Donnie Yen has received a Doctor of Humanities from Lingnan University in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong action star-director was given the award at the institute’s Honorary Doctorate Conferment Ceremony on Monday (Jan 26) alongside five others.
In the citation written about him, Donnie is described as a “legendary figure”, whose contributions to martial arts, cinema and Chinese culture have “left an indelible mark”.
Besides his work as an actor, the citation also talked about his Ip Man movies being a “cultural phenomenon”, his action choreography for Hollywood movies and his dedication to humanitarian causes.
The 62-year-old took to Instagram on Jan 27 to share photos taken from the ceremony. His wife Cissy Wang, 44, and daughter Jasmine, who turned 22 last week, were seen in attendance.
In the caption of the post, he wrote: “My classroom was never [within] four walls — it was built scene by scene. Every role, a lesson. To be honored with a Doctor of Humanities by Lingnan University is a powerful validation – storytelling is artistic scholarship in its purest form.”
He added he was “deeply honoured” to stand with five other “remarkable” recipients: “My heartfelt gratitude to my family, friends and loved ones — to those who celebrated with me in person and to all who sent their love and beautiful flowers from afar. This moment is yours, too.”
Donnie is best known for his role as Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the titular film series, which started in 2008 and made him a household name.
He is well versed in mixed martial arts, with his other notable films being Hero (2002), The Monkey King (2014) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016).
He made his Hollywood debut in 2002 with the movie Blade II, and went on to star in more, such as Star Wars’ Rogue One (2016), Mulan (2020) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).
His latest work is the 2024 action-thriller film The Prosecutor, which he also directed and co-produced.
Donnie was in Singapore in December last year for the inaugural Golden Singa Awards.
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