History Film / KingOfBeggars

* DisproportionateRetribution: (To non-Eastern viewers)[[spoiler: Cheated in an exam? You get a death sentence! But, if you are a high-ranking government official, your property shall be confiscated and you will become a beggar for a ''lifetime'', which is still this. Subverted in that So's crime was not so much cheating in an exam, but cheating ''the Emperor''.]]

* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler: Cheated in an exam? You get a death sentence! But, if you are a high-ranking government official, your property shall be confiscated and you will become a beggar for a ''lifetime'', which is still this.]]

* SimpleStaff: The Dog Beating Staff, the Beggars' Sect most treasured possession.

* DemonicPossession: The spirit of Hong Qigong, the previous leader of the Beggars' Sect, possesses So as he vies for leadership of the organization. [[spoiler:Averted as So is faking the possession to fool the Beggar's Sect into believing Hong is choosing him to be their leader ''after'' he broke the Dog-Beating Stick]].

The spoiled son of the wealthy General So (Ng Man Tat) in the province of Canton (present day Guangzhou), So Chan excels in martial arts, but is incredibly lazy and cannot read or write. After visiting a brothel and falling for a courtesan named Yu Shang (Sharla Cheung), she agrees to marry him only if he wins the title of martial arts champion. To that end, So becomes eager to win her hand and cheats his way through the written examination for the imperial martial arts tournament, and wins the physical tests. Although he emerges as champion, before the Emperor can award him the title, government official Chiu Mo Kei (veteran {{Wuxia}} actor Norman Chu aka Norman Tsui) reveals So's deception on the written tests. The insulted Emperor declares So Chan's family possessions and property seized, and banishes father and son to a lifetime of being beggars.

So's life turns utterly miserable: not only does Chiu break his legs, preventing him from ever using martial arts again, but he discovers Yu Shang and her family are one of the leaders of the "Beggars' Sect", and is ashamed about his earlier actions towards her and resolves to sleep away his problems. When the Beggars' Sect uncover a ploy about Chiu planning a rebellion and assassination on the Emperor's life, Yu goes to investigate but is kidnapped by Chiu and his subordinates. So must shakes off his burdens and rescue Yu, but cannot do it alone unless the rest of the Beggars' Sect is behind him. To that end, he must gain the organization's trust by becoming their leader and earn the titular title "King of Beggars".

* DeadlyGas: [[spoiler: Mo Kei utilises poisonous gas to shred apart the Emperor's army, but fortunately the wind manages to blow the gas into another direction, and the Beggar's Sect responded to the incoming gas by urinating to neutralize the gas]]

* TookALevelInBadass: So Chan [[spoiler: learns the Sleeping Arhat Palm from what is implied to be the spirit of one of the past Beggar Sect leader and later learns the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm, which turned him into a OneManArmy.]]

* AlmightyJanitor: So Chan became an Imperial Beggar at the end, which is a beggar sanctioned by the palace to...well, beg, with a very nice golden bowl...which you cannot say no to...

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Yu Sheng after she was captured by Mo Kei.

* CripplingTheCompetition: Chiu breaks So's legs, preventing him from ever using martial arts again.
* DeadlyGas: [[spoiler: Mo Kei utilises poisonous gas to shred apart the Emperor's army, but fortunately the wind manages to blow the gas into another direction, and the Beggar's Sect responded by urinating]]

* HeroicBSOD: So Chan after he becomes a beggar and got his limbs broken by Mo Kei.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: While the Emperor has his flaws, he is not above recognizing his mistakes and offered to reward So Chan a position in office for his heroism.

* BroughtDownToNormal: So Chan after Mo Kei broke his limbs, preventing him from doing martial arts.

* MoodWhiplash: So declared his love to Yu Sheng ''right in the middle of the latter's plot [[spoiler: to assasinate Mo Kei..]]''

* ShoutOut: The Beggar's Sect, the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and "Dog Beating Staff" are all elements from the same-named organization written by Chinese author Creator/JinYong for his novels ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' and ''Literature/HeavenSwordAndDragonSabre''. Hong Qigong is the same character from ''Literature/LegendOfTheCondorHeroes'' and ''Literature/TheReturnOfTheCondorHeroes''.

* BadAss: So Chan, Chiu Mo Kei. The former is able to crush a pearl with a single slap, and the latter is not the BigBad for nothing.
** BroughtDownToNormal: So Chan after Mo Kei broke his limbs, preventing him from doing martial arts.
** TookALevelInBadass: So Chan [[spoiler: learns the Sleeping Arhat Palm from what is implied to be the spirit of one of the past Beggar Sect leader and later learns the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm, which turned him into a OneManArmy.]]

A 1992 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film starring Creator/StephenChow, ''King of Beggars'' is loosely based on So Chan, a legendary martial artist who lived in [[DynastiesFromShangToQing the late Qing Dynasty]] and was a member of the "Ten Tigers of Canton".

* DemonicPossession: The spirit of Hong Qigong, the previous leader of the Beggars' Sect, possesses So as he vies for leadership of the organization. [[spoiler:Heavily averted as So is faking the possession to fool the Beggar's Sect into believing Hong is choosing him to be their leader ''after'' he broke the Dog-Beating Stick]].

* ShoutOut: The Beggar's Sect, the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and "Dog Beating Staff" are all elements from the same-named organization written by Chinese author JinYong for his novels ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' and ''Literature/HeavenSwordAndDragonSabre''. Hong Qigong is the same character from ''Literature/LegendOfTheCondorHeroes'' and ''Literature/TheReturnOfTheCondorHeroes''.

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So's life turns utterly miserable: not only does Chiu breaks his legs, preventing him from ever using martial arts again, but he discovers Yu Shang and her family are one of the leaders of the "Beggars' Sect", and is ashamed about his earlier actions towards her and resolves to sleep away his problems. When the Beggars' Sect uncover a ploy about Chiu planning a rebellion and assassination on the Emperor's life, Yu goes to investigate but is kidnapped by Chiu and his subordinates. So must shakes off his burdens and rescue Yu, but cannot do it alone unless the rest of the Beggars' Sect is behind him. To that end, he must gain the organization's trust by becoming their leader and earn the titular title "King of Beggars".

** TookALevelinBadass: So Chan [[spoiler: learns the Sleeping Arhat Palm from what is implied to be the spirit of one of the past Beggar Sect leader and later learns the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palm, which turned him into a OneManArmy.]]

!!''King of Beggars'' provides the follwing tropes:

* DemonicPossession: The spirit of Hong Qigong, the previous leader of the Beggars' Sect, possesses So as he vies for leadership of the organization. [[spoiler:Heavily averted as So is faking the possession to fool the Beggar's Sect into believing Hong is choosing him to be their leader]].
* HeroicBSOD: So Chan after he becomes a beggar

* SimpleStaff: The Dog Beating Staff, the Beggars' Sect most treasured possession

The spoiled son of the wealthy General So (Ng Man Tat) in the province of Canton (present day Guangzhou), So Chan excels in martial arts, but is incredibly lazy and cannot read or write. After visiting a brothel and falling for a courtesan named Yu Shang (Sharla Cheung), she agrees to marry him only if he wins the title of martial arts champion. To that end, So becomes eager to win her hand and cheats his way through the written examination for the imperial martial arts tournament, and wins the physical tests. Although he emerges as champion, before the Emperor can award him the title, government official Chiu Mo Kei (Norman Tsui) reveals So's deception on the written tests. The insulted Emperor declares So Chan's family possessions and property seized, and banishes father and son to a lifetime of being beggars.