Plot summary

The story begins in presumably early 20th century China at a crowded train station, with Wong Fei Hung (Jackie Chan), his father Dr. Wong Kei Ying (Ti Lung), and the family servant Tso (Cheung Chi-Gwong), waiting in line. Wong Fei Hung is angry about having to pay a duty on the ginseng that Kei Ying is bringing back for a client. Disobeying his father, Fei Hung hides the ginseng in the suitcase of an employee of the British consul to avoid the tax.When the train makes a stop, Fei Hung and Tso create a diversion to sneak into the first-class section (filled with members of the British Consulate and the British Ambassador) to retrieve the ginseng. However, when Fei Hung gets to the first-class luggage, he spots a Manchurian officer (Lau Kar-Leung) apparently stealing an unknown item that is in a similar package as the ginseng. Fei Hung confronts him but the officer hits Fei Hung. However, Fei Hung retrieves the ginseng, and pursues the officer in revenge for hitting him. A long fight between them ensues under the train, with the officer gaining the upper hand. He warns Fei Hung that he would kill him and calls him a "henchman." Puzzled, Wong Fei Hung tells the officer that he is not a "henchman," and challenges him to a friendly hand-to-hand Kung Fu fight. Fei Hung uses his Zui Quan (Drunken Boxing) style of martial arts on him, but it proves to be ineffective. After the fight, the officer tells Fei-Hung that his drunken boxing has no power and can't kill. When Fei Hung returns to the train, the Manchurian officer opens the box he stole from the train, only to realize that it is actually the ginseng.Meanwhile, on the train, guards of the British Consulate search for a stolen item and they ask the Wongs to show them their items. Fei Hung discovers that he accidentally stole a valuable Chinese antique, instead of the ginseng. But before the officers discover it, a sympathetic son of a Northeast Chinese general (Andy Lau) uses his influence to intervene (in both English dubbed versions, the man is actually a counter-intelligence officer). In a later scene at the British consulate, the British ambassador (Louis Roth), who is apparently involved in a corrupt operation to smuggle ancient Chinese artifacts and sell them to the London Museum of Arts, tells his henchman that they won't buy the collection of antiques without the missing Emperor's Jade Seal (the artifact now accidentally in Fei Hung's possession). Then he sends his henchman, John and Henry (Ken Lo and Ho Sung Pak) to make the workers at a local steel factory work overtime. When the workers refuse, Henry viciously beats them with his martial arts skills, and forces them to get back to work.When the Wongs return home from their train ride, trouble brews for Fei Hung when his father's client, Mr. Chan, comes to retrieve it. Fei Hung takes the root of his father's prized ancient bonsai tree, discreetly gives it to Mr. Chan and tells him that it is the ginseng. The next day, Fei Hung goes to the market to buy some fish from Fishmonger Tsang (Felix Wong) and snakes from Fun (Hoh Wing Fong). Fun asks Fei-Hung to teach her drunken boxing. Tsang is jealous because he's interested in Fun and wanted to teach her his style of Kung Fu, Tsai Li Fu. He challenges Fei-Hung to a fight, with Fei-Hung using drunken boxing and Tang using his Tsai Li Fu. Fei Hung clearly wins, and Tsang respects him.Knowing that the bonsai tree root could be deadly for Mr. Chan if he decides to brew it, Fei-Hung's stepmom, Ling (Anita Mui) decides to temporarily loan her necklace to one of her friends in exchange for some money to buy ginseng. This leads some of Master Wong's friends to believe that the Wongs needs money, and they offer him a collection, which a confused Master Wong declines. Meanwhile, Fei Hung and Ling do not realize that Henry and his men are following them. Assuming that what Ling and Fei Hung are carrying is the stolen artifact (although it's actually Ling's necklace), they attempt to steal the bag, but Fei Hung retrieves it.Then Henry and his henchmen start a fight with Fei Hung and Ling. During the fight, Ling encourages Fei Hung to use drunken boxing against them to impress the crowd but and gain publicity for the Wongs' school, Po Chi Lam. She and her friends take a bunch of alcohol from a country club and give it to Fei Hung, therefore giving him the speed and power, he needs to do drunken boxing properly, and then he impressively defeats Henry and his henchmen.However, Master Wong Kei Ying arrives as the fight ends, and Fei Hung's drunken behavior embarrasses the family. Master Wong takes his son and wife home and lectures them, saying they are destroying his reputation by fighting and drinking in public, and for making others believe that they are broke. He beats Fei Hung for fighting and using drunken boxing (which Master Wong forbids). To make matters worse, Mr. Chan's wife comes by to tell Wong Kei Ying that her husband is very sick from the bonsai tree root, which is poisonous if consumed. An infuriated Master Wong beats Fei Hung even more and disowns him, kicking him out of the house.Fei Hung goes to a restaurant and drinks heavily in sorrow. John arrives with a beaten Henry and the rest of the henchman from earlier to confront him. Fei Hung is now clearly too drunk to fight, and John beats him. Fishmonger Tsang arrives and tries to intervene but is unable to when the vat of hot liquid he was carrying spills on him.The next morning, Fei Hung and Tsang are found knocked out beaten, with Fei Hung stripped with a banner hanging from him that says, "King of Drunken Boxing." Master Wong brings Fei Hung back into the home and explains that the reason why he forbids drunken boxing is because it is difficult for drunken boxers to find the right balance of alcohol consumption. The following night, the Manchurian officer from the train arrives at the Wong's residence to speak to Fei Hung.Master Wong recognizes him as Master Fu Wen-Chi, the "last decorated Manchu officer." The next day at a restaurant, Master Fu explains to Fei Hung that the artifact that ended up in his possession (and what he meant to steal from the train) was the Emperor's Jade seal. He tells him about the theft of precious ancient Chinese artifacts by foreigners and asks him to join him in stopping it. Moments later, an enormous gang of ax-wielding thugs (known as the Ax Gang), apparently paid for by the British Consulate, try to kill them. After a long fight, Fei Hung and Master Fu make an escape, and Fishmonger Tsang, Fun, and Marlon (Lau Ga-Yeung), Tsang's student, join the fight. But a British consulate guard fatally shoots Master Fu when he runs down an alley, and they take back the Jade seal. Fu Wen Chi pleads with them to get it back before he dies.The following night, both Tsang and Fei Hung break into the consulate disguised as consulate guards to retrieve the Jade seal but are both eventually caught. They are jailed, beaten, and held for ransom by the British Ambassador, who demands that Wong Kei Ying sells the land where Po Chi Lam and Fishmonger Tsang's schools are. Master Wong reluctantly agrees to do so, and the Consulate releases Fei Hung and Tsang. Then the ambassador orders the steel mill to be closed down and for all of the steel shipments to be sent to Hong Kong. Angry, steelworkers Fo Sang (Chin Kar-Lok) and a man named Uncle Hing (Hon Yee Sang) break into the steel mill later that night to find out what the British are up to, and they discover the steel shipment boxes are filled with ancient Chinese artifacts. However, they are caught, and they fight the consulate's henchman. Fo Sang escapes and informs Fei-Hung and Ling about what is happening.Later, Fei Hung, Tsang, Fun, and Marlon arrive at the factory where the workers are staging a protest that becomes violent against the Consulate's abuses. Once inside the factory, Fei Hung takes on all of the henchmen until only Henry and John are left. Fei Hung easily fights off Henry but John proves to be a tough opponent due to his strong, fast, and flexible kicks. When John and Henry gain the upper hand and are about to finish him off, Fei Hung uses the industrial alcohol in the steel mill to light Henry on fire, and then drinks it. Disposing of Henry, Fei Hung then drinks enough industrial alcohol and beats John in a wild fight scene with his drunken boxing.Later, the Wongs are rewarded by a Chinese general for their help in stopping the British Consulate's crimes.