Lu Feng Live in London

Lu Feng was born in Taiwan in April 1956. He started training at age 8 when he was sent to study at the Lu Guang Drama School.

It was here he learnt his art, which comprised singing, acting, martial arts, weapons training, and acrobatics

He and his friends used their newfound gift to earn pocket money in the local film industry.

But it was in 1975 that Shaw Brothers Director Chang Cheh, who had set up a studio in Taiwan to shoot local films, discovered Lu Feng was discovered by Chang Cheh along with his friend Chiang Sheng and other Taiwanese martial artists, namely Phillip Kwok and Robert Tai.

After Chang’s studio closed, he went back to Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong, convincing Lu Feng and fellow artists to follow.

It’s here that Chang Cheh would cast Lu Feng along with Chiang Sheng, Sun Chien, Phillip Kwok, and Lo Mang in the 1978 film, The Five Venoms. Though not officially named or known as such, the five became collectively known as the Venom Mob in the West after the film played on the overseas circuit.

Lu Feng has worked on more than fifty films as either a stuntman, Actor, or action director, and also as a director on various TV series in Taiwan and Hong Kong .

The Announcement

So it was extremely exciting when Rick Baker of Eastern Heroes announced that Toby Russell and he would be bringing over Master Lu Feng for a fan meet this year.

We all waited with bated breath for the confirmation, and when it was confirmed, we secured our place, as we were not going to miss the chance of meeting one of the most iconic stars of Hong Kong cinema.

With a welcome dinner also planned, we secured our place on this to.

A very special evening where we all got to mingle with Lu Feng and talk movies, Shaw Brothers, and reminisce about those old-school late-night cinema nights and the good ole' Scala Days at King's Cross.

For all attendees, it was a pleasure to meet such a revered star of Hong Kong Martial arts cinema of the 70s and 80s.

As the night drew to a close, we knew the next day would be just as exciting.

Rick Baker gets us settled for a big announcement and a screening of Lu Feng's best fight sequences

A early start to the Sunday saw many fans turn up at the Lumiere in Romford. The venue was buzzing with Kung Fu talk, and the T-shirts were out , as everybody was wearing something that depicted martial arts, Shaw Brothers, all getting into the Kung Fu spirit as if we were at some crazy Kung Fu cosplay of the 70s ( I knew I should have worn my Bell Bottoms)

As we were ushered into the cinema, we were greeted by a film crew who are making a documentary on Eastern heroes and Kung Fu late-night cinema. The scene was set, and we were the cast.

Rick Baker said he had a big announcement for Next year, and after he had calmed us down, some more than others, I might add. We had a screening of some classic Kung Fu fight scenes starring a well-known Kung Fu star.

After this, a video announcement from the Kung Fu star himself. The masterful Southern Fist himself, Wong Tao, aka Don Wong. Star of Secret Rivals and Slaughter in San Francisco, which stars Chuck Norris as the villain.

Yes Southern Fist is coming to town in 2027.

After the excitement of all this, it was time to sit back and enjoy some classic Shaw action in a compilation of some of Lu Feng's best fight action from many of his films, including Legend of the Fox, Crippled Avengers, Flag of Iron, and many more. After screaming at the screen for an hour, we all needed a break. The time was coming; the appearance of Master Lu Feng was getting closer.

Time For a Break Before the Appearance of Lu Feng on Stage

OK, we're out, and the stalls are busy, people grabbing that elusive DVD, lobby card, or poster for Lu Feng to sign. The mood was electric, and the era of Kung Fu cinema was in the air.

The film crew was getting footage of the fans while we all scoured the offerings, got refreshments, and so forth.

Ushered back into the cinema, we were treated to a short montage of Lu Feng on the big screen, which then welcomed him to the UK, with Lu Feng walking to the front to rapturous applause and taking the stage to begin his interview with Toby Russell.

It's here where privy to the life of Lu Feng, from his early days in Taiwan to his meeting with Chang Cheh and how, along with his fellow artists ended up going to Hong Kong to work at the Shaw Brothers studio at Clearwater Bay.

Lu Feng explained Shaw's way of working, detailing that, unlike on Western film sets, there were stand-ins and that someone might be doubled by a stand-in on various films at Shaw's. For instance, on the set of the Five Deadly Venoms, if a character was supposed to be in a background shot, the actor in question would be the one doing the shot, even though, for the most part is face may not be in the shot, and in the case of the Five Deadly Venoms, they wore masks for the most part.

This was all due to Shaw Studio's paying everyone the same rate. There were no favourites as far as wages where concenred; if you had the role, you did all the scenes, no matter how trivial.

During his career, Lu Feng mainly played villainous roles, especially at Shaw Brothers. He joked that even when he did do heroic roles, the films did not do so well, which in turn earned him less money, and they say crime doesn't pay.

Lu's favourite films are the likes of Legend of the Fox and Flag of Iron; he explained that you had to have extreme fitness to do the scenes in Flag of Iron, as the force needed in your arms to perform the routines was a heavy toll on the arms.

After the interview and a few questions from the audience, it was time for the raffle and auction, with some nice items up for grabs. Of course, it was even more special because Lu Feng hosted the auction and greeted the winners. All this while, the film crew got more footage of the crowd for their documentary.

After this, it was back into the foyer for the autograph and picture-taking. The queues had already started, and even though I wasn't late to the queue, it was a fair wait. Due to some people having a vast array of signings to be done. I did feel sorry for Master Feng, as he must have been tired after such a long couple of days. It was Great to meet Lu Feng after so many years watching him on screen; he truly is the legend of Shaw Brothers we all expected him to be and so much more.

The Centipede meets The Snake

For me, it was a pleasure to spend time with Lu Feng, a true master of the art, and you could feel the force in the classic hand lock he used on Lo Mang from Invincible Shaolin. I'm Sertes Nake, and you never know where I may strike again.

Eastern Heroes and Lumiere Romford pull it off again

The heroes of the moment go to the Eastern Heroes crew: Rick Baker, Toby Russell, Karen Campbell, and Singh of the Lumiere Cinema in Romford. To have an event like this take place. But not just once, but three times in one year, to have arranged for stars of the Hong Kong cinema screen to appear for the fans in the UK. And not forgetting Ron Ivey, who always gives a hand at these events.

Till the next one, this is Sertes Nake