known for heavily involving himself in the shoots of the directors he employs, and his movies always bear his authorial stamp. So how much time he spent behind the camera himself has been a hot topic for critics ever since A Chinese Ghost Story and Swordsman II were released.
A viewing of Ching’s debut film as director, 1983’s Duel to the Death, makes it clear that some of the ideas certainly originated from Ching. Indeed Tsui, who had first hired Ching as a martial arts choreographer when they worked together in television, reportedly chose Ching to direct A Chinese Ghost Story because he was impressed by his innovative approach to Duel to the Death.
Duel to the Death looks more 1993 than 1983. The story of duelling Japanese and Chinese swordsmen makes inventive use of wirework, the edits are fast, there are numerous insert shots in the action scenes, and there is a surfeit of explosions and special effects – a taut cliffside scene reminds of the Swordsman films.
Ching has said he tried to develop the art direction and sets to take note of the action – unusual at a time when martial arts scenes were choreographed on the spot – and this held him in good stead for the many props and models used for A Chinese Ghost Story.
Ching has never addressed the topic of who did what, only noting that he and Tsui worked on so many films together that they always had a comfortable working relationship.
Tsui, who admits to taking over the direction sometimes, has said that Ching did not suffer from the situation, as he went on to become one of the world’s top martial arts directors, working in Hong Kong (with Johnnie To Kei-fung, Wong Jing and Stephen Chow Sing-chi), the US, China (with Zhang Yimou), and even Bollywood (on the crazed 2006 superhero film Krrish).