Set years after Part I. Ling Choi-san is wrongly imprisoned for anti-government activities during a rebellion led by a demonic false monk, Lord Fu (Ku Feng). He escapes and meets a doppelgänger of Xiaoqian – a human rebel fighter named Ching Fung (also played by Joey Wong). A powerful demon named the Centipede King (Waise Lee) possesses the royal court. Ling, together with a new wise-cracking Daoist swordsman Chi Chau (Jacky Cheung), his swordmaster sister Yuet Chi (Michelle Reis), and the ghost of Yen Chek-hsia (returning as a spirit), must defeat the demon and restore order.
Sinnui yauman (倩女幽魂) Release Date: July 18, 1987 Runtime: 98 minutes (original Hong Kong cut)
The hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, featuring James Wong's iconic theme songs, became instant classics in Mandopop and Cantopop history.
While filmmaker Li Han-hsiang first adapted the story for Shaw Brothers in 1960, it was producer Tsui Hark and director Ching Siu-tung who revolutionized the material in 1987. They injected the classical story with kinetic action, contemporary pacing, and a poignant romantic core that resonated deeply with modern audiences facing the anxieties of late-20th-century Hong Kong. Part I: A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) – The Masterpiece
Leslie Cheung’s portrayal of the vulnerable, steadfast hero cemented his status as a cinematic icon. Joey Wong’s dual performances across the three films defined the ghostly beauty archetype in Asian cinema.
Part II: A Chinese Ghost Story II (1990) – The Political Metaphor
The film's influence extended beyond its story. A Chinese Ghost Story was one of the first and most successful films of a then-burgeoning period genre that came to be known as FantAsia . Often described as the Chinese answer to Western sword-and-sorcery films, FantAsia is characterized by superhuman kung fu (with extensive wirework and flying characters), magic spells, and supernatural beasts. While director Ching Siu-tung helmed the trilogy, it was producer Tsui Hark who was the undisputed father of the genre. He had spearheaded FantAsia with his film Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain years earlier and continued to define it with later classics like Once Upon a Time in China and Green Snake . The visual style and energetic pacing of the A Chinese Ghost Story films set the gold standard for a generation of Hong Kong fantasy epics.
This trilogy completely redefined how ghosts were depicted in Asian cinema—moving away from pale, terrifying ghouls to elegant, flowing entities wrapped in silk dresses.
Released only one year after Part II, is technically a sequel but functions more as a parallel story. Set 100 years after the first film, we meet a new protagonist: Shi Fang (Tony Leung Chiu-wai!), a young Buddhist monk transporting a golden Buddha relic. He stops at the infamous Lan Ro Temple, which has returned to its haunted state.
Fong learns to use his spiritual powers. With the help of a greedy mercenary (also named Yan), he rescues his master and Lotus. They defeat the Tree Demon once more, and Lotus’s spirit is finally freed from her earthly bonds. 🎥 Key Themes of the Trilogy
A gentle, debt-ridden tax collector, Ning Caichen (Leslie Cheung), takes shelter overnight at the eerie Lan Ruo Temple. There he meets the ethereally beautiful Nie Xiaoqian (Joey Wong), a ghost enslaved by a hideous Tree Demon to seduce and kill men. Ning falls in love with her and, with the help of the eccentric swordsman Yin Chik-ha (Wu Ma), attempts to free her soul and defeat the demon.
The franchise sparked a massive wave of "ghostly romance" films across Asian cinema throughout the 1990s. Its influence can still be felt today in modern mainland Chinese fantasy blockbusters, video games, and animated adaptations that continue to borrow the visual shorthand established by Ching Siu-tung over three decades ago.
Set years after Part I. Ling Choi-san is wrongly imprisoned for anti-government activities during a rebellion led by a demonic false monk, Lord Fu (Ku Feng). He escapes and meets a doppelgänger of Xiaoqian – a human rebel fighter named Ching Fung (also played by Joey Wong). A powerful demon named the Centipede King (Waise Lee) possesses the royal court. Ling, together with a new wise-cracking Daoist swordsman Chi Chau (Jacky Cheung), his swordmaster sister Yuet Chi (Michelle Reis), and the ghost of Yen Chek-hsia (returning as a spirit), must defeat the demon and restore order.
Sinnui yauman (倩女幽魂) Release Date: July 18, 1987 Runtime: 98 minutes (original Hong Kong cut)
The hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, featuring James Wong's iconic theme songs, became instant classics in Mandopop and Cantopop history.
While filmmaker Li Han-hsiang first adapted the story for Shaw Brothers in 1960, it was producer Tsui Hark and director Ching Siu-tung who revolutionized the material in 1987. They injected the classical story with kinetic action, contemporary pacing, and a poignant romantic core that resonated deeply with modern audiences facing the anxieties of late-20th-century Hong Kong. Part I: A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) – The Masterpiece a chinese ghost story i ii iii 198719901991 full
Leslie Cheung’s portrayal of the vulnerable, steadfast hero cemented his status as a cinematic icon. Joey Wong’s dual performances across the three films defined the ghostly beauty archetype in Asian cinema.
Part II: A Chinese Ghost Story II (1990) – The Political Metaphor
The film's influence extended beyond its story. A Chinese Ghost Story was one of the first and most successful films of a then-burgeoning period genre that came to be known as FantAsia . Often described as the Chinese answer to Western sword-and-sorcery films, FantAsia is characterized by superhuman kung fu (with extensive wirework and flying characters), magic spells, and supernatural beasts. While director Ching Siu-tung helmed the trilogy, it was producer Tsui Hark who was the undisputed father of the genre. He had spearheaded FantAsia with his film Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain years earlier and continued to define it with later classics like Once Upon a Time in China and Green Snake . The visual style and energetic pacing of the A Chinese Ghost Story films set the gold standard for a generation of Hong Kong fantasy epics. Set years after Part I
This trilogy completely redefined how ghosts were depicted in Asian cinema—moving away from pale, terrifying ghouls to elegant, flowing entities wrapped in silk dresses.
Released only one year after Part II, is technically a sequel but functions more as a parallel story. Set 100 years after the first film, we meet a new protagonist: Shi Fang (Tony Leung Chiu-wai!), a young Buddhist monk transporting a golden Buddha relic. He stops at the infamous Lan Ro Temple, which has returned to its haunted state.
Fong learns to use his spiritual powers. With the help of a greedy mercenary (also named Yan), he rescues his master and Lotus. They defeat the Tree Demon once more, and Lotus’s spirit is finally freed from her earthly bonds. 🎥 Key Themes of the Trilogy A powerful demon named the Centipede King (Waise
A gentle, debt-ridden tax collector, Ning Caichen (Leslie Cheung), takes shelter overnight at the eerie Lan Ruo Temple. There he meets the ethereally beautiful Nie Xiaoqian (Joey Wong), a ghost enslaved by a hideous Tree Demon to seduce and kill men. Ning falls in love with her and, with the help of the eccentric swordsman Yin Chik-ha (Wu Ma), attempts to free her soul and defeat the demon.
The franchise sparked a massive wave of "ghostly romance" films across Asian cinema throughout the 1990s. Its influence can still be felt today in modern mainland Chinese fantasy blockbusters, video games, and animated adaptations that continue to borrow the visual shorthand established by Ching Siu-tung over three decades ago.