Do all Chinese films feature kungFu?

[Laurence]

I saw a serious historic movie about the Chinese civil war vs the imperial government system.
Even that had one kungFu fight once.
I know allot of Chinese immigrants here in Sydney and in Jakarta, and have NEVER met one who knows kungFu.
I highly doubt that kungFu is as intrinsically centrical to their society and culture as these movies make out.
Do all of their movies feature kungFu, or is it just the ones that reach an international audience.
How common is kungFu in china?
Why is it so common if Chinese films?

 

[May]

Same reason crime and capers are a part of so many American movies...it sells the product. And there are Chinese movies without it, like Raise the Red Lantern and Ju Dou.

 

[Wildlove]

yea i agree with yew 99% of china movies

 

[Exco]

Martial arts sequences in Chinese movies is like a car chase or a gun-fight in American movies, they're big sellers, and kind of a cultural symbol.

Having said that, no, only a portion of Chinese movies feature extensive martial art sequences, and in action movies it's hard to distinguish between martial arts and the normal hand-to-hand combat.

There's also a big market for comedy, romance and historic genres in China, martial art movies only form a small portion of China's film industry, though it has come to symbolise China, what with Hero and The House of Flying Daggers, which broke through to the Academy Awards.

Kung fu isn't common in China, compared to China's vast population a rare few practice it professionally and go on to international acclaim (Jet Li, Jackie Chan.....), though Tai Chi is a common recreational hobby for elder people to exercise.

It's just for western audiences, who find kung fu "exotic", Chinese people aren't that hyped about it, because for one, they had it for thousands of years already.