The Story of Nie Xiaoqian: A Chinese Folktale Adapted on Screen

When he arrived at the dilapidated Lanruo Temple, a place rumored to be haunted, Ning Caichen was ecstatic. It was quiet. It was free. Perfect for studying. Caichen even found himself a friend, a burly swordsman named Master Yan. Over a bottle of strong wine, they spoke of their ambitions. “My wife is ill,” Caichen said. "That's why I'm attending the imperial exam. Passing it will grant her a better life." Master Yan laughed. "Good. The world needs more scholars like you." That night, while studying alone, Caichen was visited by an enchanting woman. "The night is cold," she whispered. "Why don't we... heat things up?" Ever the righteous man, Caichen pushes her away. Humiliated, the woman fled. The next morning, a fellow scholar in the temple was found dead, blood completely drained. "Demons..." Master Yan muttered. And Caichen connected the dots. When the moon rose again, the woman returned. Caichen moved to call for help, but... The woman collapsed in tears. "Help me... if you are as righteous as you seem." "My name is Nie Xiaoqian. I'm a ghost enslaved by the demon Old Dame." "She forces me to lure men to their deaths so she can feed on their blood." "Please. Find my ashes. Free me." At sunrise, Caichen and Master Yan located Xiaoqian's grave. Though the swordsman warned against it, Caichen believed no one, not even a ghost, was beyond salvation. Carrying her ashes, Caichen bid farewell to Master Yan. The swordsman pressed a small bag into his hands. “Take this. It will ward off evil when you need it most." After returning home with Caichen, Xiaoqian humbly devoted herself to his household, asking nothing in return. When Caichen’s wife passed, the two were married. For a time, life was peaceful. That was, until Xiaoqian's past caught up. One night, the air turned cold. The Old Dame had returned for her. Stood in front of Xiaoqian, Caichen tore open the bag. A sword burst forth in a flash, striking the demon down without mercy. But then, the sword turned to Xiaoqian... and hesitated. Having ward off the evil, it returned to the bag, sparing Xiaoqian. Years passed. Through her devotion, Xiaoqian atoned for her past. In time, she was granted her humanity once more and bore a child of her own. Welcome back to our series on Chinese folktales. What you’ve just heard is the story of Nie Xiaoqian, as written in the Qing dynasty anthology novel: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. Truth be told, it is not my favorite. In the original, Xiaoqian’s redemption is framed as going from seducing many men to becoming obedient to one. It all reflects the misogyny of late dynastic China. Perhaps that's why filmmakers have taken different paths. Across countless adaptations, they reshape her story, each one reinterpreting her redemption differently. Today, we are taking a look at two of them. Both are called "A Chinese Ghost Story". One overtook the text as the definitive story. The other is my personal favorite. Once again, let's sit around the campfire, and let me tell you a story. This is the tale of Nie Xiaoqian, A Chinese Ghost Story. [ Part One ] Our first adaptation today is A Chinese Ghost Story. This film needs no introduction, It’s beloved internationally and even more so among Chinese audiences. In fact, the title says everything about its cultural impact. Today, when referencing this folktale, we seldom call it by its original name; We call it "A Chinese Ghost Story". Built upon the romance plot of the 1960 version, producer Tsui Hark and director Ching Siu-tung made a series of crucial changes. This incarnation of Ning Caichen, played by beloved actor Leslie Cheung, is constantly pushed around for his honesty and timidity. The innkeeper refuses to pay the debt they owe him. The shop owner shoos him away for being poor. And the magistrate openly asks him for bribes. The rotten human world mirrors the demon world, and Caichen's ability to maintain his innocence is what draws Xiaoqian to him. But the highlight is Xiaoqian herself, played by Taiwanese actress Joey Wong. The film correctly asserts that Xiaoqian is the true protagonist, and reveals to us the life she lives. In this scene, Xiaoqian hides Caichen in her room, shielding him from the Old Dame and her minions. For failing to lure back a victim, she is brutally whipped. The performance is theatrical, but the depiction of abuse feels realistic. What makes it more disturbing is that after the whipping, the Old Dame turns around and praises her as the best seducer in the house. This brief yet realistic depiction of abuse is one of the reasons the scene became iconic. Of course, the real reason it was iconic is because... Yeah, 80s Hong Kong was really horny. The 1980s saw a seismic shift in the Hong Kong sex industry. Underground establishments controlled by the triads were rapidly outpaced by independent operations. As a result, sex work became more visible, but still deeply stigmatized. At the same time, attitudes toward sex were changing. In 1986, Hong Kong introduced its first secondary school sex education guidelines, marking a small crack in the taboos of sex discussion. Ever the provocateur, producer Tsui Hark told screenwriter Yuen Kai Chi to imagine Xiaoqian as a sex worker. Thus, we have a lustful depiction of Xiaoqian, skilled at seduction, and even more skilled at hiding her emotions. One brilliant detail is that Xiaoqian feels shy when Caichen sees her naked, despite having no trouble seducing other men. My interpretation is that she isn't shy about nudity, but intimacy, which she is feeling for the first time. Later, when she confesses her love to Caichen, she expresses it the only way she knows how: through sex. It's the twisted view of love from someone who sells only the illusion of it. And then there's the final showdown. While running away with Caichen, Xiaoqian directly confronts the Old Dame with the help of Master Yan. This incorporates her redemption into the fight, and skipping the whole "trad wife" routine. The battle with Old Dame is action-packed and... despite what it looks like... It is not what it looks like. This truly is a master piece of cinema, which is why I feel rather guilty to say... This is not my favorite adaptation. (in fact i didn't like it very much.) Look, before you crucify me, I don't think there is any flaw with the film. It is only a matter of expectation. This movie was made to be a spectacle. One minute, we have special effect body horror, the next minute, Master Yan is rapping the Tao Te Ching. There's wire-fu, stop-motion, and, not to mention, the seduction. It’s why I loved it as a kid. It is a romantic wuxia horror comedy with a musical interlude, an exuberant experience in style. But all that spectacle comes at a cost. Outside of Xiaoqian, the characters all remain underdeveloped. Not even Caichen has a backstory. Revisiting this film as an adaptation, I was left unsatisfied by the simplistic plot. Your enjoyment of the film depends largely on how much you connect with its style. For an adaptation that focuses on characters and plot, we'd have to wait another 10 years. [ Sponsor ] Whether you’re a timid scholar looking for work, a lonely bachelorette waiting for love, or a ghostbusting swordsman with a passion for rap music, you all need a website from Squarespace. One day, you’re dueling your archenemy. The next you’re saving some random guy's ass. How are you supposed to pursue your musical dreams, let alone build a website? Well, I can’t help you with the first part. But with Squarespace, building a website is fast and easy. Simply pick a template as your starting point, or use the tools to start from scratch. Editing is done entirely in the browser, no downloads, no plugins required. With all the helpful tutorials, even someone without design training can achieve professional results. And what professional musician doesn't have a professional website? Start your free trial at squarespace.com/accentedcinema. Use the code ACCENTEDCINEMA for 10% off your first purchase. Make yourself known to the world. Express your creativity with a self-made website. Visit squarespace.com/accentedcinema and get started today. [ Part Two ] It was 1997. A decade and two sequels later, producer Tsui Hark revisited the story, this time as an animated film, also called A Chinese Ghost Story. This is, by far, my favorite adaptation. Believe it or not, this version is even crazier, with a giant robot and laser-eyed aerial dogfights, and somehow, a story about moving on from your ex. Yes, both Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian have exes. Oh, trust me, we are going somewhere with this. You see, in this adaptation, Caichen worked hard to provide for his girlfriend. But that’s exactly why they broke up. He spent all of his time working instead of staying with her. So now, he buries himself in work trying to outrun the past. That work brings Caichen to a surreal ghost town, a neon world of man-eating spirits. Here, lanterns are used as traffic lights, and spirit tablets are used as mobile phones. No, that is not a dildo. It's one of these. The anachronistic chaos resembles a mixed of Spirited Away and Coco. But just to be clear, this predates both of them. It’s a materialistic world, much like 1990s Hong Kong where love felt fleeting, and people claw their way upward at any cost. Against this backdrop, Xiaoqian is introduced perfectly. "You're dead." Oh yeah, this Xiaoqian is a bad bitch, fully intent on killing Caichen without remorse. There is something darkly humorous about how she sees Caichen as another sales client. "I can only work so fast, okay?" "Tell her I'll bring him in when I'm good and ready." Just another day at the job, you know? Screwing people over for a bonus. This toxic personality makes for better chemistry. But, please don't date someone who intends to kill you. Moments later, Master Yan attacks the ghost town. Xiaoqian valiantly runs away, abandons Caichen. Caichen is not oblivious to her selfishness. But when danger arrives, he still chooses to save her, all because it's the right thing to do. "I don't care, she's still a person." "I can't leave her. She still needs my help!" In the 1987 version, Xiaoqian falls for his innocence. But here, she is confronted by it. Through that internal conflict, she becomes his friend. And I find that more compelling. They run away from the attack, and Xiaoqian takes temporary shelter in a lake, shielded from sunlight. It pays homage to the '87 bathtub kiss. Though they are just friends here, it somehow feels more romantic. Now that they are friends, Xiaoqian is eager to introduce him to her idol boyfriend. "Why are we stopping? Hello? My boyfriend is performing tonight, and I--" "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Once they are back in town, however, things do not go well. (Music) Xiaoqian's boyfriend is everything Caichen is not. He is big. He is black. (the joke is too f*cking easy) And like everyone in this materialistic ghost world, he is obsessed with status and appearance. When Xiaoqian accidentally breaks one strand of his hairs, he flips out. And the two have to run away. Whether it’s seeing her boyfriend’s true nature, or recognizing her own selfishness in him, Xiaoqian falls into a depression. Across from her, Caichen makes a suggestion. He'll follow her back to the Old Dame, knowing full well it'll cost him his life. But he's willing to do it to make her happy. Reading between the lines, we can see that Caichen is depressed, too. Perhaps, because he also lost his love due to his materialistic pursuit. And so, Xiaoqian gives him a kiss of death, and delivers his soul to the Old Dame. But of course, as the demon begins to devour him, Xiaoqian snaps out of it. He saved her so many times, it's time for her to save him. In this story, kindness always invites kindness. Caichen’s selflessness turns enemies into allies. And now, Xiaoqian's confrontation with the Old Dame inspired other girls to help her, too. Moving beyond their past, the two decide to head for reincarnation together. The visual of them becoming babies is oddly romantic. It's like a lifetime of romance retroactively fulfilled. In one final twist, however, Caichen is knocked off course, and falls back to Earth without being reborn. Panicked, he searches for her, only to bump into his ex-girlfriend. It's just one final scene to show that Caichen has moved on. Realizing Xiaoqian cannot be out in the sun, Caichen jumps into the river. And... there she is. Hand in hand, they rise towards the surface, like lovers ascending, free at last from the past that bound them. [ Afterword ] There are many more adaptations of Nie Xiaoqian out there. The 2011 version follows the story of Master Yan and it's hot garbage. The 2024 animated film retells the story from Xiaoqian's perspective. The 2025 animated short moves the story to the Republic Era, finally freeing Xiaoqian from her whale tale hairstyle, and giving her a very fresh design. I love how drastically different each version is, and how they all circle the same idea. In the short story, Xiaoqian is a sinner who seeks redemption through Confucian practices. The 1987 film sees Xiaoqian finding her courage to rebel inspired by kindness in a selfish world. The 1997 animation, then, is about letting go of their past, and letting go of their materialistic greed. Each version asks us to feel sympathy for the monster to see Xiaoqian not as evil, but as a victim of her circumstances. Instead of condemning her, each and every version of Caichen offers her help to break free. It’s a lesson worth holding onto. No matter how dark someone’s past may be, if they are willing to change, we should be willing to reach out. Because with our help, they can atone for what they did. It'll make them a better person, and it'll make the world a better place. After all, what we did in the past is not nearly as important as what we can do for the future.