In his new memoir, “Beyond Life and Death,” Jet Li describes being sent to the Beijing Sports and Exercise School when he was 8, in 1971. He could have ended up in the swimming section, say, or the soccer one. Instead it was martial arts, and film history was changed.
After years of high-level competitions, Li put his training to good use in “Shaolin Temple” in 1982. He became an action star with a string of hits that include four installments of the “Once Upon a Time in China” franchise (1992-1997), “Hero” (2004), “Fearless” (2006), and several Hollywood outings such as “The Expendables” (2010).
Li talks about his career in the book, but he also dives into his journey of self-discovery, most specifically his practice of Tibetan Buddhism, which he started investigating while seeking relief from injury-related pain in 1997. “I learned martial arts and made movies, but I couldn’t find the meaning of life,” the actor said. “For almost 30 years, I have gone to teachers in India, Nepal, Tibet — many, many places.”
In a video interview from his home in Singapore, Li, 62, discussed 10 things that mean a lot to him; his daughter Jada (with whom he hosts the YouTube videos series “So Be It”) occasionally helped with translation. These are edited excerpts from that conversation and an email follow-up.
Mala Beads
I will ask each of my teachers for one prayer bead [which are strung on a string to form necklaces or garlands]. They remind me of them and their teachings. That’s become a habit. They teach me the most important thing is compassion and wisdom. I love beads. I collect a lot of them.
Stir-Fried Shredded Potatoes
When I grew up, my family was very poor and my mom always cooked potatoes. Since then, wherever I go, I just ask, “Do you have a fresh potato?” I love the taste, and it reminds me of my mom.
Massages
I was 8 and learning martial arts, and would get injuries. Then I had more when making movies. I would always get injured. You try to fix it, but you never 100 percent fix it. So I get sports massages wherever I go, in the style of the country.
Instant Coffee
I was 11 the first time I went to America, and that was the first time I drank coffee. It was like Chinese traditional medicine — bitter. So I put more sugar [laughs]. It was strange, but good. I went back to China, but we didn’t have coffee in the 1970s. When I made my first movie, the whole crew in Hong Kong would bring in instant coffee. If I did well, they would give me one [laughs]. Now you can have a very special coffee machine, but my memories still go back to that coffee. If I travel, I will buy instant coffee, just for the memory.
Li Shizhen
He was a herbalist and physician in the Ming dynasty. He passed away hundreds of years ago, but his book “Compendium of Materia Medica” is still helping people. When you become a little famous, people will ask, “Who’s your idol?” I say I don’t have an idol, but I like Li Shizhen, because he’s not beating up somebody [laughs]. I fight people in movies, and some think it’s cool. But deep inside, I want to help people.
Punctuality
When we were late for training as kids, the coach would punish us, make us run 400 meters in a circle, around 20 times. Every time you were late, you ran. So that became stuck in my mind when I was a little boy: You cannot be late. Show your pride and respect people. If you tell me eight o’clock, I will be there 10 or 15 minutes before and wait.
George Lam’s ‘A Man Should Strengthen Himself’
This is from “Once Upon a Time in China.” It’s about the need to be strong, and it’s very emotional. Whether I’m learning about myself or making a movie, I hear the song and I think, “Wow, I need to do it again, try again.”
Sunglasses
I became famous when I was young and everybody knew me, everybody tried to take pictures. I was not very comfortable, so I wore a cap. I was also bald for a lot of roles, so it kept me warm. Then I got sunglasses. I have a lot of them. People know I like them and give them to me for my birthday.
Awareness
A lot of people realize they need to meditate, they need to concentrate, and meditation has become popular. But the goal of meditation is awareness, knowing without judgment. I do an hour daily, and try to maintain awareness the rest of the day.
Appreciation
People know how to train their body — be healthy, exercise — but not so many understand how to train their mind. For the past 30 years I’ve been training my mind to figure out the meaning of life and be happier. I say: Relax. Appreciate life, appreciate your teacher, parents, partner, whatever you need to appreciate.
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