Not Many People Know, Jet Li Was Once Paid 1 Yuan per Day

Jet Li (Doc. Ist)

SecondUpdate.com — The name Jet Li has long been known as a global action film icon with extraordinary earnings. However, behind his success as an international star lies an early career story far from luxury.

In the early 1980s, Jet Li made his acting debut through the film Shaolin Temple. At the time, he was not considered a professional actor, but was still regarded as an athlete working for the state. Because of this status, the pay he received was extremely small—only 1 Yuan per day. Converted to the value at that time, it was roughly equivalent to Rp2,000 per day.

He shared this story in his book Looking for Jet Li: Beyond Life and Death. In the book, Jet Li recalls the early days of his career, which were full of limitations. Ironically, the film he starred in achieved massive success. Shaolin Temple became a box-office hit and generated around US$111.9 million in revenue, or about Rp1.7 trillion.

Despite the film’s huge success, Jet Li’s personal situation did not immediately improve. In the book A Date with Luyu, he revealed that he felt he had little freedom in choosing his work. He even described his situation as having no control over the jobs he took on, even though his film earned enormous profits.

A major turning point in his life came when he decided to move to Hong Kong. There, he starred in Once Upon a Time in China, which boosted his popularity in the Asian film industry. His fame continued to grow and eventually reached Hollywood through the film Lethal Weapon 4.

Since then, Jet Li has been recognized as one of the world’s top action stars. Today, his net worth is estimated at around US$250 million, or approximately Rp4.2 trillion. His career journey from earning a very small wage to becoming a global star shows that success requires a long process.

Jet Li’s life story serves as an inspiration that humble beginnings do not determine a person’s future. From earning just 1 Yuan per day, he went on to build a brilliant career and become a legend in international action cinema.