Jet Li

Li Lianjie (born April 26, 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean^[1] martial artist, retired Wushu champion, actor, film producer, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most iconic Chinese film stars and one of the most renowned martial arts stars of his generation.^[2][3]

Jet Li
Jet Li at the premiere of Fearless.
Born	(1963-04-26) April 26, 1963 (age 60) Beijing, China
Occupation(s)	Actor Martial artist
Years active	1982–present
Height	168 cm (5 ft 6 in)
Spouse(s)	Huang Qiuyan (1987–1990) Nina Li Chi (1999–present)
Awards	Hong Kong Film Award: Best Actor 2008 The Warlords Golden Horse Award: Special Award 1995 Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award: Best Actor 2006 Fearless
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	李連杰
Simplified Chinese	李连杰
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐ Liánjié Wade–Giles Li Lien-chieh IPA [lì ljɛ̌n.tɕjě] Yue: Cantonese IPA [le̬i lɪ̏ŋkìt] Jyutping Lei5 Lin4 Git6 Hong Kong Romanisation Lee Lin Kit
Li Yangzhong
Traditional Chinese	李陽中
Simplified Chinese	李阳中
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǐ Yángzhōng Wade–Giles Li Yang-chung IPA [lì jǎŋʈʂʊ́ŋ] Yue: Cantonese IPA [le̬i jœ̏ŋtsʊ́ŋ] Jyutping Lei5 Joeng4 Zung1 Hong Kong Romanisation Lee Yeung Chong
Website	www.jetli.com

Li began practising Wushu at the age of eight. Between 1974 and 1979, he won the title of Men's All-Around National Wushu Champion five times.^[4] Li is a master of several styles of Wushu, especially Chángquán (Northern Longfist Style) and Fānziquán (Tumbling Fist). He has mastered Wushu's main weapons, such as the Sanjiegun (Three Section Staff), Gùn, Dao (Broadsword), and Jian (Straight Sword). He has also studied other arts including Baguazhang (Eight Trigram Palm), Taijiquan (Supreme Ultimate Fist), Xing Yi Quan (Shape Intent Fist), Zui Quan (Drunken Fist), Ying Zhao Quan (Eagle Claw Fist) and Tanglangquan (Praying Mantis Fist).^[5]

After retiring from competitive Wushu at age 18, Li went on to win great acclaim as an actor. His most notable Chinese films include Shaolin Temple (1982), the first three films in the Once Upon a Time in China series (1991–1993), the Fong Sai-yuk series (1993), Fist of Legend (1994), Hero (2002), Fearless (2006), and The Warlords (2007). His movie career in China is credited with reviving Wushu in Hong Kong martial arts films during the 1990s,^[4] and revitalising the Shaolin Temple.^[6] Li is also noted for his contribution to making new Wuxia films popular internationally during his career.^[7] His most notable non-Chinese films include Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Romeo Must Die (2000), Kiss of the Dragon (2001), The One (2001), Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), and Unleashed (2005). He also starred alongside Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008).

After a long movie career, in 2007 Li turned to philanthropy. He founded the One Foundation, an independent fundraising foundation in mainland China which mainly focuses on natural disaster relief, environmental protection, medical treatment, education and poverty problems. Since the start of the foundation, Li has been involved with recovery efforts in seven disasters, including the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the 2008 Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan, and the 2013 Lushan earthquake in Ya’an, Sichuan.^[8][9][10] Li also subsequently founded Taiji Zen, an online health and wellness program providing instruction in meditation and Tai chi.^[11]