Editing Jet Li (section)

== Early life and martial arts career ==
Li was born in Beijing, China, and was the youngest of two boys and two girls. His [[Ancestral home (Chinese)|ancestral home]] is in [[Shenyang]], China. When he was two years old, his father died and his family then lived in poverty.<ref name="personal-bio-1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://finance.sina.cn/2023-11-30/detail-imzwiune5688021.d.html?cre=blogpagepc&mod=f&loc=7&r=0&rfunc=19&tj=cxvertical_pc_blogpagepc_f&pagetype=alios|title=李连杰：已交代后事|newspaper=Sina Finance|date=2023-11-30|access-date=2024-01-18}}</ref>

Li was eight when his talent for [[Wushu (sport)|wushu]] was noticed as he practiced at a school summer course.<ref name="personal-bio-2" /> He then attended a non-[[Sanda (sport)|sparring]] wushu event, followed by joining the [[Beijing Wushu Team]] which did a martial art display at the [[National Games of China|All China Games]]. Renowned coaches [[Li Junfeng]] and [[Wu Bin (Wushu Coach)|Wu Bin]]<ref name="talktalk1" /> made extra efforts to help the talented boy develop. Wu Bin even bought food for Li's family in order to boost Li's protein intake.<ref name="talktalk1" />

A very young Li competed against adults<ref name="personal-bio-9" /> and was the national all-around champion from 1975 to 1979.<ref>{{cite web|title=IWUF Ambassadors|url=http://www.iwuf.org/about-iwuf/ambassador/|website=IWUF}}</ref>

{{blockquote|quote=My winning first place caused quite a sensation because I was so young. I was 12 years old, and the other two medalists were in their mid- to late twenties. During the awards ceremony, as I stood on the top step of the podium, I was still shorter than the 2nd and 3rd place medalists. It must have been quite a sight.|source=Jet Li ''China's Internet Celebrity''<ref>{{cite book |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YSjHUvePYVAC&q=Celebrity+in+China+By+Louise+Edwards,+Elaine+Jeffreys |title = China's Internet Celebrity: Furong Jiejie in Celebrity in China |access-date = 2 October 2010 }}</ref>}}

In 1974, Li was part of a delegation of forty-three martial arts practitioners who traveled to the United States as part of China's [[Public diplomacy|people's diplomacy]].<ref name=":Minami">{{Cite book |last=Minami |first=Kazushi |title=People's Diplomacy: How Americans and Chinese Transformed US-China Relations during the Cold War |date=2024 |publisher=[[Cornell University Press]] |isbn=9781501774157 |location=Ithaca, NY |pages=167}}</ref> The group performed for American audiences in Hawaii, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.<ref name=":Minami" />

According to Li, once, as a child, when the [[China national wushu team|Chinese National Wushu Team]] went to perform for President [[Richard Nixon]] in the United States, he was asked by Nixon to be his personal bodyguard. Li replied, "I don't want to protect any individual. When I grow up, I want to defend my one billion Chinese countrymen!"<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.jetli.com/jet/index.php?s=life&ss=essays&p=7 |title = Life essay: part 7 |publisher = Jetli.com |access-date = 2 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101224113726/http://jetli.com/jet/index.php?s=life&ss=essays&p=7 |archive-date = 24 December 2010 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>

Li is a master of several styles of wushu, especially ''[[changquan]]'' and ''[[fanziquan]]''. He has also studied other arts including ''[[baguazhang]]'', [[tai chi]], ''[[xingyiquan]]'', [[drunken boxing]], [[Eagle Claw]], and [[Northern Praying Mantis (martial art)|Praying Mantis]]. He did not learn ''[[Nanquan (martial art)|Nanquan]]'' ("Southern Boxing"), because his training focused only in the Northern [[Shaolin kung fu|Shaolin]] Styles. He has also mastered wushu's main weapons, such as ''[[Three-section staff|Sanjiegun]]'' (Three Section Staff), [[Gun (staff)|''Gun'']], [[Dao (Chinese sword)|''Dao'']] (Broadsword), ''[[Jian]]'' (Straight Sword).<ref name="wushuography" />

Li retired from competitive wushu when he was only 18 due to a knee injury,<ref>{{cite web|last=SCMP.com|first=Unus Alladin|date=2018-05-23|title=Fans of martial arts legend Jet Li were shocked by his recent appearance - here's what's wrong with him|url=https://www.businessinsider.com.au/fans-of-martial-arts-legend-jet-li-were-shocked-by-his-recent-appearance-heres-whats-wrong-with-him-2018-5|access-date=2021-01-14|website=Business Insider Australia|language=en|archive-date=16 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116010607/https://www.businessinsider.com.au/fans-of-martial-arts-legend-jet-li-were-shocked-by-his-recent-appearance-heres-whats-wrong-with-him-2018-5|url-status=dead}}</ref> but became an assistant coach of the Beijing Wushu team for a few years. Li's martial arts prowess would eventually contribute to his domestic and international fame.<ref>{{cite book |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YSjHUvePYVAC&q=Celebrity+in+China+By+Louise+Edwards,+Elaine+Jeffreys |title = Jet Li: "Wushu Master" in Sport and Film in Celebrity in China |access-date = 2 October 2010 }}</ref>