A Chinese Ghost Story I Ii Iii 198719901991 Full -

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.

By: Classic Cinema Journal

Few film trilogies capture the raw, vibrant energy of Hong Kong cinema’s golden age quite like A Chinese Ghost Story. Directed by the legendary Ching Siu-tung and produced by Tsui Hark, this trio of films—released in 1987, 1990, and 1991—redefined the wuxia (martial chivalry) and horror genres. If you have been searching for the keyword "a chinese ghost story i ii iii 198719901991 full", you are likely looking for more than just video links; you want the definitive guide to the mythology, the unique directorial vision, and the historical significance of these masterpieces.

Below, we break down each film in the series, explain why they remain influential decades later, and offer guidance on how to appreciate them in their full, uncut glory.

Proved the franchise could continue without a ghost heroine. Established the sequel formula: new villains, returning hero, reincarnation/lookalike love interest.

By the time the third film was released in 1991, the formula had been refined once again. While Leslie Cheung did not return, Joey Wong reprised her role as a ghost, this time named Fung, and Tony Leung Ka-fai took over the lead role as the monk Fong.

The Plot: Structurally, A Chinese Ghost Story III mirrors the original. A young monk traveling with his master takes shelter at Lan Ro Temple. He encounters a ghost (Wong) enslaved by the Tree Demon (who has regenerated). The monk must choose between his religious vows and his love for the ghost. a chinese ghost story i ii iii 198719901991 full

The Verdict: Many fans consider Part III a return to form regarding atmosphere. The romance feels fresh due to the chemistry between the leads, and the production design is even more elaborate. It explores themes of destiny and reincarnation, effectively closing the chapter on the saga of the Tree Demon and the Lan Ro Temple.

Directed by Ching Siu-tung. Produced by Tsui Hark.

Following the massive success of the first film, a sequel was inevitable. Released in 1990, A Chinese Ghost Story II picks up immediately after the events of the first film. While it retains the visual flair, the scope expands, creating a film that is grander but arguably less focused than its predecessor.

The Plot Ning Tsai-shen, having lost Xiaoqian, returns to the mortal world, only to find it in political turmoil. He is mistaken for a renowned scholar and swept up in a conflict between corrupt officials, bandits, and a group of rebellious youths led by the fierce Autumn (Jacky Cheung).

Eventually, Ning discovers a lookalike of Xiaoqian named Qing Feng, who is actually a female bandit. This forces Ning to grapple with his lingering grief. The narrative shifts from a haunted temple to a chaotic city, culminating in a battle against the "Centipede Spirit," a grotesque entity posing as a corrupt official.

The Shift in Tone While the first film was intimate, the second is chaotic. It leans heavily into political satire and "mo lei tau" (nonsensical) comedy, a hallmark of early 90s Hong Kong cinema. The introduction of Jacky Cheung’s character, a wild and powerful Taoist, adds a new dynamic. The film is louder and more colorful, with impressive practical effects for the Centipede Spirit. Set years after Part I

However, the emotional core is somewhat diluted by the frantic pacing. The "lookalike" trope is a classic wuxia device, allowing Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong to reunite on screen, but the tragedy of the original is replaced by a more populist, happy-ending vibe. Despite its flaws, Part II is a visual feast and showcases the evolution of Hong Kong special effects.

Few fantasy-horror-romance hybrids have aged as gracefully—or as wildly—as Tsui Hark’s A Chinese Ghost Story trilogy. Produced during Hong Kong cinema’s golden era of genre-mashing excess, the three films (1987, 1990, 1991) take a delicate 17th-century ghost tale from Pu Songling’s Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio and turn it into a kinetic, tragicomic, wire-fu opera of doomed love and Taoist exorcisms.

Part I: A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
Director: Ching Siu-tung (produced by Tsui Hark)
The cornerstone. A hapless debt-collector, Ning Caichen (Leslie Cheung), gets stranded at a haunted Lanruo Temple. There he meets Nie Xiaoqian (Joey Wang), a ghost enslaved by a hideous tree demon (Lau Siu-ming) to lure men for consumption. Their romance is impossible—she’s dead, he’s broke—but the film sells it with swooning melancholy and breakneck action. The iconic scene: Xiaoqian floats through the moonlit forest while Ning plays a guqin, her white ribbons snaking like silk veins.

What makes it a masterpiece is tonal whiplash. One minute, it’s slapstick (Ning stumbling into a monk’s oversized martial arts training). The next, it’s a horror show of giant tongues and corpse puppets. Then it pivots to genuine tragedy: Xiaoqian’s soul trapped in an urn, Ning digging up her bones to reincarnate her. The finale—a cyclone of swords, spells, and burning trees—remains a benchmark for Chinese fantasy action.

Part II: A Chinese Ghost Story II (1990)
The rare sequel that expands rather than repeats. Years later, Ning is freed from prison (wrongly accused as a demon collaborator) and stumbles into a new mess: a government conspiracy where a high monk’s heart is needed to revive a thousand-year-old centipede demon. Joey Wang returns as a lookalike mortal, Fong (cleverly avoiding resurrection clichés), while Michelle Reis joins as another ghostly fighter.

The action is bigger, the politics more pronounced (corrupt officials are literal parasites), and the humor broader (a sword-swallowing Taoist played by Wu Ma). But it loses some intimacy. The love story feels contractual, and the centipede demon lacks the tree demon’s perverse charm. Still, the final battle—a collapsing mansion, flying swords, and a giant arthropod puppet—is glorious mayhem. Grade: B+, but essential for seeing the mythology stretch. By the time the third film was released

Part III: A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991)
A soft reboot disguised as a sequel. Set 100 years after Part I, with a new monk (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) and a new ghost, Lotus (Joey Wang again, now a fiery red-clad spirit), while the tree demon and a venomous butterfly demon (Jacky Cheung, scene-stealing) return. The plot mirrors the first film—monk falls for ghost—but the mood is darker and stranger. Jacky Cheung’s butterfly demon is a tragic fop who vomits glittering poison; Tony Leung’s monk breaks his vows for love.

It’s the most experimental of the three: less wire-fu ballet, more body horror and Buddhist guilt. The ending rejects the first film’s bittersweet reincarnation for something bleaker—no one gets saved. For that reason, it’s divisive. But as a coda, it asks: What if Ning and Xiaoqian’s love was just a fluke, and most ghost-human romances end in ash?

Why they still matter
The trilogy is a time capsule of pre-CGI Hong Kong craft: rain-soaked sets, hand-pulled wires, and synthesizer scores that sound like a haunted karaoke machine. Leslie Cheung’s wide-eyed sincerity and Joey Wang’s ethereal sadness anchor the fantasy. More importantly, they treat ghosts not as monsters but as refugees of an unjust afterlife—a metaphor for Hong Kong itself in the lead-up to 1997.

For a modern viewer, watch Part I for the poetry, Part II for the chaos, and Part III for the hangover. Together, they form one of cinema’s strangest, most beautiful love letters to the impermanence of everything.

Where to find them – Restored versions exist on Blu-ray (Eureka, 88 Films) and various streaming platforms (Criterion Channel occasionally). Avoid dubbed cuts; the original Cantonese/Mandarin audio is essential for the melancholy.