In January, in a New Year's address to Sinopec employees, Mr. Fu signaled that he expected foreign deal-making to continue.

WSJ: China Foothold in U.S. Energy

He should have produced more kung fu magazines and more memorabilia, and he should have written a second book on the heels of the first.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Born in San Francisco to globe-trotting parents, he became a child actor in Hong Kong, where he learned kung fu and became a dance champion.

WSJ: Hollywood's New Kick: Why Everybody Is Kung Fu Fighting

He has worked with Wing Chun kung fu trainer Eric Oram since 2003.

WSJ: Hollywood's New Kick: Why Everybody Is Kung Fu Fighting

Liu's compatriot Ding Junhui also received a tough draw as he will face Hong Kong's Marco Fu.

BBC: Champion Higgins to face Stevens

He feared that chains used as whips in Kung Fu films could be copied by children.

ECONOMIST: James Ferman

Later, he bought the rights to Hong Kong Kung-Fu movies and sold them in Indonesia and markets farther in the South Pacific.

WSJ: Western Splendor in Hong Kong

He and a friend were penning a hack biography of kung fu star Bruce Lee.

FORBES: Magazine Article

He became a master at wing-chun, the kung fu style best used for close-quarter fighting.

BBC: Bruce Lee: The kung-fu legend

Aliens and he played Mantis, one the Furious Five, in Kung Fu Panda.

FORBES: Animation Near Misses

In Britain for the G20 summit in early April, he was caught on camera squirming in embarrassment at being seated next to Fu Ying, China's sophisticated ambassador to Britain (and, before that, Australia).

ECONOMIST: Banyan

He fights the bad guys by flying through the air and engaging them in a rhythmic version of kung fu that has the clickety-clack excitement of tap dancing.

NEWYORKER: The Matrix