The Shaw Brothers Studio set the benchmark for martial-arts and action films as we know them today. Shaw Brothers martial-arts films have reinvented and imprinted their DNA on world-famous filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and John Woo -- changing the way action looks on screen. The studio's influence on the genre can be seen in modern day blockbusters including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, The Matrix, Kill Bill Volumes 1&2 and Kung Fu Hustle.

Over the years, the studio was home to the finest martial-arts directors, such as Chang Cheh, Liu Chia-liang, Chu Yuan and King Hu, and nurtured the careers of many action film stars such as Jet Li, Chow Yun-fat, Ti Lung, David Chiang, Alexander Fu Sheng, Gordon Liu Chia-hui, Derek Yee and Chen Kuan-tai.