Pai Mei was a legendary master of the Bak Mei and Eagles Claw styles of kung fu, teaching Bill, Elle Driver, and Beatrix Kiddo. He was responsible for the removal of Elle’s right eye and taught Beatrix the fatal movement known as the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique and the Three Inch. After training with Pai Mei, The Bride took the top spot in Bill’s Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.
The training with Pai Mei prepared The Bride to begin her career with Bill, earning vast sums of money and killing for hire. She trained with Pai Mei for three years, learning everything he had to teach. The Bride’s training with Pai Mei was not fun, and she was called pathetic and laughed at.
Pai Mei was introduced to a generation of moviegoers as the mysterious trainer of Beatrix Kiddo in Quentin Tarantino’s revenge masterpiece Kill Bill. He trained Beatrix in his unique style of kung-fu, including the five-point palm exploding heart technique. Beatrix remains the only student of his bestowed such an honor.
In Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Pai Mei is introduced as the third chapter, and overall the eighth chapter. The Abbot initially tried to console Pai Mei, but he was inconsolable. The massacre of the Shaolin Temple and all sixty monks inside at the fists of the White Lotus began the legend of Pai Meis five.
In Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Pai Mei trains the Bride, and one subtle detail shows that the legendary martial arts master got his revenge. When the Bride discovers she is pregnant, she kills Bill using the five-point palm exploding technique.
📹 THE CRUEL TUTELAGE OF PAI MEI
COMPARED TO ME YOU ARE LIKE A WORM FIGHTING AN EAGLE… HA HA HA HA HA (whoosh! : beard swipe) (VIDEO …
How did Pai Mei live so long?
Skills. Master Martial Artist Pai Mei’s martial arts skills were incredible. He killed 60 Shaolin monks. He beat Bill and Beatrix easily. He created and mastered the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique. He tore out Elle’s eye. She was very strong. He was so skilled that no one could kill him. He was fast, agile, and dexterous. Pai Mei easily dodged Beatrix’s sword strikes, balanced perfectly on her blade, and threw her sword onto a rack without looking. He could punch holes in wood from three inches away. He lived a long time. Pai Mei was said to have been born before the year 1000 and lived until 2003. He would have lived longer if he hadn’t been poisoned. The Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique. In one version of the script, Pai Mei’s lips would be speaking Cantonese while his voice would be dubbed in English. This was decided against, and Meis’s dialogue wasn’t dubbed. Pai Meis’s 3-inch punch is a reference to Bruce Lee’s 3-inch knockout punch. David Carradine claims to have misread or misspoken the year of Pai Meis’s birth. This means that the monks were killed by someone else who held the title of Pai Mei. Pai Mei is older than he is said to be. This is common in Chinese stories. Pai Mei was fit and healthy, but he couldn’t have lived on rice and fish heads. Pai Mei got revenge on Elle when Kiddo blinded her with the same arm he used to defeat Kiddo in their first fight. Pai Mei was based on a historical legend.
Is BB really Beatrix’s daughter?
Career. Haney-Jardine first appeared in Kill Bill. She played BB, the daughter of Beatrix Kiddo and Bill. She starred in Dark Water with Jennifer Connelly and Tim Roth and as Penny Marko in Spider-Man 3.
Haney-Jardine attends the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007.
Perla Haney-Jardine (born May 2, 1997) is an actress. She is best known for her role as B.B. in the 2004 movie Kill Bill: Volume 2.
Personal life Haney-Jardine was born in Brazil. Her father, Chusy Haney-Jardine, is a Venezuelan director, and her mother, Jennifer MacDonald, is an American film producer.
Why is Beatrix’s name bleeped?
Tarantino is breaking the fourth wall and including us in the mystery of the Bride’s anonymity. We are meant to detach emotionally from her until her name is revealed. This is when she is most vulnerable and opens up emotionally. Tarantino thought this was the right time to reveal everything about this character.
Or maybe Tarantino was just being weird and awesome.
How did the bride survive shotgun?
She was shot with rock salt, not a bullet. That’s why she’s in the hospital. She was shot with rock salt, not bullets. I’d always keep my shotgun loaded with rock salt.
Did Pai Mei love Beatrix?
Pai Mei was a kind but violent man. After seeing Beatrix’s determination in her training, he came to like her and cared for her. He threw her food on the ground in a fit of rage and then offered her his own food afterwards. He told her that eating rice with your hands instead of using chopsticks was like how a dog or animal would eat. He was harsh, but he wanted Beatrix to not degrade herself or lower her standards because of hunger. Pai Mei wanted to build Beatrix’s character. Pai Mei teaches his students martial arts and mental strength. He also showed his love for Beatrix by teaching her the Five-Point-Palm Exploding Heart Technique, which he had never taught anyone before. However, Beatrix was fierce and trusted him, so he taught her this technique, which helped her defeat Bill. Before the Massacre at Two Pines, Bill told Beatrix about Pai Mei and his Five-Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique. In China in 1003, Pai Mei was on a road when a Shaolin monk met him. Pai Mei nodded at the monk, who didn’t return the gesture. We don’t know why the monk insulted Pai Mei, but Pai Mei found him at the Shaolin Temple. He demanded the head abbot kill himself, but the abbot refused. Pai Mei killed all 60 monks in the temple.
Was Budd trained by Pai Mei?
Skills. Marksmanship: Bud used a shotgun against Beatrix. He used rock salt in the cartridges instead of pellets to subdue his targets. He also used an assault rifle during the massacre at Two Pines. Budd knew Kiddo would attack and chose the best position to counter. He wounded and incapacitated her with rock salt from his shotgun. Budd owned a Hattori Hanzō sword given to him by Bill. He hadn’t practiced in a long time, but he said he sold the sword for $250. We don’t know how strong or skilled Budd was in real life. He was probably a strong fighter in the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. He may have been trained in kung fu by Pai Mei, as were his brother and sister. Madsen said his character is the conscience of the film because he left his career as an assassin to live a regular life. Budd is the least competent or threatening of the DVAS, but he comes closest to killing the Bride. Budd is the only person Beatrix could not defeat, but he was killed by a Black Mamba, the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad codename given to Beatrix Kiddo.
Why did Beatrix cry?
She kills many people without remorse, but cries over the death of her lover and the return of her daughter. The end credits list her as Beatrix Kiddo, the Bride, Black Mamba, and Mommy (Kill Bill Volume II).
Who is Pai Mei based on?
Priest White Lotus was based on Pai Mei. The Taoist Priest Bak Mei (White Eyebrows) is said to have been a big reason for the end of Shaolin during the Qing Dynasty. In Executioners from Shaolin, the white-haired leader Pai Mei was killed. When the studio made a sequel, it created a character who enacts revenge for his death. The Tiger-style kung fu in the film is also called the White Eyebrow system, based on the characteristics of the tiger, and was perfected by Taoist Priest Bak Mei. In the movie, Priest White Lotus seems invincible. Legend says that Priest Bak Mei trained so well that blows and weapons barely hurt him.
Why did Budd bury Beatrix with a flashlight?
Budd and an accomplice bury the Bride alive in a local cemetery. The Bride is given a choice: if she doesn’t resist, she’ll get a flashlight. If she does, Budd will burn her eyes with mace and leave her buried alive. She chooses the flashlight, is put in a coffin, and the lid is nailed down. Budd and his accomplice bury the coffin. The Bride panics and remembers her training under Pai Mei. In a flashback, Bill and the Bride sit by a campfire in China. Bill plays his flute. He tells her about his Kung Fu teacher Pai Mei and his five-point palm-exploding-heart technique. The technique involves five blows to pressure points on the body. The victim’s heart explodes after five steps. Pai Mei didn’t teach Bill the technique because he doesn’t show it to anyone. Bill tells the Bride that Pai Mei will take her as his pupil because he is lonely. Bill’s bruised face shows he was hurt, but he won’t say what happened. Bill warns her not to disobey Pai Mei or he’ll kill her. He hates Caucasians, despises Americans, and has nothing but contempt for women. She climbs the steps and is humiliated by Pai Mei, who scorns her fighting skills and her ethnicity. He challenges her to hit him during the fight, and she fails. Pai Mei threatens to cut off her hand and says she must strengthen it. The bride practices martial arts and carries water up the steps. She finds it hardest to break a hole in a thick wooden plank with her fist.
Is Pai Mei an eunuch?
The opening credits show Chi Shan and Pai Mei fighting on a red screen. The fight is evenly matched until Chi Shan kicks Pai Mei in the groin. Pai Mei is a eunuch, so he has no testicles. He’s trained his body to block kicks to the groin. Pai Mei drags Chi Shan several yards before breaking his legs. A group of rebels, led by Hong Xiguan, is leaving the Shaolin Temple. Many rebels are wounded in the fight. Some drop as they run. Hong tells his friend Xiao Hu to keep running. They meet another rebel captain, Tong Qianjin, who is leading another group of rebels. Hong is worried that Tong is the only one who got away. Tong says Chi Shan was killed by Pai Mei. Hearing that his teacher and master has been killed, Hong Xiguan goes back to the temple to get revenge. Tong, Xiao Hu, and the other men run after Hong to stop him. They know they’ve lost, but many of their men escaped. Trying to avenge Chi Shan now will only result in their rebellion being wiped out.
Was there a real Pai Mei?
Priest White Lotus was based on Pai Mei. The Taoist Priest Bak Mei (translated to mean White Eyebrows) is said to have been a large influence for the demise of Shaolin during the Qing Dynasty. In Executioners from Shaolin, the white-haired leader Pai Mei was killed. When the studio made a sequel, it created a character who enacts revenge for his death. The Tiger-style kung fu in the film is also called the White Eyebrow system, based on the characteristics of the tiger, and was perfected by Taoist Priest Bak Mei. In the movie, Priest White Lotus seems invincible. Legend says that Priest Bak Mei trained so well that blows and weapons barely hurt him.
How did the Bride know she was in a coma for 4 years?
In Kill Bill: Volume 1: The Bride wakes up from her coma. She looks at her hands and realizes four years have passed since Bill and the gang killed the wedding party and tried to kill her. How does The Bride know how much time has passed by looking at her hands? I’m missing something basic.
📹 The True Story Behind Kill Bill’s Pai Mei | The Reel Story
We all loved the character of Pai Mei in “Kill Bill” for his trash-talk and stunning kung-fu skills. But did you know that Pai Mei has a …
I like how this isn’t one of those movies where the female protagonist is such a natural talent that she immediately impresses Pai Mei. Instead he let’s her know her place, because t first she acts insulted as she actually believes herself to be her match, but he shows her whats she knows: not a goddamn thing. Instead she perseveres through her training and then ultimately earns his respect
As an East Asian Man, I’ve always thought that Hollywood has no clue how East Asian men think or act. So they portray a heavily stereotyped and passive image of Asian men. When I saw this movie I was really impressed. Whoever wrote the character of Pei Mei understands East Asian men very well. No doubt, there are some Asian men who fit the Western Stereotype of being passive and nerdy. But this representation (By Pei Mei) is actually much more accurate. Asian men can be ruthless, demeaning, nationalistic, sexist, spiteful assholes. They can be rude and cruel. Pei Mei’s racist stereotypes against Western women is (sadly) a common stereotype in Asia. Pei Mei’s hatred of the Japanese is very common among Chinese people. Pei Mei’s anger at why she responds to him in Mandarin when he spoke to her in Cantonese, is an accurate portrayal of how even within Chinese culture (or Any Asian ethnicity) there are conflicts based on dialects. Pei Mei’s blunt opinions, ruthlessness, and unrelenting attitude is very accurate. Not giving her any room for excuses or even for failure. Pei Mei is basically a scaled up version of the Asian father that most of us grew up with.
Everytime I watch this scene I have two things I think about:\r 1) when Pai Mei was a child how much he had to suffer and practice in pain and so on through his life to reach this level of skill. How much he had to suffer for it… what level of dedication, will-power, diligence, tenancity and mental strenght he must have… There is no royal road.\r 2) what incredibly high level of skills one needed to have to have his respect or to be his worthy adversary…\r Pai Mei is a true grandmaster.
Love how Pai Mei was literally keeping his hands behind his back while Beatrix was giving her maximum effort. Really showing her that she knows absolutely nothing and the master doesn’t even have to remotely defend himself to outmaneuver her. He only strikes back when she tries to bash his head with a rock.
I know I’m not standing on a hill alone talking about how great Pai Mei is written, but. The interplay is just perfect. I’m sure that Pai Mei would have sat in that position silently for hours if Beatrix didn’t speak to him- he knows exactly what test he’s intending on performing. He feels for how much respect she innately has for him, and relents just a touch when she bows her head. But the point is to goad her into willing to go full force, full effort against him, so he can bring her to that extreme low point. I used to think the defining turning point was simply her expressing her helplessness- that this was the begining he was seeking with his student. But now I believe he would have shucked her out if she couldn’t muster the ‘yes’ to ‘do you wish to possess this power?’. Because what he needs is someone who never loses sight of wanting to attain that level of skill in agony, rather than just wanting to avoid further suffering and submit to his will
PAI MEI is a sincere character. He’s not a douche bag or an evil person. He’s a teacher. He pushed her to the limit. When she picked the stone then desperation kicked in with the serious intention to harm him. He decided to push the envelope by showing her where she belongs in the Darwinian chain. “Are you aware I kill at will”. That is the wisest lesson ever told. Look at the meaning of those words. That pushes your senses of survival to the limit. He’s teaching an art that kills. The first lesson is survival. If the sense of survival is missing then the art renders useless. It is pure sincerity. He decided to not cut her arm but at the compromise of making that arm stronger. A trade of complete loss for power, but power requires a lot of pain to be gained. I think we are showing some love for the character of PAI MEI. He perfectly describes our current times.
Seems cruel, but this is a great example on how to break someone down before you can build them back up. It even shows in the dialog. “You are hurting” “You are nothing” “I can destroy you” “you can’t do anything about it” “you think you can take me on? try me, I dare you. I double dare you” “You know I am superior to you”. Very Machiavellian.
There is one scene, at 2:10, where i can see that Pai Mei, badass immortal old man who has killed thousands, lowers his tone when refering to Bill as her master, as Pai Mei not only probably has a degree of respect for Bill, but also because he respects the student/teacher role. All the rest of his speech is filled with mockery and insults, but that is the only one that has the slightest bit of respect and peace.
I will always love that Gordon Liu fought Pai Mei in Clan of the White Lotus and ended up playing him in this movie. Just like in that movie, Pai Mei is big headed, incredibly powerful, charismatic and felled for thinking lesser of others. Nailed it all the way to the stroking of his own ego and long ass beard. 🤣🤣
Have you ever heard the tragedy of Darth Mei the cruel? It’s a Sith Legend. Darth Mei is a dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so cruel that he could use his thighs to block a scrotch kick and beat up… a woman. “He could actually beat up women?” Oh yes, but sadly he ripped out his apprentices right eye and was killed by her with poison. Isn’t it ironic? He had the power to beat up others but not to beat up himself “What?” What? “…” ahem “…” Whatever… Ever thought about turning to the dark side? “okay” really!? 😮 “yes” great 😀 “As long as I can keep my awesome lush hair i do anything to keep my wife from speaking up to me” Yeah. About that…
Until the moment she pulled the dumb move with the rock purely out of spite and butthurt at having lost (when that was only expected to happen or why even come to learn from him?), he was just being irreverent and probing. Only after that did he actually torture her, to make it perfectly clear who was the master here and that any egotism against him would be entirely pointless. Well written scene.
“Scholar Tokusan–who was full of knowledge and opinions about the dharma–came to Ryutan and asked about Zen. At one point Ryutan re-filled his guest’s teacup but did not stop pouring when the cup was full. Tea spilled out and ran over the table. “Stop! The cup is full!” said Tokusan. “Exactly,” said Master Ryutan. “You are like this cup; you are full of ideas. You come and ask for teaching, but your cup is full; I can’t put anything in. Before I can teach you, you’ll have to empty your cup.”
Pai Mei might be a cruelly ruthless, racist and mysoginistic sifu… But because Bea is obedient, humble and determined, she succeeded in gaining his silent respect… Even going so far as to “inherit” his top secret deadliest “weapon”; The 5 Point Palms Exploding Heart technique… Beatrix is the luckiest chosen one and she really deserved it, even though she also used to be the deadliest woman in the world a.k.a top assassin…
I like how he took her under his wing despite her going way outta depth, being cocky, trying the cheapshot and her overall ego. He very easily could have humiliated and broken her down further, but he didn’t. Meaning, a bit of spit, fire and ambition, the will to give it a go and persevere even if it means dirty moves, is all about exactly what he wants in a disciple.
As a teacher… I appreciate Pai Mei deeply. This is why… in order to truly earn your students’ respect… to REALLY get them to open their mind to everything you have to offer.. you have to impress them so drastically, that they realize there is nothing that they can offer up that will either impress or surprise you… you earn their full and undivided attention and respect. If this is achieved, there is zero friction between the teacher and the student.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 I love this scene! I’m a full time trainer and Karate instructor based out of Mumbai, india. What struck me most while I saw this scene ( when in college a long time back), was the way he humbled her pride! 🙏 And that was the only thing that kept making her stronger in spirit! And it was her teachers cruelty that enabled her to eventually overcome her weaknesses and turn into the Killing machine that she turned into! He made her believe that when it came to combat, GENDER DOESN’T MATTER! Only survival! Even a deer was known to have killed a wolf when her fawn was threatened! I wouldn’t want to give spoilers here, ( for those who haven’t seen this movie 😂) but PAI Mei actually taught her everything he knew!
Crazy people generally come in two varieties. Those who are aware of the effects of their choices and those who aren’t. Nobody sane would seek out a master like Pai Mei and given her goals in the broader sense she was clearly aware of what she signed up for. That’s a long staircase to 500 in front of her. Especially assuming that’s 499 ass kickings on the way to the top of it. That’s the point. How much can a person take and learn from it. Get up and try again. Like Bane breaking Batman to say “respect, but step your game up…. or stay down in this hole if you want. Up to you”
The one thing that would really freak me out is seeing Bill staggering down the stairs a moment ago, bloody and dirty and all worn out – hearing his warning before walking up the stairs, only to find this old dude sitting up there: clothes pristine, not a single drop of blood or speck of dirt on him, no sweat or even out of breath…. Considering that Bill was quite the badass – as we are led to believe – if I were Beatrix, knowing and seeing all this ^, I would be shitting myself – and misplaced pride or not, I would not raise a hand towards Pai Mei in any capacity, as it would be tantamount to suicide …
If only modern movies spent half as much time on training their protagonist. Star Wars just have Rey all the powers without showing her do any of the work. So many modern shows just want to make their character a badass without any build up or struggle. We need to see them come up to respect them. That’s what made heroes like Rocky so fun to root for. We saw them struggle and their Deducation pay off.
Pei Mei reminds me of my father, rest his soul. He was very strict and cruel sometimes. He was very Spartan; he didn’t put up with any excuses or weakness. He was physically and verbally abusive if we misbehaved. My father actually made my brother eat with his plate on the floor one time when my brother complained about the dinner we were having, like Pei Mei almost made Beatrice do. But my father also had endearing qualities like Pei Mei. I miss him.
Power must be tempered with humility and reverence, from the moment they met, he was looking for it. And his seemingly abusive mannerism is designed to push her to every conceivable breaking point: physical, emotional, and mental. The fact that shes a woman makes this particularly important, as women generally lack discipline and temperance. Thurman shows the spirit and tenacity of a man, and the dignity and virtue required to wield power accordingly.
GOD DAMN!!!! OVER 1 MILLION VIEWS ON THIS article NOW… Never thought I would see that… Anyone have any requests to some other awesome articles ppl would enjoy to get anywhere close to the amount of hits… Keep in mind, i do not have this website to make money and will never sell out like that. But it has been an amazing experience having so many ppl check my website out for mostly this article alone… What else could i put up here to illicit that same response…?
again…. is it landing a blow when the rightful redbelt of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu takes your punnny attempt at a neckgrab and flings you like a booger? The translation really indicates an attack of meaningful value that he is not able to block, deflect like a pro genji, or other wise allow the opponent to strike you and be completely unphased. Even though he said that if she lands a single blow. He decided to change the rules during combat, just for the pure point of…. “oh look….you hit me…..get that weak ass shit out of here….” to show her any blow i allow you to land is completely useless. if he truely wanted to…. he could have completely evaded every one. Thats a better translation other than: “ok….if you touch, graze, bump into me by accident”. Im sick of addressing this ticky-tack bullshit. What are some of you those pussy ass shitty refs in the NFL & NBA that call all those bullshit fouls and don’t let them play. Yeah i know your types fuckers…. NOT IN MY HOUSE!!!!
Chinese History is interesting as it is often fact mixed with liberal doses of fiction. The version of Bak Mei’s story that I know is: 1) Not a Eunuch, but had the skill to withdraw the testicles & possibly the rest up into the body. 2) Supposedly not Shaolin, but a Taoist monk from Wudang mountain who was visiting to test his Gung fu. 3) Was kicked out of Shaolin temple because his style was very vicious- Bak Mei is known to typically rip off ears, grab the nose, fast finger strikes to sensitive areas like nerve bundles, grabbing & twisting flesh, etc…. This style is real and survives to this day in at least 2 direct lineages, it is known for extreme speed and agile, evasive defense as well. It is considered an ‘internal’ style. Fighting one of these guys if you don’t have a lot of skill and experience will likely result in a trip to the hospital and possibly permanent injury. 4) The Qing dynasty supposedly gave Bak Mei a choice: either 1) Help us sack Shaolin & kill everyone or 2) we kill all of your students. I took a few lessons and found the style exotic and difficult, as if I was dating an attractive woman who did not speak any of my languages…. Your mileage may vary, I’m not sure if there is any definitive historical scholarship on this man. Also the picture shown here is not Bak Mei.
Techniques like that are said to exist in Kung Fu, as the “10 day death punch”, “30 day death punch” etc. They were called like that because those attacks were directed to damage certain organs, like ripping the spleen. Those injuries were within the body and not treatable by the medicine in these days. The dying took different time, depending on which organ was damaged, or ruptured. So it is not a mere trope, but was taking back on facts from times with no modern medical equpiment to diagnose and treat interior bleedings/damaged organs.
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That was very informative. I had seen bits and pieces of the old kung fu flicks with his character, but I never heard his back story before. I knew that he was arrogant and cruel, but I didn’t know that he was a traitor to Shaolin. I didn’t know he was supposed to be a eunuch either. As eunuchs go, that old dude had some balls!
Bak mei was a Taoist, he was at Shaolin when they were attacked, he’s one of the surviving 5 elders and speculation about him betraying Shaolin I think are relatively recent and originated in a fiction martial arts novel. He’s known for his Phoenix fist, which looks like what kids make to give out charlie horses. His martial art is considered an internal style.
thank you pai mei for saving Beatrix’ life. the scene of her being buried alive – her enemy being 3″ in front of her.. then his transcendent revenge on Elle when mamba snatches her remaining left eye.. deep. just ran the series back & it’s always a treat to pick up the subtle nuances.. so many more to digest upon. 😊
A great character, certainly, and I’m thrilled to know the historical context and significance of Pei Mei. However, my favorite fictional martial arts master is Chiun, Master of the House of Sinanju, from “The Destroyer” novels. In the fictional world of books and movies, he would easily defeat Pei Mei.
I would love a Pai Mei spin off where he wakes up after processing the poison using yet another secret Pai Mei “resurrection Kung Fu.” Some believe that Bill himself could’ve used something like that for a potential sequel had Carradine not actually died. Great article – would like more on historical figures from Chinese Kung Fu who’ve inspired the films we all loved on local TV in the 70’s. Are there any historical antecedents for the 5 DEADLY VENOMS?
It’s common knowledge that Pai Mei was a Daoist. The full name is Pai Mei Dao Ren, or Pai Mei the Daoist. Shao Lin has always been a Buddhist establishment. Wu Dong, the Daoist gang that was led by Bai Mei, was said to be an archenemy of Shao Lin in a few Wu Xia novals for competing as the leader of Wu Lin. It is quite funny to hear that Bai Mai as a Shao Lin monk.
National Geographic’s leading Archaeologist has just uncovered a tomb deeply recessed in a caldera of an active volcano sealed with pressurized steam. Sensitive equipment has detected what can only be a heartbeat of 4 cycle per minute. An inscription stating very clearly in ancient Luoyang stated, “Pai Mei lies here, find him a booking agent”.
I’ll never forget me and my brother perusal some crap Saturday afternoon UHF website TV in the 70s and seeing a low budget kung fu movie with this guy as the villain. I remember two main things: 1. The protagonist was practicing to fight Pai Mei on a metal statue with all kinds of websites and he would drop a marble in the top of the head and have to beat it with a bunch moves and catch it at the crotch. 2. Pai Mei’s powers changed based on the time of day. If I remember correctly, his eyes were vulnerable before 1:00pm and then it was his feet or something. Whatever, what’s important is it was one of those things that stuck with me for decades. I couldn’t believe it when he was in Kill Bill 2. I had mostly forgotten that memory and I just assumed it was a B level movie that only me and my brother remembered. Coolest thing ever.
He was not a taoist or wu tang. You are mixing Chan San Feng and tai chi with this. In history Bach Mi, whose school waa in Emei, was a co learner in martial arts of Chi Tian who was the leader of the southern Fuckien Shaolin temple. Once a Chi Tien student had a duel with one of Bach Mi’s disciple. The Bach Mi student was defeated and the white eyebrow master realised that Chi Tien was of higher level so he decided to destroy Shaolin by telling the mandchus that Shaolin was were all anti mandchus were formed for fighting, indeed true. There were five monks survivors to the massacre and burning of the temple: Choy, Lee, Hung, Mo, and an anonyme nicknamed Fut (Buddha). They are the roots of Choy Lee Fut gar, Hung Gar, Mo gar, Fut Gar because for survival they could no spread and teach the Shaolin and Lo Han forms anymore. Wu dang became famous later when Chan San Feng (Chan three winds was is nick name because he had three asthma crisis three wind a day) ran during a night from the Shaolin temple because he was scared to become cripple or die in the final test of the 108 wooden men of the death alley of the temple. Ngu Mui was not per sey either one of the five survivors because she did not learn more than few basics. She was orphan and disguise herself as a young man to enter the temple When she was discovered she had to leave because there were no nuns in the shaolin temple and a woman was not permitted amongst monks. She built a small hermitage not far from the temple were she leaved till the Manchus went for the massacre.
You talking to middle America. I grew up perusal these types of movies on 42nd street in Manhattan (before Disney took over). Urban youth knows everything about Pai Mai. It’s funny, when that movie Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon came out, middle America was mesmerize by it. I’m like, i can name 100 movies better then that one. I probably know more about then you do.
They also rip him off a lot in 90s fighting games, such as Wang Jinrei (Tekken) and Gen from the Street Fighter Alpha series. That “old chinese bearded kung fu master” trope is so played out and cliched, and in real life, he would get decimated by real fighters in their prime like Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, lol.
Perhaps like Dracula when you remove the acupuncture needles he comes back to life, or like Snow White when the fish head (poison apple in Snow White’s case) is dislodged from his mouth he wakes up (which begs the question: who kissed Pai Mei.) There is certainly a Trope of “Evil is Immortal” like that of the infinity of Dracula movies at work.
pai mei wasn’t a eunuch. eunuchs don’t become monks but in the context of chinese history are “created” to be the only “male” staff allowed within the palace after sundown (aside from the king/emperor). there are two explanations for pai mei’s “invincible/missing” gonads 😀 one is the legendary practice of being able to train oneself to fortify one’s acupuncture points, rendering them impenetrable. the most famous of these practices is called, in rough translation, “the golden bell shield”, in which all of a person’s acupuncture points are impervious to attack except for one point, which in some styles say that the practitioner chooses and which others say is a spot that remains underdeveloped and permanently weak – like a chinese achiles’ heel. this one weak point is figuratively the opening of the bell – when one is surrounded by a bell one is practically impervious to attack but there is always the bell’s opening to consider. the second explanation for the “missing balls” is the tai chi practice of being able to pull one’s balls into one’s body cavity, hence retracting them from damage. taoists place supreme emphasis on the YANG (male) energy and anything that expends that (such as ejaculation) or damages the genital is in complete contradiction to taoist principles.
Given that Bak Mei is a Taoist immortal, who mastered his chi to the point of perpetual regeneration, I wouldn’t be surprised if the character was capable of surviving near death experiences. Either way I like the mystery of the character. Is Bak Mei just a title, one passed down from master to master? An idea more than a man? Or is Bak Mei a true immortal who seemingly rises from the dead and continues to haunt the world?
My theory would be that he is much like the Dread Pirate Roberts. Each generation, one Pai Mei either chooses a successor, or at times is simply avenged by a self proclaimed successor. There are but only 4 requirements. Big white eyebrows, an excellent white fu man chu, long white hair, and lastly formidable fighting skills!
First, Pai Mei and Bak Mei is actually similar in Chinese. It’s just different pronunciation of “白眉” in Mandarin and Cantonese, which means white brows. The character first appeared in an ancient novel “聖朝鼎盛萬年青” (hard to translate to English), which was first published in 1893. That time China was still in Qing dynasty, and Pai mei was depicted as a monk, loyal to the Qing dynasty and also actually a good guy. He defeated the main villains in the novel with his students. But later, Qing dynasty was ended in1912. Many people hated it and depicted it as a bad regime in all those movies etc. So those movie writers who picked up this story reversed the good and the bad, and then Pai Mei became the villain Boss.
I think he’s some sort of symbol from Asian mythology. Like Loki from Scandinavia. Not a real person, but some kind of example: when you feel betrayed then you are capable to improve your skills so much that you beat your opponents and prove them wrong. From psychological perspective that make sense. He’s like the “bad” guy who will come if you misbehave, but it’s a villain for adults, not children.
You know, if it’s possible that Pai Mei somehow survived the poisoned fishheads, maybe he can come back in Kill Bill 3 as a villain who trains fully blind Elle Driver once more, to take out Beatrix. She fails again and must face Pai Mei to the death for her failure. She dies, and now Beatrix must face Pai Mei. They fight to a draw, and become unlikely friends.
I created a Wood Elf monk for a 5th edition D&D campaign. Called him Kai Mei. I thought hard on taking Way of the Fist for the Quivering Palm, but Shadow Monk was just so appealing. Especially the Shadow Step. I called him Kai Mei as an homage to Pai Mei, but I modeled him after Jackie Chan’s character from “Forbidden City”. He cut a ratty; dirty, aloof personality who liked his substances a bit much. He once got his ass kicked for trying to cheat paying at an opium den. He also believed religiously that celery was the solution for any problem, and had a seemingly endless supply that he would assault anyone who appeared to be in less than optimal straights with a wilted stick of the stuff. An outrageously fun role to play. Not to mention he was a regular badass & carried the party for the first 10 levels or so. Sadly, the campaign fell apart around level 12. People started having difficulty making the sessions…life happens.
original 白眉 (white eyebrow) was Ma Liang (馬良) who was an official serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Liang_(Three_Kingdoms) among his 5 brothers, he was most wise and capable, so Chinese expression 馬氏五常 白眉最良 he had some grey hairs in his eyebrows from young age, not completely white eyebrows.
there was a monk from the chiu lien mountains named white eyebrow. it was not due to old age, rather a birthmark that grew one of his eyebrows white all his life. he developed a technique to strike an opponent’s neck from behind that was effective at killing. he killed more than one training partner with this technique & was subsequently expelled from his monastic order. for years thereafter, the white eyebrow would impersonate a monk & collect donations as his own.
The move Uma uses to kill Bill in the seccond movie is actually real. But it doesnt have anything to do with the heart. It does however use multiple strikes to disable your opponents organs and kill them. Those organs are the lungs and diaphragm. You colaps their lungs and then strike their diaphram. They can then no longer breath and die. So even though they add hokey nonsense to the move in the movie there is indeed a real life version of it.
A brutal deconstruction of the master of a martial arts who had put his or her whole life in killing techniques refining it into perfection. Would not be in the right state of mind or the very least would more likely to be always tempted to use some sort of insta-kill move if someone dumb enough to disrespect him.
Ok, I have a 7 year old son who idolizes Pai Mei. He also idolizes Bruce Lee. So the other day he says, “Who would win in a fight between Pai Mei and Bruce Lee?” I told him that they would most likely test each other’s skills, coming away a little disheveled but fine. Then they would quietly sit and share a cup of tea together. Do you have another answer? Would love to hear it.
Theory: The person we know as “Pai Mei,” is actually a supernatural demon-like entity. He lives for centuries because he simply possesses a new body when his old one his killed: Either the body of his best student, or the person who was able to defeat him. The person who’s body Pai Mei possesses has their consciousness supplanted by him totally, to the point their body even grows to look like him. This is why Pei Mai is said to be a eunuch: He is actually genderless by human standards, able to possess female and male bodies. Thus Pei Mai lives for centuries by jumping from body to body, maintaining power, or growing in power. By asking each of his students, “is it your wish to possess this kind of power?” and then claiming one of their limbs in their initial battle, they unknowingly agree to potentially become his next vessel.