He received a prize at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival and was named as one of the five outstanding directors in international cinema by the International Film Guide in 1978. The fight scenes in his well-known works, "A Touch of Zen", and "Dragon's Gate Inn," display the director's eye for artistic detail and his sense of rhythm.
他對中國歷史與古文學涉獵很廣，擅長拍古裝片。導戲時，對劇中人物服裝、道具、佈景的考據，極肯下工夫，自也所費不貲，並向來以「慢工出細活」著稱。