Martial arts films like Ip Man 3 (right) are expected to taste success at the box office though the genre has seen a slowdown in recent years.[Photo provided to China Daily]

That's no surprise considering the two directors' profiles. Despite different backgrounds, both directors are martial arts practitioners and favor vivid presentations of Chinese kung fu on the big screen.

Xu, an emerging representative of the Chinese mainland's martial arts movies, is known for his in-depth study of China's dying martial arts schools.

The director-writer learned combat skills from his grandfather and an apprentice of Guangdong Wing Chun master Ip Man, or Yip Man.

An ardent supporter of real fights on screen, Xu tailors harsh training programs for his actors, including title-role actor Liao Fan in his 2015 hit The Master.

Hung, who received kung fu training from childhood, is an iconic actor and action director, who has rolled with the ups and downs of Hong Kong's action movies. The 67-year-old veteran is among the top action choreographers in Hong Kong.

Xu and Hung met at a recent forum at the Communications University of China on the evolution and future of Chinese-language action movies.