Where is Kung Fu filmed? Filming Locations: the Temple House
Posted by Ra Moon
The CW's new Kung Fu is inspired by the classic 1972 series starring David Carradine.
In this version, Nicky Shen joins the monastery Shaolin in China where she learns the order's moral values and martial arts. When her mentor is killed, she returns to San Francisco (where the show is set), on a quest to seek justice.
Like most of The CW Television Network productions, Kung Fu was filmed in and around Vancouver in British Columbia.
In this version, Nicky Shen joins the monastery Shaolin in China where she learns the order's moral values and martial arts. When her mentor is killed, she returns to San Francisco (where the show is set), on a quest to seek justice.
Like most of The CW Television Network productions, Kung Fu was filmed in and around Vancouver in British Columbia.
Olivia Liang stars the series as Nicky Shen, who has to put into practice the martial arts she learned to protect her family and neighborhood.
Vanessa Kai plays Pei-Ling Zhang, a female Shaolin monk who brought Nicky to the monastery. Zhilan, played by Yvonne Chapman, is the evil woman after a powerful sword.
Jon Prasida is Nicky's brother and medical student Ryan, and Shannon Dang is Althea, her geeky sister. Gavin Stenhouse plays Evan Hartley, Nicky's ex-boyfriend.
We will be updating and expanding this spoiler-free report every week as new Kung Fu filming locations are revealed:
The establishing shot of the Shaolin Monastery looks like stock footage or, as we think, it is just a computed generated image.
The real Shaolin Temple is much bigger than this, featuring a number of stone or brick pagodas around it (the 'Pagoda Forest').
The Chan ("Zen") Buddhist complex is located 56 miles (90 kilometers) west of the city of Zhengzhou in Henan Province, China (not in Yunnan, as stated in the series).
During its 1500-year history, the renowned birthplace of Shaolin Kung Fu has suffered a lot of destruction, but it has also been rebuilt several times.
In recent history, the 60s Mao's Cultural Revolution attacked and punished the members of the community to the point that by 1986 there were no remaining monks in the temple.
However, since 1999, the monastery grew into a global business empire. The new owners of the legendary institution registered its name as a trademark and authorized Shaolin branches outside of mainland China, creating a franchise scheme.
Image courtesy of Dr. Abdullah Al Noman
But let's come back to Vancouver and The CW show. The courtyard of the temple was filmed at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.
The legendary Guilin mountains served as the background scenery, after removing the city's skyscrapers.
This public park is inspired by the traditional architecture of Suzhou, the Chinese city described as the “Venice of the East". Opened in 1986, this is considered the first Chinese garden built outside of China.
Image courtesy of The CW and Google Maps
If you are looking for these famous karst mountains, they are located around the Li River and the city of Guilin (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region).
This breathtaking landscape, featuring mist-covered sharp peaks splashed with tiny fishing boats, is one of the most iconic of China.
The streets and buildings of Vancouver’s Chinatown are heavily featured in Kung Fu.
The exterior of the family's restaurant Harmony Dumplings is actually the Gain Wah Restaurant at 218 Keefer Street, one of the key locations where The Unforgivable movie was filmed.
Also in the pilot, there is a scene with Nicky and Henry Yan (played by Eddie Liu) walking next to the Chinese Tea Shop at 101 E Pender Street.
Image courtesy of The CW and Google Maps
Located in the same complex as the gardens, the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum doubles as the Chinese Community Center of San Francisco.
The historic Chinatown neighborhood was established back in the 1890s. Today it covers a six blocks-long main commercial area packed with Asian specialty stores and restaurants.
The establishing shot of the green gateway arch is actually of San Francisco's Chinatown.
Image courtesy of The CW - Google Maps
Image courtesy of The CW and Google Maps
San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge was CGI'd into the aerial shot of the street where Nicky Shen's family home is located.
IMDb reported that the production is based in the city of Langley.
The series is hosted at 137 Production Services, the same studio where is located the set of Riverdale's mythical Pop's Chock Lit Shoppe.
Image courtesy of The CW - Map
The conference center in Singapore from the third episode, "Patience", is the Westin Bayshore Hotel, a 4-star waterfront complex in Coal Harbour (Vancouver).
Image courtesy of The CW - Map
Can you help to improve this article about the filming locations of Kung Fu? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!
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NOTICE: If you’re using this information on your website, please credit and link to this page as a source.
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2 comments:
1- Sunny Dee - April 16, 2021 at 12:17 AM
The bridal shop of episode 2 is in New Westminster on Columbia Street.
2- Anonymous - Apr 4, 2024, 9:41 PM
2nd para typo. Since Nicky Shen is female, the sentence "When his mentor is killed..." should be "When her mentor is killed..."
1- Sunny Dee - April 16, 2021 at 12:17 AM
The bridal shop of episode 2 is in New Westminster on Columbia Street.
2- Anonymous - Apr 4, 2024, 9:41 PM
2nd para typo. Since Nicky Shen is female, the sentence "When his mentor is killed..." should be "When her mentor is killed..."
Ra Moon
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