Gordon Liu: Kung Fu Icon

If you’ve been checking out 36 Chambers for awhile then you know we’ve released quite a few Gordon Liu items and at this point you might be wondering, “yo, who is this guy?”. Well if you’re new to the man, myth and legend that is Gordon Liu or you’re just in need of a refresher, we got you covered. 

Gordon Liu, born in Foshan, China, is a famous martial arts actor and martial artist most notably known for his role as San Te in the critically acclaimed film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. In 2004, Gordon made a comeback, this time in western cinema with Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino had been a long time fan of Liu’s work and wanted to find a way to put him into the Tarantino universe. Liu ended up appearing twice in the Kill Bill universe as two unrelated characters. You might recognize him as Johnny Mo, the leader of the crazy 88, and kung fu master Pai Mei from Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, respectively.

Quentin was actually the first western director Liu had ever worked with. Liu has been in countless films, over 50 to be exact, and he even made an appearance in RZA’s Man with the Iron Fist as “The Abbot”.

From a young age Liu studied martial arts learning the Hung Fist from the Lau family. Lau Charn took Liu under his wing training him into the martial artist we know today. It was actually because of his god-brother Lau Kar Leung that he made his way to Shaw Brothers studio as Kar Leung was already going hoping to have a career with the studio.

Gordon Liu is a great man and martial artist who serves as a huge inspiration for the 36 Chambers’ company and because of that we’re sure this won’t be the last time you see us paying homage to him. Grab our newest Gordon Liu shirt and poster while you can!