Thanks to this woman’s hard training and strict upbringing, Donnie Yen has become Asia’s top martial arts star.
Donnie Yen is known as a worldwide famous star as an actor, director, martial arts director and film producer. Donnie Yen’s ability has been confirmed through many years of acting. However, there is a woman behind the actor’s successful career, helping him develop his talent and achieve the famed reputation he is today. That is female martial artist Mai Bao Thien – Donnie Yen’s biological mother.
The famous female tai chi master in the Chinese martial arts world
Donnie Yen is the son of Mr. Chan Van Long and Mrs. Mai Bao Thien. Donnie Yen’s father is just a newspaper editor, but his mother is a world famous martial artist. Mai Bao Chan was born in Guangzhou and started practicing martial arts during his high school years. She pursued Tai Chi and the Southern Shaolin sect. In Mai’s time, it was rare for a girl to learn martial arts. However, her talent immediately attracted the attention of many people.
Donnie Yen’s mother is a famous female tai chi master in China.
After many years of teaching martial arts in China, Ms. Mai moved to Boston, Massachusetts, USA in 1975. There she became one of the first to introduce Eastern martial arts.
In 1984, Mai Baochan won the gold medal at the first international Tai Chi tournament held in Wuhan city. 11 years later, she became the martial artist of the year voted by the martial arts magazine Black Belt (USA). In addition, she defeated many male martial arts masters who competed with her.
Mrs. Mach taught her son and daughter the way she taught her students.
Ma’s relationship with her children is like that between a master and a disciple. The female martial arts master once shared: “My children are taught the way I teach my students, somewhat more rigorous. Nothing comes easy. It takes hard practice to become successful. I’m not good at being a mother. But Tu Dan and Tu Tinh were taught to be strong and kind-hearted people. I always knew that my children would be fine.”
Among martial arts tools, Ms. Mach chose swords, she practiced sword fighting in the style of Vu Duong (also known as Wudang). This style of sword fighting was once portrayed in the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000). The sword fighting scenes in the film were inspired by the strong image of Mrs. Mai in her youth.
Mach Bao Thien’s sword fighting style is depicted in the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”.
Donnie Yen suffered many beatings from his mother before becoming a martial arts star
Donnie Yen started learning martial arts from his mother at a young age. Due to her high expectations of her son, Mrs. Mai often beat and beat Donnie Yen whenever he made a mistake. Every day, he had to get up at 5am to practice martial arts before going to school. Until now, the actor surnamed Chan could not forget the beatings of his mother. In his autobiography “All about Donnie”, Donnie said: “Even if I made a small mistake, my mother would take a wooden sword and beat me.”
Donnie Yen from a young age was under the strict upbringing of his mother.
When he was 11 years old, his family moved to Boston (USA). Donnie Yen studied martial arts at her mother’s martial arts school with other students. Because Mrs. Mach has too many work schedules, she doesn’t have time for her children. During this period, Donnie Yen began to admire Bruce Lee and learned the style of the idol. He loves it so much that he imitates the martial arts star tying a silk band at his shin to hang a nunchaku. However, this excessive passion caused Donnie Yen to neglect his studies. Along with his brash and rebellious personality, he dropped out of school and often participated in fights and fights on the street.
Fearing that their son would be spoiled, Donnie Yen’s parents took him back to his hometown. In 1978, Ms. Mai decided to send him to Shishahai Sports and Physical Education School, Beijing (China) so that the actor could be properly trained and disciplined. At that time, Donnie Yen became the school’s first non-Mainland Chinese practitioner.
Donnie Yen and female tai chi master Mai Bao Thien in old age.
Thanks to his experience in Beijing, Donnie Yen’s martial arts abilities have reached a higher level. On the other hand, thanks to Ma’s strict upbringing, Donnie Yen also applies moral principles in his film career. After two years of studying, in 1980, Donnie Yen went to Hong Kong to try his luck, hoping to achieve success like his idol Bruce Lee. However, due to many objective factors, during the two years of living here, Donnie Yen remained an anonymous name.
The movie “Tieu Tai Chi” marked a turning point in Donnie Yen’s life. Before returning to the US, he visited Hong Kong. At this moment, director Vien Hoa Binh is urgently looking for a suitable actor for the main role in this work. Donnie Yen was “recommended” by the director’s sister, surnamed Vien (who was a student of Mai Bao Thien), as “Master’s son”. Meeting Donnie Yen, the director surnamed Vien knew this was the person he was looking for. The acting career of famous Chinese martial arts star Donnie Yen also started there.
Video: Scene of Donnie Yen using martial arts techniques taught by his biological mother in the movie “Hero”.
Donnie Yen still knows that his mother trained him to be so strict just to want him to fulfill his full potential. The martial arts moves that Donnie Yen performed in the movie “Hero” in 2002 were all learned from Mai Bao Thien. The actor once shared in an interview: “My mother’s students are all over the world. I consider her as my idol and also my pride.”
