A Terra-Cotta Warrior

145 minutes | 1990 | Fiction | Mandarin | English and Chinese Subtitles
35mm Film

Content Advisory: This film contains scenes of violence

In the time of the Qin Emperor, General MENG Tianfang (ZHANG Yimou) falls for the young girl Dong’er (GONG Li). Their love incurs the wrath of the Emperor—she dies for love, and he is entombed as a terra-cotta warrior.
In Republican-era China, she is reborn as film star Lili. She stumbles into the imperial tomb and awakens him once more—only to be pulled apart again by fate. Decades later, he sees again the familiar face, only that she now answers to a Japanese name.

CHING Siu-tung (b. 1952) is a renowned Hong Kong director and action choreographer, celebrated for his groundbreaking work in martial arts cinema. As director, he is best known for A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) and The Swordsman series. A frequent collaborator with filmmakers such as TSUI Hark and Johnnie TO, Ching’s kinetic style and inventive choreography have left a lasting mark on the action genre across Asia and beyond.