Action movies rely on stunt actors to bring excitement, danger, and drama. While watching their stunts on screen, we might forget that the risk is real and the worst can happen. Despite stunt actors' high skill levels and training, tragic accidents have occurred in which performers have died while performing. Here we have a list of China's most dangerous stunts performed on-screen and in real life.
1. Jackie Chan's Shopping Center Stunt
After Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan became China's most famous movie star and martial artist. There was a time in the 80s and 90s when he dominated the East Asian box office. While shooting a stunt scene for one of his known and dangerous films, Police Story, Jackie Chan suffered many injuries. He fractured his fingers, burns to his hand, injured his pelvic bone, a deep cut on his forearm, and broken vertebrae. Moreover, the result made the climactic scene in Police Story
2. Chan's Tree Stunt In Armor Of God
That is one of the innocuous stunts on paper that almost killed him. This stunt required Chan to jump off the wall onto a tree, then swing down through the branches. Chan attempted a second take, saying he wasn't fast enough. On the second attempt, the tree branch broke, and Chan hit the ground, smacking his head on a rock that fractured his skull.
3. China's Daredevil's Stunt On A 62-Story Building
Climber Wu Yongning, 26 years old, met an accident while performing a $15000 rooftop dare and filming a selfie video. He is famous for his heart-stopping climbs. He dies after falling from a 62-story building during one of his stunts while filming a video. He gathered a huge fan following on social media with his stunts that he performed without any safety nets. Wu died on the Huayuan Hua Center in Changsha of Hunan province. His girlfriend confirmed his death a month after his death. In his last video, Wu is doing pull-ups on top of the building and falling after losing his grip.
4. Man Falls From Waterfall In China(2022)
A man's stunt went wrong when he tried to run across the stones on top of the waterfall and fell after losing his balance and slamming onto a bed of rocks. This accident happened at China's Juijinggou spot in Susong Country. The video went viral, showing the man sliding down the waterfall and bouncing on a bed of rocks.
5. Chan's Skyscraper Slide Stunt
if dropping from a tree or a clock tower wasn't enough, Chan decided to slide down the 25-story Willemswerf building in Rotterdam while shooting for the movie Who am I? Fortunately, no injuries were there because any might be fatal. Nonetheless, Jackie Chan did the stunt himself.
6. Great Wall Of China Bike Jumper Stunt (2002)
During China's National Day celebrations, Wang Jiaxiong, a 30-year-old, rode a bicycle down a 240-foot ramp to jump over the Great Wall of China. He was the second of two riders attempting the stunt. The first one landed on the ground without any injuries. On Jiaxiong's attempt, he flew from the ramp reaching a height of 138 feet, clearing the wall and even the foam landing area for safety. He let go of his bike mid-air and landed headfirst in the shrubbery, rocky hillside. He died several hours later at the nearby hospital.
7. Supercop-Helicopter Flight Stunt
While filming for Police Story 3, Jackie Chan decided he would take to the skies, literally. In the stunt, he leaps from a building and grapes a rope ladder suspended from a helicopter. Despite the danger, Chan completed the scene safely without any injuries. In another stunt of Police Story 3, Chan injured his shoulder muscle when he was supposed to dodge an incoming helicopter but failed.
8. Vlogger Dies After Being Set On Fire During Live Stream (2020)
In September 2020, a Chinese influencer died after her ex-husband broke into her home with a cleaver, allegedly doused her in petrol, and set her on fire. The 30-year-old social media influencer, Lamu, burned 90 percent of her body and died two weeks after the incident. She gained popularity over China's Tiktok (Douyin). Lamu had thousands of followers, and her case triggered conversations over violence against women in China.
9. Beijing Street Race Crash For Fast And Furious 7
A Lamborghini and Ferrari crashed in a high-speed road race going for the "Fast and Furious 7" movie in Beijing, China. The accident with luxury cars provokes controversy. The pictures of the wreckage a lime green Lamborghini, a red Ferrari, and some other valuable cars when police said it left one person injured. It happened during heavy rain when "Furious 7" was released.
10. When A Car Stunt Takes A Turn For The Worst
Preparing and planning for a car stunt can take days, making sure it all works out safely with the help of a big team of professional drivers and engineers. The car in this scene was supposed to jump over a truck around its longitudinal axis. The problem begins after the car lands. The car skipped over the planned height and almost crashed into the crew because the car was going fast. But thanks to the quick reaction of the staff nobody got hurt. Stuntman usually uses a pipe ramp to create scenes like this, which lack a platform on which vehicles can roll. It has a steel tube with the last 20 cm turning upwards on which the vehicle's undercarriage slides. Depending on how everything goes, the car will not only jump but also flip.
