Iron & Silk is a 1990 movie based on the eponymous book

Iron & Silk

Iron and Silk is a 1986 autobiographical novel written by Mark Salzman. It was later made into a film of the same name. -Plot summary:...

 by American writer Mark Salzman

Mark Salzman

Mark Joseph Salzman is an American writer. Salzman is best known for his 1986 memoir Iron & Silk, which describes his experiences living in China as an English teacher in the early 1980s....

. It details his journey to China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 after college to study Chinese wu shu

Chinese martial arts

Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...

, better known in the west as kung fu, and to teach English. Though not trained as an actor, Salzman starred as himself, as did Pan Qingfu

Pan Qingfu

Pan Qingfu , also known as Grandmaster Pan, is a Chinese martial artist. Currently living in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, Grandmaster Pan's awards include a Hall of Fame award from the United International Kung Fu Federation, a Hall of Fame Award from the World Christian Martial Arts Federation, the...

, who claimed no one else could portray him on film. Salzman's experiences occurred in Changsha, Hunan

Hunan

' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...

, though the film was shot in Hangzhou

Hangzhou

Hangzhou , formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division or prefecture had a registered population of 8.7 million people...

, Zhejiang

Zhejiang

Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...

. The film was directed by Shirley Sun, and was the editorial debut for Geraldine Peroni

Geraldine Peroni

Geraldine Peroni was an American film editor who was best known for working with Robert Altman.-Life and career:...

.