ABSTRACT
On the complicated map of Chinese-language cinema, Jet Li (Li Lianjie, b. 1963) is a conspicuous and celebrated figure. He has crossed numerous cultural and geographic boundaries and stands as one of the most flexible and adaptable contemporary Chinese stars. After earning an overnight reputation through Shaolin temple films made in mainland China in the early 1980s, Li became a kung fu superstar in Hong Kong in the early 1990s and maintained huge popularity in East and Southeast Asia throughout the first half of the 1990s. After 1998, he transferred to the West and ever since has made action films in the USA and France, establishing himself as a reliable action star in Hollywood. In recent years, he has periodically returned to Chinese film studios to make transnational art-house martial arts blockbusters such as Hero (Zhang Yimou, 2002), Fearless (Ronny Yu, 2006) and The Warlords (Peter Chan, 2007). The last one reportedly made Li the most expensive actor in Asia at the time (BBC News, 26 November 2007).
