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in "dragon tiger martial arts master", yuan wu of the hong clan introduces his early experience as a death double, focusing on the scene in a movie where he fell from several floors:

without any protective measures, he landed on his back.

this is tantamount to suicide.

but he did it anyway.

many people said he was crazy, and sammo hung was also crazy (yuen wu belonged to the hung clan).

however, all the people interviewed in "dragon tiger fighter", no matter how passionate or nostalgic, did not directly talk about the inside story that was able to dominate the hong kong film industry and make it compete with hollywood:

compete.

if you don't do it, there are plenty of people who will.

others did it, but you didn't.

you don't have to come tomorrow.

decades later, this scene that yuan wu has been thinking about has been recorded in the eternal classics of dragon and tiger martial artists.

it has another meaning:

the originator of hong kong gun action films.

the movie is called "provincial and hong kong flag soldiers".

author: wang chongyang lp

editor | xiaobai

typesetting | die

1

mak dang-hung likes to take unconventional approaches, and most of the works he directs are realistic in style.

screenwriter chen xinjian is even more legendary:

he jumped straight from his position as superintendent to write scripts and become a host.

the two worked together to create a classic banned film——

even from today's perspective, the subject matter of "the flag soldiers" in 1984 is very difficult for the mainland to accept. because it corresponds to the background of the era when the film was shot, even though 40 years have passed since the 1980s, it can still show the perception and attitude of hong kong people towards the mainland at that time.

since the incident of "provincial and hong kong flag soldiers", the hong kong media has begun to use this name to refer to the mainland criminals in hong kong.

this shows the success of the film's realistic style, which shocks the audience from a close distance, describing the brutality of mainland gangsters and the lack of spiritual and material life. in fact, this is indeed the case:

in the 1980s, mainland china and hong kong belonged to two different worlds in every aspect. not long after the chinese people welcomed the joy of reform and opening up, they were shocked by the almost alien life in the outside world, which was followed by a deep sense of loss and injustice.

once upon a time, a village in shenzhen became a nationally famous "mistress village". an ordinary hong kong freight driver could support a female college student in shenzhen. "overseas relations" were no longer a taboo, but a glory.

in the 1980s, hong kong was still one of the “four asian tigers”. its rapid economic development and rapid cultural (film) advancement made hong kong a holy place in the hearts of a generation of mainlanders.

most importantly,

hong kong in the 1980s was so prosperous! the shopping mall in taikoo shing looked just like today, and the restrooms in the nightclubs were so high-end and elegant. who wouldn't want to stay in such a charming metropolis? just like many high-level intellectuals in the mainland in the 1980s, who would rather wash dishes in the united states than return to china.

there was no other reason, the mainland was too poor and backward at that time.

here i would like to give young friends a brief introduction to the meaning of the movie "provincial and hong kong flag soldiers". after all, it is a long time ago, and many of the proper terms have gradually disappeared after the return in 1997.

province and hong kong: this is a traditional geographical term, referring specifically to guangdong province and hong kong.

flag soldiers: this term is somewhat humorous. "flag" means red flag, and "soldier" means red guard. "flag soldiers" is a concept that has evolved gradually. it first referred to the "red flag faction" in the "cultural revolution" in guangzhou. there is also a line in the movie "when we attacked the sun yat-sen memorial hall..." these are all historical memories of the guangdong-hong kong region.

when the movement ended, some of the "flag soldiers" sneaked into hong kong and gradually formed associations there. hong kong people then called all mainland criminals who came to hong kong "big circles". then, when the movie was released, the name "flag soldiers" became more popular.

here we have to mention the lead actor of "the flag soldiers of hong kong and guangdong province" lin wei, who is from yantai, shandong province, and started acting at the age of 20. he is tall but has not played many decent roles. "the flag soldiers of hong kong and guangdong province" is one of the few major roles he has played. it's a pity that the movie is popular, but the star's luck is still not good. in order to shoot this movie, mak dang-hung went to guangzhou to shoot some real scenes, and also selected a large number of non-professional actors. six people were selected from more than 300 "big circle boys" in hong kong to play with lin wei. chen xinjian adjusted the script according to the personality, language and behavior characteristics of these people...

then, "the flag soldiers" opened the eyes of hong kong citizens at that time.

2

the plot of "the flag soldiers" may seem a bit rough when viewed today, and its ending is not good either -

mak dang-hung and chan yan-kin had no intention of making any great and glorious movie.

the leader of the big circle boys played by lin wei and several other big circle boys were all shot to death by the police, and their deaths were very aggrieved:

during the robbery, one of the accomplices was seriously injured. lin wei and his companions went into kowloon walled city to seek medical treatment. during this period, a very interesting thing happened:

lin wei divided the stolen money and told everyone to go. one of them said he didn't want to leave hong kong. this was foreshadowed at the beginning of the film. the big circle boys were all very young. they didn't want to return to their backward and poor hometown. after seeing the colorful world and having money, who would want to go back to the mainland?

seeing this, lin wei did not force it. he took his own copy and left. unexpectedly, he was blocked by the police who were chasing him as soon as he walked out of the walled city. the two sides fought while running in the walled city. at this time, the kowloon walled city had not yet been demolished. "the flag soldiers of hong kong and guangdong province" can be regarded as a very precious historical image.

then lin wei was defeated by the police firepower, and his friends who had just fallen out with him appeared and rescued him. they retreated to the black clinic and then died in a desperate resistance.

then, the originator of hong kong gun battle films was born.

there are no close-up shots or visual effects showing the trajectory; everything seems realistic and suffocating.

after the movie was released, many viewers said it was "too real", and that the "big circle boys" were not discriminated against because of the movie. on the contrary, many people expressed their concern and sympathy for the plight of mainland compatriots in hong kong.

this involves the illegal immigration from the mainland from the 1960s to the 1980s, and the various administrative measures taken by the hong kong government against illegal immigrants from the mainland. at that time, hong kong people mostly took an attitude of asylum and assistance to their compatriots who were arrested and repatriated to the mainland in hong kong. they knew that in that special era, the fate of these people after returning would probably not be very good.

in the film, the “flag soldiers” said, “i wonder when the mainland will be like hong kong?”

this sentence really brings mixed feelings to the older audience.

at the time of writing, most hong kong filmmakers have moved north for 20 years, and many have opened companies in hong kong. in the past, mainlanders risked their lives to sneak into hong kong, but now hong kongers go north to seek their fortune.

movies, for both places...

in fact, it is hard to say which one is better or worse.

later, three films of "provincial and hong kong flag soldiers" were filmed one after another, starring xu jinjiang and andy lau respectively.

the political implications and perceptions of the mainland become difficult to describe.

there is less empathy and more panic about 97.

3

in the 1980s, many directors and screenwriters had already focused on the relationship between the mainland and hong kong, but for various reasons, their understanding of the mainland was still relatively one-sided. for example, xu anhua's "boat to the wrath of the sea" and mak dang-hung's "the flag soldiers" both recorded the mainland society of the time from different angles.

before 1997, many hong kong movies were talking about the "97 deadline", either just as a joke or out of genuine fear.

the resonance among people of an era is the key to the success of a movie. this has been true in the past, present and future.

this group of people on the margins of society in "the flag soldiers" are compatriots just like the citizens of hong kong. they all struggle to make ends meet. most of them cannot find jobs due to their identities, so they can only stick together and take risks.

back then, hong kong had doubts about mainland academic qualifications and did not recognize the value of mainland education... of course, there was some truth to this. but objectively, it did cause many mainland intellectuals to live in poverty after arriving in hong kong. in chen kexin's "homecoming", the male and female protagonists were students of mainland medical schools, and they suffered from academic discrimination in hong kong, which led to a difficult life.

even worse off than them are the "hong kong and guangdong flag soldiers" who don't even have a diploma and have few opportunities to work illegally. no matter what their motives are, they can only commit crimes. at the same time, some real bad guys go to hong kong to commit crimes for the purpose of "making a quick buck and leaving", and then flee back to the mainland...

this is the intertwined history of the mainland and hong kong.

the "big circle" played by lin wei and others is part of history.

the image of mainlanders in hong kong movies changed only after 2000, when hong kong returned to china and everyone became real compatriots. when mainland capital got involved in hong kong movies, the image of mainlanders also changed:

they may be high-ranking officials or wealthy businessmen, or elites.

after 2010, the mainland economy developed rapidly, and the economic output values ​​of shanghai, chongqing, shenzhen and other places continued to increase. hong kong people had fewer reasons to discriminate and sympathize, and the image of mainlanders in hong kong films naturally improved accordingly.

it can be seen that the saying "economic base determines superstructure" is true.

the former "big circle" or "provincial and hong kong flag soldiers" have become historical terms. the originator of hong kong gunfight films has the following significance to future generations:

the rise and fall of a country and family has a profound impact on the little people.