A Chinese Ghost Story

A Chinese Ghost Story (

Most notably^[according to whom?] it boosted the stardom of Joey Wong, won Leslie Cheung popularity in Japan,^{[citation needed]} and sparked a trend of folklore ghost films in the Hong Kong film industry,^{[citation needed]} including two sequels, an animated film, a television series and a 2011 remake. The film was ranked number 50 of the Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures presented at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards, the Special Jury Special Award of the 16th French Science Fiction Film Festival and the Best Film Award of the Portuguese Science Fiction Film Festival.

Plot

Ning Choi-san, a timid debt collector, goes to a rural town to collect taxes but fails and runs out of money.

Nip tells Ning her story of how she became eternally bound to the servitude of a sinister Tree Demoness. She explains that as long as her remains are buried at the foot of the tree, her spirit will be forever enslaved by the Tree Demoness. Ning attempts to free her from her suffering, so he seeks help from Yin Chik-ha. Yin fights with the Tree Demoness and attempts to free Nip's soul but fails. As punishment for betraying her master, Nip's soul is banished to the Underworld.

Ning is unwilling to give up on Nip and he insists that Yin help him. Yin reluctantly opens a temporary portal into the Underworld and brings Ning along to search for Nip. As the Underworld is full of spirits, they have a hard time finding her. Ning and Nip are eventually able to see each other briefly near dawn when they manage to leave the Underworld. When sunlight shines on the urn containing Nip's cremated remains, Ning uses a curtain to shield the urn to prevent Nip's soul from being destroyed by exposure to sunlight. Before leaving for good, she tells him that the only way to save her soul is to rebury her remains at a more auspicious burial site. Ning follows her instructions and, acting on Yin's advice, he buries her remains near the crest of a hill. He burns a

Ning and Yin are then seen riding off seeking a new adventure, with rainbow visible in the sky above them.

Cast

• Leslie Cheung as Ning Choi-san
• Nip Siu-sin
• Wu Ma as Yin Chik-ha
• Lau Siu-ming as the Tree Demoness
• Lam Wai as Hsia-hou
• Xue Zhilun as Siu-ching
• Wong Jing as the magistrate
• David Wu as Secretary Chiu

Production

Producer

A Chinese Ghost Story opened on July 18, 1987.[1] The film received theatrical release throughout Asia and Europe.^[12] The film also received international recognition when it won the special Jury Prize at the Avoriaz festival in France and the Best Film Award at the Opporto Festival in Portugal in 1987.^[7]

Box office

A Chinese Ghost Story performed well at the Hong Kong box office, earning HK$18,831,638 (US$2,414,932) and becoming 1987's fifteenth highest-grossing film in Hong Kong.^[7][13] In Taiwan, it was the 11th highest-grossing film of 1987, selling 187,654 tickets and earning NT$12,684,540^[14] (US$443,515).^[15] In South Korea, the film sold 31,639 tickets in Seoul upon release in December 1987,^[16] equivalent to an estimated ₩110,736,500^[17] (US$134,623).^[18]

In the United Kingdom, the film sold 1,045 tickets in 1996,^[19] equivalent to an estimated £3,867^[20] (US$6,042).^[21] In China, the film grossed US$328,204 in 2008^[22] and CN¥2.95 million (US$456,553) in 2011,^[23] for a total of US$784,860 grossed in China. This adds up to an estimated total of US$3,783,972 grossed worldwide (equivalent to an estimated US$10 million adjusted for inflation).

2011 re-release and remake

In memory of the late Leslie Cheung, director Ching Siu-tung and producer Ng See-yuen re-released the film in cinemas across mainland China on 30 April 2011.^[24] China Radio International reported that the film was remastered with color timing that took about half a year.^[25] In addition, premieres took place in both Beijing and Shanghai. Ching Siu-tung, Ng See-yuen and Lau Siu-ming were present. However, Wu Ma and Joey Wong, who were invited, did not attend the premiere. Ching Siu-tung had difficulty tracking down Joey Wong and had to contact her through her family in Taiwan. He received a telephone call at the last minute from Wong's father, stating that the actress was in poor health and not in good condition to attend the premiere. Wong's father also quoted her daughter saying that acting in the film were her best memories.^[24] That same year, a a new adaptation of the short story was released. It starred Louis Koo and Crystal Liu and was directed by Wilson Yip.^[26]

Reception and legacy

From contemporary reviews, Walter Goodman (

In mainland China, before the film was officially released in 2011, it was already widely circulated through unofficial channels- including smuggled videocassettes, pirated VCDs and DVDs, and later, video-sharing websites- and celebrated as a cult classic. The Chinese generation born in the 1980s, aka. the "post-80s" (balinghou), are among the most devout fans of this film, which they see as an embodiment of idealism, rebellion, nostalgia, and social criticism. Some scholars consider its comic nature, or "half-seriousness," to be the main reason for this cult following.[32]

The modern reception of the film in Hong Kong and Taiwan is positive.

• Qian Nü You Hun
• List of ghost films

References

Footnotes