NPR 08-24:Martial-Arts Masters Meet in 'Forbidden Kingdom' 两

Jackie Chan and Jet Li meet on-screen for the first time in a movie being shot in the Chinese film enclave dubbed 1 "Chinawood."

From NPR news, this is All Things Considered. And I’m Michele Norris. And I’m Robert Siegel.

We learned about Hengdian or Chinawood on the program yesterday. It's the largest film studios in the world. Today, NPR’s Louisa Lim reports on what it’s like to work there, from the perspective of two of china’s top film stars. And she assures us Kong fu fans will not be disappointed.

This is a really surreal feeling. I’m standing 3 inside a life size replica 4 of a Tsing dynasty palace---Supposedly home to China's emperors two thousand years ago. I can hear the drums of war in the background. I’m surrounded by perspiring 5 extras dressed as Tsing Dynasty soldiers and heavy armor. And to my left is a group of nobles wearing grey flowing robes with their hair in topknots.

And I’m just standing by the set of the long-awaited martial 6 arts film starring those two giants of Kung fu Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

We are making a movie that is a celebration of Chinese history, Chinese popular culture, Chinese cinema and Chinese mythology 7.

American producer Casey Silver at a rain-soaked press conference introducing The Forbidden Kingdom--an 80 million dollar movie. Director Rob Minkoff who's most famous for The Lion King weights up the pros 8 and cons 2 of working in Hengdian studios.

There is a tremendous experience and talent available to do many of the things necessary to create a film obviously, hundreds and hundreds people are required to do everything you know from building the sets. So many many skills, many craftsmen 9 are used and so all of that was available to us here. The only disadvantage I can think of about Hengdian is that there's no Starbucks.

Despite the lack of coffee and the ever-present fans and photographers, the film star Jackie Chan is clear about the attractions of shooting in China. His thoughts can be pretty much summed up by it's the economy stupid.

This's why American production they have to move the whole production in china, for right now for the future they will do the same thing. Why? Because you spend 80 million in China, compared to US, you have to spend like 200 million. So that’s the difference.

And in the high-octane world of Kung fu , China has other attractions. There’s no security captain on-site monitoring the safety of the fight scenes. That makes things easier. Says Jackie Chan who does most of his own stunts 10 no matter how risky 11. His fighting technique and temperament 12 differ famously from his co-star Jet Li. And this movie marks their first on-screen encounter. We've wanted to work together for more than 15 years. if we don’t work together soon, our combined age will hit a hundred years old. The clock's certainly ticking for these grand old masters of Kung fu , their combined total is already 97 years old.

Jet Li is a former national martial arts champion, famous for his classical technique, his speed, his reserved character and his killer 13 instinct. He is universally known on set as The Boss. While Jackie Chan’s nickname is Big Brother. So how is the chemistry between the Boss and the Big Brother?

Very interesting, all day long Jackie talks about fighting, fighting, fighting. I talk about everything but fighting. Jackie Chan’s trademark 14 is his ingenious improvisational 15 use of props 16, his acrobatics 17, his sense of humor and his open nature. He says it’s been decades since he's fought like he does on-screen with Jet Li.

Fighting with Jet Li is incredible fast, it’s so fast that everybody on set complains, that was too fast, can you do it again a bit more slowly.

With its martial arts magic and Chinese stars, this film's aim is to bring Chinese culture to Hollywood. Yet the bosses of this Chinese Tinseltown are actually hoping for the opposite. That this movie will bring Hollywood all the way to the studios at Hengdian.

Louisa Lim, NPR news.npr.org.