View source for King Hu

{{Short description|Chinese filmmaker (1932-1997)}}
{{infobox person
| name               = King Hu
| image              = 
| alt                = 
| caption            = 
| birth_name         = Hu Jinquan
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1932|4|29|df=yes}}
| birth_place        = [[Beijing]], [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]]
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1997|1|14|1932|4|29|df=yes}}
| death_place        = [[Taipei]], [[Taiwan]]
| occupation         = {{hlist|Film director|screenwriter|editor|actor|production designer}}
| years_active       = 1956–93
| spouse             = [[Chung Ling]] (鍾玲)
| awards             = [[#Awards and nominations|See below]]
| module             = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes
| t = 胡金銓
| s = 胡金铨
| p = Hú Jīnquán
| j = Wu4 Gam1-cyun4
}}
}}
{{family name hatnote|[[Hu (surname)|Hu]]|lang=Chinese}}

'''King Hu Jinquan''' ({{lang-zh|t=胡金銓}}, 29 April 1932 – 14 January 1997) was a Chinese filmmaker and actor, based in [[British Hong Kong|Hong Kong]] and [[Taiwan]].<ref>{{cite news|title= King Hu, 65, Maker Of Kung Fu Films |work= [[The New York Times]]|date=January 17, 1997|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/17/arts/king-hu-65-maker-of-kung-fu-films.html?src=pm|access-date=2011-01-31}}</ref> He is known for directing various ''[[wuxia]]'' films in the 1960s and 1970s, which brought [[Cinema of Hong Kong|Hong Kong]] and [[Cinema of Taiwan|Taiwanese cinema]] to new technical and artistic heights. His films ''[[Come Drink with Me]]'' (1966), ''[[Dragon Inn]]'' (1967), and ''[[A Touch of Zen]]'' (1970–1971) inaugurated a new generation of ''wuxia'' films in the late 1960s.

The [[Harvard Film Archive]] described Hu as "one of the most influential and important Chinese directors in the history of cinema".<ref name="harvard">{{cite web|url=https://harvardfilmarchive.org/programs/king-hu-and-the-art-of-wuxia|website=[[Harvard Film Archive]]|title=King Hu and the Art of Wuxia|date=15 March 2013 }}</ref>

==Early life==
'''Hu Jinquan''' ({{lang-zh|t=胡金銓|s=胡金铨}}) was born in [[Beijing]] to a well-established family originating from [[Handan]], [[Hebei]]. His grandfather was the governor of [[Henan]] in the late [[Qing dynasty]]. His father had studied in Japan and was the owner of the local coal mine, and his mother was a concubine.<ref name="KingWuxia">{{cite AV media
 | people = Jing-Jie Lin (director), Hu Tan (interviewee; King Hu's nephew)
 | date = 2022-01-21
 | title = The King of Wuxia Part 2: The Heartbroken Man on the Horizon
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 | type = motion picture
 | language = zh, en
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 | archive-date =
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 | time = 13:44
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 }}</ref> His uncle was a high-ranking official in the Republican government. Several of his brothers held high positions in the Communist government. 

Hu grew up in Beijing as a child, and emigrated to [[British Hong Kong]] in 1949. at first he wanted to study in the United States, but could not raise the money for tuition. He then worked for the local Voice of America in Hong Kong.<ref>{{Cite book |last=胡 |first=金铨 |title=胡金铨武侠电影作法 |publisher=北京联合出版公司 |year=2015 |isbn=9787550252530}}</ref>

After moving to Hong Kong, Hu worked in a variety of occupations, such as advertising consultant, artistic designer and producer for a number of media companies, as well as a part-time English tutor.

==Career==

===Early work===
In 1958, he joined the [[Shaw Brothers Studio]] as a set decorator, actor, scriptwriter and assistant director. He acted in the classic 1959 film ''[[The Kingdom and the Beauty]]''. Under the influence of Taiwanese director [[Li Han-Hsiang]], Hu embarked on a directorial career, helping him on the phenomenally successful ''[[The Love Eterne]]'' (1963). 

===''Wuxia'' films===
Hu's first film as a full-fledged director was ''Sons of the Good Earth'' (1965), a film set in the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], but he is better remembered for his next film, ''[[Come Drink with Me]]'' (1966). ''Come Drink with Me'' was his first success and remains a classic of the ''wuxia'' genre, catapulting the then 20-year-old starlet [[Cheng Pei-pei]] to fame. Blending Japanese [[samurai]] film traditions with Western editing techniques and Chinese aesthetic philosophy borrowed from [[Chinese music]] and [[Chinese opera|operatics]], Hu began the trend of a new school of ''wuxia'' films and his perpetual use of strong, valiant heroines.

Leaving the Shaw Brothers Studio in 1966, Hu travelled to Taiwan, where he made another ''wuxia'' movie, ''[[Dragon Inn]]''. ''Dragon Inn'' broke box office records and became a phenomenal hit and [[cult classic]], especially in [[Southeast Asia]]. This tense tale of highly skilled martial artists hidden in an inn was said to be the inspiration for [[Ang Lee]]'s ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]'' (2000) and [[Zhang Yimou]]'s ''[[House of Flying Daggers]]'' (2004). In 2003, the award-winning Malaysian-born Taiwanese auteur [[Tsai Ming-liang]] made ''[[Goodbye, Dragon Inn]]'', a tribute to Hu, in which all the action takes place during a closing cinema's last show of ''Dragon Inn''.

Chief among the films which exemplify Hu's blend of [[Chan Buddhism|Chan (Zen) Buddhism]] and unique [[Chinese art|Chinese aesthetics]] is ''[[A Touch of Zen]]'', which won the Grand Prix de la Commission Superieur Technique in 1975 [[Cannes Film Festival]],<ref>Wang, G. C. H. (2013). A Touch of Zen (Review). In Richard James Havis (Ed.) Far East Film Festival 15 Catalogo Generale (pp. 220-221). Udine: Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche.</ref> and which many regard as his masterpiece. After releasing ''A Touch of Zen'', Hu started his own production company and shot ''[[The Fate of Lee Khan]]'' (1973) and ''[[The Valiant Ones]]'' (1975) back to back on tight finances. The action choreography in both these films was the work of a young [[Sammo Hung]]. Other films include ''[[Raining in the Mountain]]'' and ''[[Legend of the Mountain]]'' (both dating from 1979, and shot in [[South Korea]]), which were loosely based on stories from [[Pu Songling]]'s ''[[Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio]]''. The reason was that the government of South Korea would help sponsor the budgeting should he produce at least two films in the area. Both are now considered classics.

===Later career===
Though critically hailed, Hu's later films were less commercially successful than his first two films. After his late comedy masterpiece ''All the King's Men'', he moved to California in the early 1980s. Late in his life, he made a brief return from semi-retirement in ''[[The Swordsman (1990 film)|The Swordsman]]'' (1990) and ''[[Painted Skin (1992 film)|Painted Skin]]'' (1992), but neither achieved the renown of his first two, financially successful ''wuxia'' films.

==Personal life==
Hu loved [[Peking opera]] and was a trustee of a Peking opera institution. He promoted many young Peking opera pupils into the film industry, such as [[Jackie Chan]] and [[Sammo Hung]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=胡 |first=金铨 |title=胡金铨武侠电影作法 |year=2015 |publisher=北京联合出版公司 |isbn=9787550252530}}</ref> 

Hu was [[multilingual]] and was known to be fluent in [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]], [[Cantonese]] and English, and adept in [[Korean language|Korean]] and [[Japanese language|Japanese]].

===Death===
Hu spent the last decade of his life in [[Los Angeles]]. He died in [[Taipei]] of complications from [[angioplasty]].<ref>{{cite book |first= Stephen |last=Teo |editor-first=Stephen |editor-last=Teo |series=Hong Kong International Film Festival |title=Transcending the Times: King Hu & Eileen Chan |publisher=Provisional Urban Council of Hong Kong |year=1998 |location=Hong Kong |page=24 |chapter=Only the Valiant: King Hu and his ''Cinema Opera''}}</ref> At the time of his death, Hu was attached to direct ''The Battle of Ono'', a project he had spent decades working on.<ref name="Variety_Weiner1997">{{Cite magazine |last=Weiner |first=Rex |date=1997-01-21 |title=King Hu |url=https://variety.com/1997/scene/people-news/king-hu-1117433293/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref><ref name="Variety_Dawtrey1997">{{Cite magazine |last=Dawtrey |first=Adam |date=1997-01-22 |title=Goldcrest OKs 'Ono' |url=https://variety.com/1997/film/news/goldcrest-oks-ono-1117433165/ |access-date=2024-04-12 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> He is buried in [[Whittier, California|Whittier]], California.

==Legacy==
In a 2013 retrospective, the [[Harvard Film Archive]] Hu's influence on the ''[[wuxia]]'' genre as "[what] [[Akira Kurosawa|Kurosawa]] would do with the samurai film and [[Vincente Minnelli|Minnelli]] with the Hollywood musical. While Kurosawa had a direct influence on Hu, the comparison with Minnelli is equally apt since both men were highly cultured aesthetes who paid special attention to the décor and art direction of their films and who reveled in the ability of mise-en-scène, movement and the spatial composition of the frame to express character and the relations between characters".<ref name=harvard/>

The [[British Film Institute]] wrote that "Hu is not simply the progenitor of the ''wuxia'' blockbuster: he goes beyond the escapist pleasures of the genre to take the audience on spiritual journeys that confound expectations".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-09 |title=Where to begin with King Hu |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-with-king-hu |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=BFI |language=en}}</ref>

Hu is considered one of the most influential figures in the history of Chinese-language cinema.<ref name="harvard" /> Directors that have cited his influence include [[Tsui Hark]], [[John Woo]], [[Ang Lee]], [[Wong Kar-Wai]], and [[Tsai Ming-liang]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.cts.com.tw/cts/arts/202202/202202082071086.html |title=國影武俠影展 29部影史經典播放 |date=8 February 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tobias |first=Scott |date=2020-12-08 |title=Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon at 20: a rare action movie with heart |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/dec/08/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-at-20-a-rare-action-movie-with-heart |access-date=2024-10-28 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
!Writer
!Producer
!Editor
!Other
! Notes
|-
|1960
|''[[The Enchanting Shadow]]''
|
|
|
|
|{{yes}}
| rowspan="2" |Assistant director
|-
|1963
|''[[The Love Eterne]]''
|
|
|
|
|{{yes}}
|-
|1964
|''The Story of Su San''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|-
| 1965
| ''Sons of the Good Earth'' (大地兒女)
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|-
|1966
|''[[Come Drink with Me]]'' (大醉俠)
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|-
|1967
|''[[Dragon Inn]]'' (龍門客棧)
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|
|{{yes}}
|Also art director
|-
|1970
|''Four Moods'' (喜怒哀樂)
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|Segment: "Anger"
|-
|1971
|''[[A Touch of Zen]]'' (俠女)
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|{{yes}}
|
|
|-
|1973
|''[[The Fate of Lee Khan]]'' (迎春閣之風波)
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|-
|1975
|''[[The Valiant Ones]]'' (忠烈圖)
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1979
|''[[Raining in the Mountain]]'' (空山靈雨)
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{partial|Executive}}
|{{yes}}
|
|Also art director
|-
|''[[Legend of the Mountain]]'' (山中傳奇)
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|Also art director & costume designer
|-
| rowspan="2" |1981
|''The Juvenizer'' (終身大事)
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|{{yes}}
|
|
|-
|''Heaven's Blessing'' (天官赐福)
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1983
|''The Wheel of Life'' (大輪迴)
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|Segment: "Part 1"
|-
|''All the King's Men''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1990
|''[[Song of the Exile]]'' (客途秋恨)
|
|
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|-
|''[[The Swordsman (1990 film)|The Swordsman]]'' (笑傲江湖)
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|Also art director
|-
|1992
|''[[Painted Skin (1992 film)|Painted Skin]]'' (畫皮之陰陽法王)
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|
|
|
|}

=== Partial list of acting roles ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
!Role
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="3" |1956
|''Red Bloom in the Snow'' (雪裡紅)
|
|<ref name="KingWuxia2">{{cite AV media |url= |title=The King of Wuxia Part 2: The Heartbroken Man on the Horizon |date=2022-01-21 |type=motion picture |language=zh, en |publisher= |trans-title= |location= |time=7:19 |access-date= |archive-url= |archive-date= |format= |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |people=Jing-Jie Lin (director)}}</ref>
|-
|''Golden Phoenix'' (金鳳)
|
|<ref name="KingWuxia3">{{cite AV media |url= |title=The King of Wuxia Part 2: The Heartbroken Man on the Horizon |date=2022-01-21 |type=motion picture |language=zh, en |publisher= |trans-title= |location= |time=8:54 |access-date= |archive-url= |archive-date= |format= |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |people=Jing-Jie Lin (director)}}</ref>
|-
|''The Long Lane'' (長巷)
|
|<ref name="KingWuxia4">{{cite AV media |url= |title=The King of Wuxia Part 2: The Heartbroken Man on the Horizon |date=2022-01-21 |type=motion picture |language=zh, en |publisher= |trans-title= |location= |time=12:49 |access-date= |archive-url= |archive-date= |format= |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |people=Jing-Jie Lin (director)}}</ref>
|-
| 1958
| ''Humiliation for Sale''
|
|<ref name="KingWuxia1">{{cite AV media |url= |title=The King of Wuxia Part 2: The Heartbroken Man on the Horizon |date=2022-01-21 |type=motion picture |language=zh, en |publisher= |trans-title= |location= |time=6:55 |access-date= |archive-url= |archive-date= |format= |id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= |people=Jing-Jie Lin (director)}}</ref> <ref name="hkfa">{{cite web
|author      = <!--not stated-->
|date        = 2025-02-05<!--"Last revision date" from page source-->
|title       = Humiliation for Sale
|url         = https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/lindai/pe-event-2024-lindai-fs-film04.html
|website     = [[Hong Kong Film Archive]]
|access-date = 2025-06-08
}}</ref>
|-
|1959
|''[[The Kingdom and the Beauty]]''
|Ta Niu
|
|-
|1960
|''Qi ren yan fu''
|Long Yu-sheng
|
|-
|1962
|''Hong lou meng''
|Bei Ming
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1963
|''Love Parade''
|Fu Li-fu
|
|-
|[[Empress Wu Tse-Tien (1963 film)|''Empress Wu Tse-Tien'']]
|Zhao Dao-sheng
|
|-
|1974
|''[[The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go]]''
|Ito Suzuki
|
|}
== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Institution
! Year
! Category
!Work
!Result
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Cannes Film Festival]]
| rowspan="2" | [[1975 Cannes Film Festival|1975]]
| [[Palme d'Or]]
| rowspan="2" |''[[A Touch of Zen]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[CST Award for Best Artist-Technician|Technical Grand Prize]]
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Chicago International Film Festival]]
|1975
| rowspan="2" |Gold Hugo
|''[[The Valiant Ones]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|1979
|''[[Raining in the Mountain]]''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Fantafestival]]
|1983
|Best Direction
|''The Wheel of Life''
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="8" |[[Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards]]
|[[4th Golden Horse Awards|1966]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Golden Horse Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]
|''Sons of the Good Earth''
|{{won}}
|-
|[[4th Golden Horse Awards|1968]]
|''[[Dragon Inn]]''
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[4th Golden Horse Awards|1979]]
|[[Golden Horse Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| rowspan="2" |''[[Legend of the Mountain]]''
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[Golden Horse Award for Best Art Direction|Best Art Direction]]
|{{won}}
|-
| rowspan="3" |[[4th Golden Horse Awards|1983]]
| rowspan="2" |''All the King's Men''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[Golden Horse Award for Best Makeup & Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
|{{won}}
|-
|[[Golden Horse Award for Best Narrative Feature|Best Narrative Feature]]
|''The Wheel of Life''
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[34th Golden Horse Awards|1997]]
|[[Golden Horse Lifetime Achievement Award|Lifetime Achievement Award]]
|{{N/A}}
|{{won}}
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0002254|name=King Hu}}
* [http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/people.asp?id=54 King Hu] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627123436/http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/people.asp?id=54 |date=2018-06-27 }} at Hong Kong Cinemagic
* [http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2002/great-directors/hu/ Senses of Cinema - King Hu]
* {{hkmdb name|id=2673}}

{{Portal bar|Biography|Film|China|Hong Kong|Taiwan}}
{{King Hu}}
{{Golden Horse Award for Best Director}}
{{Golden Horse Award for Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hu, King}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:1997 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Chinese male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century Hong Kong male actors]]
[[Category:Chinese film directors]]
[[Category:Chinese male film actors]]
[[Category:Film directors from Beijing]]
[[Category:Hong Kong film directors]]
[[Category:Hong Kong male film actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from Beijing]]
[[Category:Taiwanese film directors]]
[[Category:Taiwanese people from Beijing]]