Maps of Movies
The Big Boss (1971)
Where The Big Boss says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
Set in Pak Chong, Thailand — with the opening pier and family house near Bangkok, the boss's mansion a real Buddhist temple, and a few fight inserts shot later in Hong Kong
View on the map
Scenes and places
Stepping off the ferry (1971)
Cheng arrives from China with his uncle and walks into a crowded, unfamiliar pier. He is here to work and keep his head down.
Set in River pier, arrival (place not named in the plot) — Cheng and his uncle step off a ferry and walk through a busy pier at the start of the trip to Thailand.
A working stretch of the Chao Phraya river south of Bangkok.
Filmed at Chao Phraya River pier, Phra Pradaeng District — The opening ferry-and-pier scene was filmed on the Chao Phraya River in Phra Pradaeng; the exact pier is not named (the point is the district's centre). Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The cousins' house (1971)
Cheng settles in with his cousins and wears a jade amulet to remind him of his oath never to fight. A street brawl nearby tests it at once.
Set in The family home, Pak Chong — Cheng moves in with his cousins in Pak Chong; the town is shown here by its district centre. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A traditional timber house on the quieter east side of Phra Pradaeng.
Filmed at Old teak house, east Phra Pradaeng — An old teak house on the east side of Phra Pradaeng District was the family home; the exact house is not named. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The ice factory (1971)
Cheng starts work at the ice factory, where a broken block drops a bag of white powder. Two cousins are summoned to see the manager.
Set in Wanli Ice Factory, Pak Chong — The ice factory is the heart of the story; it is shown here by Pak Chong's district centre. Google Maps · Apple Maps
A working ice house in the town of Pak Chong.
The foreman's dinner (1971)
Cheng is promoted and invited to dinner to meet the boss, who never turns up. He drinks too much and forgets what he promised his family.
Set in Dinner party (place not named in the plot) — The manager hosts a dinner; women arrive at the table and pour cognac for Cheng.
An upstairs room of a Chinese restaurant in Bangkok.
The night at the brothel (1971)
Cheng wakes with a hangover and meets Chow Mei as he leaves, which embarrasses him. His family reads his silence as betrayal.
Set in The brothel, Pak Chong — Cheng spends the night with Sun Wu Man and leaves in the morning, to be seen by Chow Mei. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Two different Pak Chong buildings were combined into one brothel on screen.
Mourning by the river (1971)
After a night that takes almost everything from him, Cheng stands by a river and vows to pay for it, whatever it costs.
Set in A river (place not named in the plot) — Cheng mourns by a river and vows revenge.
A tributary of the Mun River in Pak Chong.
Filmed at Lam Ta Khong river, Pak Chong — Named as a Pak Chong filming location; the exact riverbank is not given (the point is the river's representative point). Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
The Big Boss's mansion (1971)
Cheng storms the mansion of the man behind the drug ring, Hsiao Mi, to settle things. Hsiao Mi's men and dogs stand in his way.
Set in Hsiao Mi's mansion and gardens — Cheng storms the mansion of the drug ring's boss.
A real temple in Pak Chong, with extra inserts later shot in Hong Kong.
Filmed at Wat Siri Samphan, Pak Chong — The mansion and gardens were a Buddhist temple built in 1963 on the main road, largely unchanged today. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Filmed at Hong Kong Golf Club (then Royal Hong Kong Golf Club), Fanling — Inserts for the fight with the boss (avoiding the dogs, the leg-grappling) were shot here, back in Hong Kong; the exact spot on the course is not given (the point is the club). Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there:
Characters
- Cheng Chao-an — A mainland Chinese man who moves to Pak Chong to work at an ice factory and has sworn to his mother never to fight.
- Chow Mei — Cheng's cousin, who stands up for him when the others turn on him.
- Hsiao Mi (the Big Boss) — Owner of the ice factory, which is a front for his drug-trafficking operation.
Questions answered on the map
- Where is the Big Boss's mansion in The Big Boss, really?
- Where was the opening ferry-pier scene of The Big Boss filmed?