Cheng Chao-an

Cheng Chao-an
First appearance	The Big Boss
Last appearance	The Big Boss, Part II
Portrayed by	Bruce Lee (The Big Boss) Bruce Le (The Big Boss, Part II)
In-universe information
Nickname	Big Brother Cheng, Cousin Cheng
Gender	Male
Occupation	Ice Factory employee

Cheng Chao-an (traditional Chinese: 鄭潮安; simplified Chinese: 郑潮安; pinyin: Zhèng Cháo-Ān; Cantonese Yale: Zeng Ciu-On) is a fictional character from the 1971 film The Big Boss, played by Bruce Lee. He is a young man who travels from China to the remote town of Pak Chong in Thailand to work with his expatriate cousins at an ice factory. Cheng and his co-workers are perplexed by the disappearance of several of the workers until he discovers that Hsiao Mi (Han Ying-chieh) - the "big boss" of the title - is using the factory as a front to smuggle heroin. The character was also featured in the 1976 non-canon unofficial sequel, The Big Boss, Part II played by Bruce Le. In addition to this, several actors have portrayed Bruce Lee acting as the character.

Biography

Cheng Chow-An (Bruce Lee) is sent to Thailand to live with his expatriate cousins, and to stay out of trouble. Cheng has promised his aging mother that his fighting days are through. He even has a good-luck pendant he wears around his neck to remind him of his oath.

With the help of his cousins, he gets a job at the local ice factory. Things seem to be going well until several of Cheng's co-workers mysteriously disappear. Unbeknownst to him, his co-workers have been killed and the ice factory is really just a cover for trafficking illicit drugs. When Cheng’s cousin Hsu Chien (James Tien) goes missing, tensions flare at the ice factory, and a fight breaks out between the Chinese workers and the Thai management. Cheng, breaking his pledge to his mother, finds he has no other choice but to fight when, during the melee, his pendent gets snatched off of his neck, causing it to break into two pieces.

Recognizing Cheng as a threat to his enterprise, Hsiao Mi (Han Ying-chieh) chooses to make him an unwitting ally. Hsiao Mi promotes Cheng from low-level employee to foreman and tempts him with an assortment of vices; alcohol and a prostitute. Cheng's sudden relationship with the big boss alienates both his family members and his co-workers. Things quickly take a turn for the worse, resulting in the murders of his cousins and the abduction of Cheng’s youngest cousin, Chiao Mei (Maria Yi). This causes Cheng to seek revenge.

Trivia

Cheng has a bandage on his right index finger throughout most of the film. This was due to an actual injury Lee sustained by a broken glass on set. He also pulled a muscle in his leg near the end of the film, severely affecting his mobility. This was excused by having the big boss stab Cheng in the leg in the film's final fight.

In a deleted scene (available only on the original 1971 Hong Kong premier), Cheng, having made his decision to take vengeance for the murder of his family, returns to the brothel he had visited earlier in the movie. He propositions a Thai prostitute, and enjoys a vigorous lovemaking session with her in bed. This scene was supposed to explain that Cheng wanted enjoy his last pleasures in life before he either got killed or arrested for murder, in the aftermath of the movie's final fight. This scene also included Bruce Lee's only nude scene in his career. As such, the scene was removed from all future pressings of The Big Boss, in order to bring Bruce Lee in line with the other, less libidinous characters he portrayed in his next films.

See also

• Chen Zhen (character), Bruce Lee's character in Fist of Fury

External links

• Cheng Chao-an at the Internet Movie Database