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| Jack Ma, Alibaba's founder, has practiced tai chi for over 30 years. [Photo provided to China Daily] |
Meanwhile, the movie has three top Hong Kong action choreographers: Yuen Wooping from The Matrix and Kill Bill franchises; Sammo Hung famous for the Ip Man movies; and Ching Siu-tung known for Swordsman.
The cast includes top action stars such as Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Wu Jing and Tony Jaa from Thailand, as well as A-list actors like Huang Xiaoming, Tong Dawei and Li Chen.
Besides, Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming and retired Mongolian sumo champion Asashoryu Akinori also feature in the film.
Ma was inspired to make the movie in 2009 when he met Li, the Chinese kung fu giant who's known for Zhang Yimou's Hero.
They then co-founded a company to promote tai chi in 2011 and decided to make a film to realize their goal.
For the film, a number of scripts were sent to Ma. But he finally plumped for a tale penned by actor-turned-director Wen Zhang, who shot to fame with the 2007 hit TV series Struggle.
In the movie, Ma reportedly plays a master of tai chi while Li plays a Buddhist monk.
Speaking about the movie and its impact on the Alibaba founder, a source close to Ma says: "Ma has a young heart. He loves art and culture. And martial arts has played an important role in shaping him."
