By Jason Johnson

WHY the Hong Kong movie industry decided to more or less abandon the martial arts genre is anyone's guess.

Wilful stupidity would seem the only reasonable explanation. But never mind.

If there's no one there ready or willing to be the next Bruce Lee, there is at least one Thai ready to take on the mantle of Global Martial Arts Icon. She's 25 years old. She's 1.57m tall. And her name is Jija Yanin.

Like Tony Jaa, another Thai martial artist who is earning a loyal worldwide fanbase with his death-defying feats of athletic prowess, Jija is a throwback to the glory days of Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

Indeed, when asked in our e-mail interview who her martial arts heroes were, those two names came up.

You'll notice she didn't say Daniel Wu and Stephen Fung. Why in heck would she?

In her new film, Raging Phoenix, which opens in cinemas tomorrow, you can in fact see the direct influence of Jackie's early films, particularly in the first act, where Jija learns to master a new fighting form called Drunken Muay Thai.

SHE CAN FIGHT: Thai martial artist Jijia Yanin stars in the new film Raging Phoenix.

She explained to The New Paper: "Drunken Muay Thai in Raging Phoenix is a combination of Drunken Chinese boxing (mostly from Jackie's film Drunken Master) and muay thai.

"We try to adapt and to mix both of them based on the main muay thai characteristics, such as fists, elbows, knees and feet, in order to keep the uniqueness of muay thai."

Another way in which Raging Phoenix resembles the films of Jija's heroes is that it all looks so unbelievably dangerous.

Her stuff seems almost more dangerous than Jackie's, for the simple reason that she isn't, like Jackie, a big-nosed, shaggy-haired, muscled-up beast.

She's petite. She's pretty. You worry for her. Like when she fell from a two-storey-high wall during filming.

She said: "I hit my head on the floor, and the production team had to stop shooting that day. They took me to do a CT scan and an X-ray at the hospital."

Second film

Having already gained the world's attention with last year's Chocolate, in which she played an autistic debt collector with supreme martial arts skills, Jija will surely secure her reputation with Raging Phoenix.

Starring as a girl who goes out for revenge against a white slavery ring with the help of a few oddball mentors, she steps up her game here, looking both more beautiful and more skilful than she did in her debut feature film.

Jija credits her co-star, the gifted martial arts stuntman Kazu, for helping her.

"Kazu taught some tricks and other skills to me. For example, I'm not very good with 'jump twist' martial arts moves. Kazu would teach me step by step. When I did it again, it felt easier."

Part of Jija's great appeal is that she does things that she doesn't look physically capable of doing - like jump twists, for example.

She just stands there like a normal young woman, and then all of a sudden she's 2m in the air, limbs pointing in every direction, taking down men twice her size.

It's not magic, though it may look like magic. According to Jija, it's just hard work.

"An action actor must have discipline, and I have to practise a lot," she said.

"Sometimes, I feel like a sportsman, not an actress. I have a timetable to practise action skills every day because I have to ensure that my muscles and my figure are 100 per cent complete."

Of course, being a girl, she also has concerns above and beyond just being physically amazing - concerns that one presumes Jackie and Jet never had.

"The most important thing for an actress is being beautiful," she said. "I have to take care of my face, hair and skin. It's very difficult for me."

Given her fresh-faced, natural good looks, one imagines it isn't all that difficult for Jija to always look awesome, but let's allow her her humility. It's cute.

Having been inspired by past heroes, Jija doesn't rule out anything in her own bright future. She's even considering taking on roles in romantic comedies.

"I can't say about the future because everything can change at any time. All I know is that I'll do my best today, and every day from now on."

jjohnson@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The New Paper.