The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

'The anti-Ching patriots, under the guidance of Ho Kuang-han, have secretly set up their base in Canton under cover of being school masters. Liu Yu-te (Gordon Liu Chia-hui), one of Ho's pupils, having been inspired by his teacher's patriotism, is determined to join the anti-Ching ranks. Liu works as an espionage courier for his fellow-countrymen until the Manchu General in Canton, Tien Ta (Lo Lieh) orders his troops to round up all the anti-Ching patriots. The Manchu soldiers, acting on information, surround the Ho school and kill Ho and many of his students. Later, Liu's father is also murdered by the Ching lackeys; Liu escapes to the Shaolin Temple in hopes of learning martial art, with which skill he may avenge his father's death. The Abbot of the Shaolin Temple sympathises with Liu's plight, accepting him as an inmate and giving him the name "San Te". Liu does nothing but sweep the floors for nearly a year before being given permission to learn the Shaolin kung fu techniques, comprising 35 chambers. Of course, as a novice, he has to start from the lowest chamber. One of the 35 chambers concerns the study of Buddhism, and the others are devoted to the martial arts. Each pupil has to endure a stiff test in order to pass through any one chamber before going on to the next one. In an incredibly short time, Liu has mastered and passed 10 chambers, specializing in the employment of the fists, feet, palms, swords, sticks, lance, and other weapons. He continues to make tremendous progress in the art of kung fu, and with the approval of the Abbot, he leaves the temple and goes out into the country to not only attack the cruel Manchu henchmen, but also to recruit more patriotic youths for training in the temple. Meanwhile, the Ching authorities order Tien Ta and his troops to catch Liu and his fellow-monks. In a fierce encounter, Liu, aided by Hung Hsi-kuan, kills many enemies, including Tien Ta. Liu and his new fellow-fighters return then to the Shaolin Temple, where he immediately develops the "36th Chamber" which is the apex of the art of kung fu. The new blood, including Hung Hsi-kuan, Tung Chien-chin, Lu Ah-tsai and Chung Mi-lu, under the leadership of Liu, become a barb to torment the Ching flesh.