"The secret to dueling is don't dodge strikes to the head" "Your opponent's fist is always faster" "Wrists are slender" "The neck is thick" "Hands or head, which is faster?" "Hands" "Once more!" "You already defeated him in the dojo" "Win or lose, it's customary for the dojo to play host" "You wanted coffee." "We came all this way for it, why humiliate him once again?" "I suppose fighters enjoy talking Kung Fu" "One more duel" "Are you going to take care of it?" "Of course" "IN 1912, TIANJIN'S FIRST DOJO WAS BORN" "BY 1932, TIANJIN BECAME CITY OF MARTIAL ARTS" "DISCIPLINES ALL ACROSS CHINA COME HERE FOR FAME" "What style was that?" "Wing-Chun" "Never heard of it" "It's a small discipline in Southern China known only to a few" "You want to make Wing-Chun famous in Tianjin?" "With your permission" "You surprised me today" "No ordinary man can attain your level" "I'll take you somewhere" "I'm the only martial artist who's been there" "You see?" "That Belarusian dancer is astonishing" "Her movements, the subtle muscle control, it's like a martial art" "I swore an oath to guard our secrets when I started learning Kung Fu" "Did you?" "Yes." "I will take at most two disciples in my life" "If we don't start teaching our secrets soon, the foreigners will figure out our tricks" "Our grandchildren are in danger" "So teach" "I can't" "None of the Tianjin Masters dare challenge the customs" "We need an outsider, someone who can break the taboo" "If you promise to teach your secrets," "I will allow you to open a dojo" "For thirty years I've been the Grandmaster of Tianjin" "I want to do something worthwhile before bowing out" "Thirty years is a long time" "Why didn't you act sooner?" "With age comes wisdom, I suppose" "Come see me at Kiessling's in three days" "Tianjin's top western restaurant" "Easy to find" "Whatever you choose, we should enjoy a meal together" "I thought it over" "Gain reputation, but not hand down my secrets" "The bread here is free" "It's the only free meal you'll find in Tianjin" "Aside from your permission, there's an old rule" "If I best eight dojo's, I can open my own" "No one has ever defeated more than five" "Neither eaten more than five loaves of bread here" "Bread..." "Eight" "My Master played it safe his whole life" "In his final years, he'd curse himself when he was drunk" "I don't want to die with regrets" "Stop that" "I despise men taking petty advantages" "Fine, so you play by the rules" "If I wait any longer, I'll be too old to fight" "You don't have to fight" "If you fight you'll be expelled, even if you win" "You must teach a disciple to fight for you" "They won't accept me, but him?" "The disciple must be a local" "Tianjin people accept their own" "I can help you choose someone" "It will take at least three years to train someone" "I can't wait that long" "You have no choice" "She's not a decent woman" "Her family was poor so she attended the missionary school" "At 17 she gave birth to a child" "A foreign breed" "Her parents drowned the baby" "With her bad reputation, she never remarried" "I'll marry you" "I will stay in Tianjin for three years" "And then?" "Go to Guangdong with me" "If you don't want to go," "I will leave you some money" "How much?" "Negotiable" "That isn't the life I dreamt of" "In my dream life," "I marry a Brazilian who Whisks me off to South America to plant cocoa..." "Do we have a deal?" "This is the price" "I've vouched for you" "If you don't pay, she'll come looking for me" "This is the last time I help you" "You owe me" "Just so we're clear" "Don't ask what I do in Tianjin" "If you find out, don't tell anyone" "I'll be your wife, not your concubine" "How do I know you'll be faithful to me?" "Since I was 15" "I've practiced 500 strokes every day" "That number keeps my head clear of distractions" "Starting from today, you'll be that number" "Once a month I want a shopping and crabs for dinner" "We live in a slum, so we have to act the part" "Just do window shopping and no crabs" "Tianjin has nine rivers" "Crabs are even cheaper than rice" "Well then, as many as you want" "You don't usually smoke" "Everyone has a bad habit" "This is mine" "Okay" "Hurry up!" "Move!" "Looks like a master" "I wonder how he pissed off those thugs?" "Perhaps his wife is pretty" "They are too well-dressed to be from around here" "Once you've seen her face, we're leaving" "Madam?" "I challenge your man to a duel" "Wash up." "He won't be back for a while" "That face is worth taking a beating for" "Go away" "Huh?" "You want to watch me get clobbered?" "Fist fights are boring" "How about knives?" "Are these good enough?" "Just fine" "It would be a pity for you not to learn Kung Fu" "I will teach you" "Didn't you notice how your disciple was looking at me?" "He's a backstabber" "He won't dare look at you inappropriately" "once he starts his training" "He will then respect me like a god" "Master!" "Don't call me master" "I will not teach you anymore" "I thought we've reached an understanding?" "I found someone better" "Someone local?" "Yes" "I wasn't going to mention this but" "Tianjin has nineteen dojo's" "After your disciple defeats eight of them, the heads of the dojo's will elect a champion to defeat him and banish him from Tianjin forever" "But his victory over the eight dojo's will be admitted" "His Master may stay and start a dojo" "Wing-Chun thus wins fame and glory, and Tianjin doesn't lose face." "Everyone wins" "The man I chose is willing to leave Tianjin forever" "Why sacrifice someone else?" "Indeed, he is a nobody" "Readily expendable" "I will be the Champion the dojo's elect" "I'm old" "A final victory before I retire, that would be the icing on the cake" "For my last battle, nothing can be left to chance" "I need to know everything your disciple knows" "I will acknowledge you as my Master" "Tianjin has a kind of challenge called "Push-Knives"" "Ten years ago it was very popular" "But not anymore" "Tianjin's knife skills grow weak" "No outsider knows this technique" "With these knife skills, you will be ready to challenge the dojo's in two years" "Two years..." "Next year, I will take you away from here" "(Gang)!" "Looks like business is good" "My Master said I need to switch jobs" "I can't do physical labour anymore" "I need all my strength for training" "You're not a coolie anymore, don't keep that cart" "The boss asked for a hefty severance fee" "You go, cart stays." "That's the rule" "Take the cart... over my dead body" "Get him!" "Let's go!" "No blades in street brawls" "That's the rule in Tianjin" "Today you used knives against us" "We are no longer family" "Keep your cart!" "Let's go!" "ONE YEAR LATER" "Okay!" "Chest hit" "Wrist hit" "Waist hit" "Rib hit" "Forearm hit" "Geng wins!" "Yinghua Dojo will honor you tonight at the Dengying Lou Restaurant" "Dengying Lou Restaurant?" "Not interested" "You may choose a venue" "Three bowls each!" "You said that we could look but not buy" "He can keep you company when I'm not at home" "I dare you to wait here!" "How many thugs can you round up?" "A few hundred!" "Can you bring twenty?" "Sure!" "I'll wait" "Don't chicken out!" "Let's go home" "I want to fight" "I didn't know you hate dogs" "When I hold it in my arms it feels like a baby" "I heard about that baby of yours" "People say my parents drowned him" "No." "They sold him" "Newborns are always pretty ugly" "I was so young..." "I have no hard feelings" "Three years ago" "I suddenly started missing the baby" "Maybe... we can still find him" "The first day of our marriage" "I took the money for a divorce settlement" "I'm not following you to Guangdong" "What happens in Tianjin stays in Tianjin" "So... you'll find some other man?" "With or without a gardener, flowers die regardless" "With or without a man, women live on their own" "They really came" "This conversation isn't over" "My family owned nearly a hundred properties in Guangdong" "We lost everything in a rebellion" "It's lucky I learned martial arts when I was young, otherwise I would have starved" "I worked on cargo ships as a bodyguard for thirteen years" "Once I hit forty," "I'd had enough of the sea" "I only wanted to go home" "All of our estates had either been occupied or ruined" "Recovering the ancestral home was a struggle" "I swore I would make my family proud again" "But my Master died last year" "I owe a debt to my Master and to my family" "I thought it wouldn't take long to establish a dojo, so I decided to repay my Master first" "I must act quickly or my home will be seized" "I must return to Guangdong" "I didn't ask you to stay" "Tianjin has nine rivers" "I don't know which one brought my ancestors here" "But I'm a fourth generation Tianjiner" "If I go with you, it would be an insult to my ancestors" "Tianjin girls don't marry outside Tianjin" "That's just the way it is" "I see" "If I leave, I'll divorce you" "Won't that ruin your reputation?" "It will ruin yours" "Tianjiners are proud of their women" "They'll curse your name once they hear you put a good woman to shame" "I see" "Thanks for making an honest woman out of me" "You were sent by God" "What God?" "Valentino" "Who?" "A Hollywood movie star" "He's a God?" "Leave me a photo when you go" "I'll pray to you too" "They're gone" "Let's keep walking" "Master!" "Shhh!" "My wife's asleep" "Get rid of him" "Today..." "Why aren't you at the dojo's feast of honor?" "Did you lose?" "I won" "I have no interest in their hospitality, so I bought crabs for you" "He beat his first dojo" "It's a special day for him" "Your Master always buys 80 30 for him, 50 for me" "You really skimped out on these crabs" "Back when I was learning Kung Fu, you never spoke to me" "Today you finally scolded me" "I'm happy because it means that my Master would teach me something new" "I understand" "I'm in love with a girl" "She's as pretty as you!" "Your hands are like mine." "Working since childhood" "She's prettier than me" "Not at all" "Every dojo has its own sparring gear, pretty crude stuff" "My ancestor was a General in the Qing Dynasty" "I designed this sparring gear with my ancestors armor" "What do you think?" "It's useful" "Brother Zheng!" "Brother Zheng!" "My knife skills are solid?" "How's your disciple?" "I was right about him" "He's a prodigy" "Aren't you going to wear them?" "Kicking?" "Geng wins!" "It's been one year" "This is the first time I let you inside" "Do you know why?" "Yes, Master" "You finally think I'm worthy" "Master, are you hurt?" "I had an accident at work" "When I was 23 my Master took me for a coffee and told me that" "the future of Wing-Chun rests on my shoulders" "Now I'm telling you the same" "Don't fight the dojo's anymore." "It's too dangerous" "Geng!" "You..." "Would you cry if I died?" "I hope you die soon" "As you wish!" "Where's your husband?" "Taking a siesta" "Wake him up" "Your disciple has defeated seven dojo's" "He's quite a fighter" "He's a typical Tianjin youth, he doesn't listen to me" "I regret teaching him" "It wasn't your idea?" "I have mouths to feed" "What good would it do me to provoke you?" "A dojo means a steady flow of income" "Your woman is very pretty, she deserves better than this" "You're prettier," "I dare not fall for you" "I think he's telling the truth" "Let him live" "Finally" "I know why you married me" "Living in poverty, taking a wife, this is just a front" "An illusion to hide your ambitions" "You are going to betray your disciple" "The future of Wing-Chun rests on my shoulders" "This is the hand that fate dealt me" "Go" "But don't breathe a word of this to Geng" "Do not sabotage my plan" "Relax" "If you're tense, your shoulders will tighten up and it will slow you down" "I know" "If you're tense, you'll lose" "I know" "Master" "Go" "You're better than I was" "A disciple of mine is now the Viceroy's second in command" "Whenever I come here," "I put my expenses on his tab" "His Kung Fu stinks but his money is good" "Madam" "So this is where he has been training you this past year" "The first time you came to our house was to look at me, right?" "Everybody likes pretty women" "What if it meant paying with your life?" "I wouldn't want you to die for me" "You're more than just a pretty woman to me now" "Tianjin's a tough place" "After the coolies renounced me" "I had nobody" "You and the Master are the only family I have left" "You need to wise up" "If something looks fishy, you run" "Don't worry" "The competitions are attended by notaries" "There won't be reprisals" "Blades aren't allowed in Tianjin's street fights" "Pedicab drivers always hide a pole under their cabs" "I'm the man who's defeated seven dojo's" "Go get it" "Geng, are you crazy?" "He's a bad guy" "With his shiny legs he's not a pedicab driver" "All I saw was you bullying my customer" "People get bullied here every day" "Today for once I am the bully, so what?" "You are no longer welcome here" "Gang" "Do I know you?" "You've become quite a celebrity" "I made a little detour so I could pass by your book stall" "Fighting in the dojo is better than being assassinated" "What are you talking about?" "I challenge your dojo" "I accept with one condition" "I will not be seen drinking at a tea stall" "It's disgraceful" "For you I'll make an exception" "Coffee?" "Much obliged" "I haven't been able to preserve... my husband's legacy" "Master Han died young." "It's been hard for you" "Ten years ago" "Push-Knives was all the rage in Tianjin" "It was his virtuosity that made it so popular" "After he left us everyone just lost interest" "The rise and fall of an art depends on the life and death of an artist" "Tianjin has nineteen dojo's, mine was the eighth one he has challenged" "If he won the next then half of Tianjin's finest were beat" "Tianjin will be a laughing stock" "Sister," "I'll take care of it" "After all these years old friends are still the most reliable" "Dojo's have no champions because we don't teach our secrets" "We don't teach outsiders." "It's always been that way" "Big martial arts academies are the brainchild of ambitious politicians and business men" "Once the dojo's have served their purpose and the donations stop, the gravy train will grind to a halt" "Just enjoy it while it lasts" "Master lam not your Master" "Remember that" "No sparring today" "I have a plan for future generations of fighters" "This enhanced Qing dynasty armor will be used by soldiers for bayonet practice" "The days of dojo's are numbered" "The military is the future" "When do you fight my disciple?" "In a few days." "Today I'm meeting the Viceroy" "Master!" "Thanks for your arrangement" "Where's the Viceroy?" "He's not coming" "He wants us to film for him" "It's good he isn't coming" "So we will have a record of your greatness" "A record of a Master like you will be a great contribution to history" "Together with your Master, you too will enter the history books..." "Stop!" "Wrong" "Stop, stop!" "Did you get that?" "Master" "My disciple set me up" "To secure notoriety, one can challenge other dojo's" "Or one's own master." "It's called a graduation gift" "Is that so?" "The defeated Master will arrange a banquet... in his disciple's honor" "This was your idea?" "Your disciple thought I might persuade you, in view of our friendship" "I didn't know this was his plan" "He's a soldier, not a martial artist" "What does this achieve?" "No use crying over spilt milk" "You've been around, you know how it is" "These two houses are gifts from your disciple" "Don't you want them?" "He's destroyed a reputation I worked a lifetime to build" "It's the least he can do" "Master Zheng isn't home, he didn't say when he's coming back" "There's no such thing as a free lunch, Sir" "The bread is free only if you order something" "All this time the answer has been staring me in the face" "I have a friend" "He's fit as an ox" "The years have taught him how to be cautious" "He will not take a risk even if it means sacrificing others" "Master Zheng" "He will soon fight Geng" "He will break his promise, in a brutal way" "Geng will die?" "He's a prodigy, he may not die" "But he'll be crippled" "Life won't be worth living" "We need to get him out of Tianjin, tonight" "I told you I'm not going with you" "See us off" "Okay?" "Okay" "Wait for me at home" "Master Chen." "Come upstairs for some tea" "Northern custom dictates" "The dojo's should vote on how we settle your disciple" "The edge means friend, the middle means foe" "If he's a foe... the end justifies the means" "Tianjin has nineteen dojo's." "Why are there so few of you?" "What is Master Zheng's opinion?" "We talk with our teacups, not our mouths" "Take one" "Do you have The Swordsman of Sichuan Mountains?" "An officer wants to read it" "Yes" "There's an officer who wants to read this while he drinks his tea" "Let him read it, I'll waive your charge" "If we both leave Tianjin and never come back" "Will you spare him?" "You won't be able to help" "I'll see what I can do" "Go and call the police" "Thank you!" "Your disciple defeated eight dojo's." "If we banish both of you" "Outsiders will say were bullies" "We will support you to open a dojo for at least one year" "Then?" "We won't stop you if you leave" "We are neither politicians nor gangsters" "He could leave safely" "Wow!" "What a fighter!" "Geng, do you need a hand?" "No" "Duel with swords" "What are you doing?" "He is no longer one of us" "The military is doing what we're supposed to do" "They're taking over the dojo's" "The dojo's used to have autonomy" "Those days are gone" "So I sacrificed my disciple for yours" "My days in Tianjin are over" "I was too ashamed to meet with you" "Today I'm boarding a boat to Brazil" "I'll end my days planting cocoa" "This is a gift for your new dojo" "Please accept it." "Tell people I designed it" "This is the last of my legacy" "This is the first time I've seen your front door" "Someone's going with me" "You've met her" "I shouldn't have catch your sword" "It occupies my hands" "I used some tricks" "One more duel" "No" "There's a doctor in that church up ahead" "If you move too fast the daggers will dig deeper" "You injured six of my men, so think of this as punishment" "Piece of cake" "Once you've healed, never return to Tianjin" "This is the dojo's punishment for you" "I'm not leaving Tianjin" "I've killed over 200 people... bandits, riffraff" "I've lived over twenty years in Tianjin" "What kind of man would I be if I was frightened away?" "You're all bark and no bite" "I dare you to run 50 paces towards Tianjin" "Tianjin's a tough place" "The eldest sons of poor families get kicked out at fifteen and to learn to fend for themselves" "lam the eldest" "W h whatever" "Eight years ago my parents and two sisters left for the North East" "I never heard from them again" "I'm the last Tianjiner in our family" "Have a cigarette; it stinks of blood in here" "Boss" "Stop the car" "If he runs like that he won't survive" "When we get back, tell the police to collect the corpse" "Yes, Sir" "You couldn't stop a foreigner learning our tricks so you made her a Chinese wife" "Smart" "Goodbye, Brother" "Brother Zheng" "Be wary of this woman" "She is much younger than you" "I think she's only in it for your retirement fund" "She was born poor, of course she's very selfish" "But what good is a man's money if there isn't a woman to spend it?" "Geng!" "I shall not scare her" "Geng, you're no longer one of us" "I'm leaving Tianjin today, let me do this one last time" "So this is how your disciple developed his skills" "Your dojo will be located in the busiest area of town" "A big mansion with twenty-two rooms" "Officer Lin bought it" "It will be the largest dojo Tianjin has ever seen" "I have booked a hotel room for you" "You can stay there until the dojo is finished" "I'll stay in my slum" "It's grown on me" "To gain a reputation like this..." "I know it's not what you imagined" "If it was me I'd be disappointed too" "But that's life, right?" "Someone's here to see you" "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well" "Please give Geng an honorable funeral" "He's already six feet under" "Master Chen, if there's anything you need, we want to help" "Anything I need?" "Before he died, Geng pushed a cart" "He earned a coolie's living" "That makes him one of us" "We'll avenge his killers" "Coolies against fighters?" "What a joke!" "You!" "If I can take your button," "I can cut your throat" "Understand?" "My dojo is going to open tomorrow" "I came to Tianjin to open a dojo" "I will not tolerate any disturbance" "Geng was your disciple!" "My son would be eleven this year" "I wonder what he looks like" "Probably like that" "So many years have passed, I can't find him" "But what if he comes looking for me?" "I can't leave Tianjin" "If they can't catch me, they'll take revenge on you" "You're my husband" "If they do come after me... so be it" "I didn't have time... to have a picture taken for you" "This is all of my savings... from 13 years toiling at sea" "Wait for me at the train station tomorrow" "If I don't come, get on a train and leave" "Get off at Guangdong, or anywhere else, and stay for ten years" "You can return to Tianjin after ten years" "Your son will be twenty-one, he'll be able to come for you" "Sounds like a good plan." "Okay" "This is impressive" "Officer Lin" "Yes?" "It is improper to be in uniform during a civilian event" "First time I've heard that rule" "That's the rule" "You still have time to change" "You're no longer required here." "Dismiss" "Come with me" "Face me" "Stop the car" "You're leasing books here as well?" "It's my friend's stall, he died recently" "His Master sent someone to tell me that he'd left it to me" "Master..." "Your friend was a fighter?" "Have you just arrived in Tianjin?" "My friend is the famous Geng who defeated eight dojo's" "I think I heard about him on the train" "He's a legend" "He was set up by cowards, people are outraged" "His bloodstains remain on some books" "Really?" "Can you show me?" "We're going to be late" "Miss" "Can I keep this?" "You are not ordinary" "I'm guessing you're some kind of official" "If I give you this, please help bring his killers to justice" "From what you say about him" "I'm sure he was a good man" "Thank you for your support, everyone" "Shaw's over" "Put up the doors" "Today's opening is something new" "Not an opera troupe but a film" "The Burning of The Red Lotus Temple" "I'd like a croissant, please" "Master Zheng?" "Is that Master Zheng?" "Officer Lin isn't just a military man" "He's a martial artist" "Everyone just witnessed his skills" "He has surpassed his Master" "We once bowed to Master Zheng" "Now we should bow to Officer Lin" "Are there any objections?" "Can we watch "The Red Lotus Temple" now?" "Of course" "The Burning of The Red Lotus Temple is based on The Legendary Fighter by Xiang Kairan" "Directed by Zhang Shichuan" "Wherever there are dojo's, there are challengers!" "I'm here to issue a challenge" "Who will go first?" "My disciple defeated eight dojo's" "I will try for the ninth" "How about you, Master Zou?" "You defeated Master Zheng, you must be tough" "Will you fight me?" "You dare to challenge me?" "Do you know what you're doing here?" "It looks like you've been planning this for some time" "But many things are best thought and left undone" "Are you aware how tough human bodies are, how many you can kill before your blade loses its edge?" "We sympathize with your loss, so we will treat this little outburst as a joke" "Officer Lin hasn't taken any offense, have you?" "No" "I was like you" "I couldn't wait to sacrifice Geng" "Beat eight dojo's, be exiled from Tianjin" "Sacrifice a genius to glorify Wing-Chun" "I'm not his Master," "I'm just a fellow conspirator" "Are we going to watch a movie or not?" "Show the film" "I'm sorry but you'll have to leave, this isn't a restaurant" "See!" "You look just like him" "What are you talking about?" "When I was seventeen I met someone" "He didn't leave me a photo but he looked a bit like this" "He didn't give this to me, he just left it" "I pray to this photo, and because he owes me my prayers should be answered" "Today I asked him to protect someone" "He is only two hundred meters away" "I'm afraid if I move too far, my prayers won't work" "This is from New York, it worths something" "I'll take fifty buns." "Please do me a favor" "He's sitting right next to you." "Everyone is worried" "I didn't kill your disciple" "It was his own bloody-mindedness" "I never thought I'd meet someone so strong willed in my lifetime" "Not the Viceroy, nor my Master" "They are smart and powerful men, but they don't even come close to your disciple" "I wish he were still alive, for the sake of the dojo" "Did you see the killer?" "Yes" "Duan Rui" "I know your secret" "You're the son of Master Zheng's butler" "You served Lin and plotted against your Master" "Now that Lin is dead, you have no place in the army" "Serve me and you still have a chance of survival" "I'm eternally in your debt" "That's for Master Zheng" "For twenty years warlords have pillaged our merchants, our railroads, our banks" "The dojo's are just a small piece of the pie" "We muddle by, one day to the next" "Everyone saw you kill Officer Lin" "I guess so" "We are thankful for what you've done, but you must die here" "Do you have a last request?" "I haven't yet had a chance to fight any of Tianjin's masters" "Fine" "Today you will have your fill of Northern skills" "Before Zheng, my husband was the Grandmaster" "A woman must fight to protect her husband's legacy" "This life's too short" "I will repay you in the next one" "Let the students wear the equipment that Master Zheng designed" "Maybe they can learn something from my final fight" "If we don't share our secrets we will never train good fighters" "If I die," "Wing-Chun will die with me" "Let me show them my secrets and if a champion is born, you can take the credit" "Southerners are shifty" "Weapons will be drawn on the streets of Tianjin" "This scar that I have given you will be a mark of honor for the rest of your life" "I've taught you my skills" "The rest is up to you" "Good move" "Good weapons" "This is between masters, get lost" "Am I not worthy?" "Yes" "Go!" "He fights to maim, not to kill" "He won't escape with his life" "Master Chen should have asked us for help" "Unload the cart" "She already left?" "Get out of the way!" "Relay our greetings to Master Chen!" "She's with me" "Do you know what your husband has done?" "How much do you know?" "Whatever he's done, I take full responsibility" "Our rule says running away means he's dead" "It's over" "She bought a ticket all the way to Guangdong" "When you see Master Chen give him this" "He'll keep his mouth shut and live out his life in obscurity" "What did you write?" "Empty formalities" "The content isn't important" "If he knows we can send him a letter, he knows we can kill him" "We're so far away" "Are you sure he'll keep silent?" "Yes" "He has a wife" "Wing-Chun is dead"