{ "id": "epcrwpeg3z", "slug": "a-chinese-odyssey-part-three", "title": "A Chinese Odyssey Part Three (大话西游终结篇)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": 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"https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series" } ] } ], "excerpt": "A Chinese Odyssey Part Three (大话西游3, 大话西游终结篇) is Jeffrey Lau's 2016 Chinese fantasy comedy sequel to the 1995 Stephen Chow classic, starring Han Geng, Tiffany Tang, and Wu Jing, released 14 September 2016 to strong box office but poor reviews.", "snippet": "A Chinese Odyssey Part Three (大话西游3, 大话西游终结篇) is Jeffrey Lau's 2016 Chinese fantasy comedy sequel to the 1995 Stephen Chow classic, starring Han Geng, Tiffany Tang, and Wu Jing, released 14 September 2016 to strong box office but poor reviews.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.franchise-series.franchise-series.teen-comedy-series-entries.entries-released-in-the-2010s", "markdown": "# A Chinese Odyssey Part Three (大话西游终结篇)\n\n**A Chinese Odyssey Part Three** (大话西游3, originally titled 大话西游终结篇) is a 2016 Chinese fantasy comedy film written and directed by Jeffrey Lau (刘镇伟) as the third installment of the *A Chinese Odyssey* series, recasting the 1995 two-part classic with a new mainland cast led by [Han Geng](https://www.edgepedia.org/han-geng), Tiffany Tang, and Wu Jing.[1](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2016-03-18/doc-ifxqnski7702106.shtml?from=wap) • [2](https://theasiancinemacritic.com/2024/01/05/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three/) It was released in China on 14 September 2016, twenty-one years after the original films.[3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/7fbqdzcUmd0)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director and writer | Jeffrey Lau (刘镇伟), credited as screenwriter under his pen name Ji'an (技安)[1](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2016-03-18/doc-ifxqnski7702106.shtml?from=wap) |\n| Release | 14 September 2016, in China's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday slot[3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/7fbqdzcUmd0) |\n| Lead cast | Han Geng (Joker/Sun Wukong), Tiffany Tang (Zixia), Wu Jing (Tang Sanzang), with Karen Mok returning as Bai Jingjing[2](https://theasiancinemacritic.com/2024/01/05/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three/) |\n| Production | Filmed 24 July to 26 September 2015; a 130 million yuan production by Spring Era Pictures[4](https://www.jiemian.com/article/412479.html) • [1](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2016-03-18/doc-ifxqnski7702106.shtml?from=wap) |\n| Premise | Zixia sees her death at the Bull Demon King's trident through the Pandora's Box and travels back in time to stop Joker from falling in love with her[4](https://www.jiemian.com/article/412479.html) |\n| Early box office | Over 200 million yuan in the first four days of release[5](https://epaper.qlwb.com.cn/Qlwb/PDF/20160918/A13.pdf) |\n| Reception | IMDb rating 3.5/10 (662 votes); The South China Morning Post gave it 0.5/5[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4862468) • [7](https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2021330/film-review-chinese-odyssey-part-three-china-reboot-1995-classic?module=inline&pgtype=article) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and cast\n\nThe story begins with Zixia ([Tiffany Tang](https://www.edgepedia.org/tiffany-tang)) using the magic of the Pandora's Box to see the events at the end of Part Two, including her own death at the Bull Demon King's trident. Deciding she does not want to die, she does everything in her power to prevent Joker (Han Geng) from falling in love with her, going so far as to marry the Bull Demon King ([Zhang Chao](https://www.edgepedia.org/zhang-chao)). Meanwhile, the [Jade Emperor](https://www.edgepedia.org/jade-emperor) (Huang Zheng) discovers an error in the prophetic Sealed Book and concocts plans involving the Six-Eared Macaque.[2](https://theasiancinemacritic.com/2024/01/05/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three/) Lau described the film as completing a single story begun in the first two parts, explaining why Zixia behaved as she did and why Joker did as he did.[13](https://ent.ifeng.com/c/7e2DtrUQrE0)\n\nHan Geng took over the role of Joker/Sun Wukong originated by [Stephen Chow](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-chow), and Tiffany Tang replaced Athena Chu as Zixia. Wu Jing, known for tough-guy action roles, played the talkative [Tang Sanzang](https://www.edgepedia.org/tang-sanzang) for comedy. [Karen Mok](https://www.edgepedia.org/karen-mok) was the only principal actress to return from the 1995 films, again playing Bai Jingjing (the White Bone Demon).[2](https://theasiancinemacritic.com/2024/01/05/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three/) • [1](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2016-03-18/doc-ifxqnski7702106.shtml?from=wap) The supporting cast included He Jiong as Erlang Shen, Gillian Chung as the Spider Woman, and Wang Yibo as Red Boy.[2](https://theasiancinemacritic.com/2024/01/05/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three/)\n\n## Background and production\n\nThe original *A Chinese Odyssey* two-parter, *Pandora's Box* and *Cinderella*, starred Stephen Chow and was released in 1995. It performed poorly at the Hong Kong box office on release, but from 1997 onward it spread through mainland universities and the internet and became a widely beloved classic.[8](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H3_AP201511090011335518_1.pdf?1601213803000.pdf=) The project for a third film first surfaced in early 2015 in the China Film Bureau's production filing table, with the screenplay registered under Lau's pen name Ji'an, and producer Lü Jianmin of Spring Era Pictures confirmed that Stephen Chow would not take part.[9](https://culture.people.com.cn/n/2015/0422/c22219-26883531.html)\n\n**Lau's stated purpose.** Lau said he made the film to fill in the gaps he had left in the first two parts, giving audiences who grew up with the series answers to questions such as where the Pandora's Box came from and who the girl on the city wall was. He wrote the script in about three weeks, followed by eight months of preparation, more than two months of shooting, and roughly a year of post-production.[10](https://culture.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0906/c22219-28693809.html) He deliberately shifted the tone: where the 1995 films used comedy to tell a tragic love story, the third film was made as a more purely comic picture with a happy ending.[10](https://culture.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0906/c22219-28693809.html) • [11](https://finance.sina.cn/2016-09-07/detail-ifxvukuq3888954.d.html?vt=4)\n\nThe film was shot at the same Zhenbeipu location outside Yinchuan, Ningxia, where the first two films had been made, which Lau chose deliberately as a return to the original setting.[10](https://culture.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0906/c22219-28693809.html) Lowell Lo (卢冠廷), composer of the original films' music, returned, and Han Geng sang the new version of the theme song.[12](https://m.jiemian.com/article/883359_yidian.html)\n\n## Reception\n\nThe film opened in China on 14 September 2016 in the [Mid-Autumn Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/mid-autumn-festival) holiday slot.[3](https://news.ifeng.com/c/7fbqdzcUmd0) It took in more than 200 million yuan in its first four days, but Chinese press coverage described its reception as overwhelmingly negative, with word-of-mouth falling even as ticket sales rose.[5](https://epaper.qlwb.com.cn/Qlwb/PDF/20160918/A13.pdf) The 1905.com film database lists a Douban score of 5.9.[14](https://m.1905.com/m/film/review/2229380.shtml?review=1)\n\n**Critical response.** Edmund Lee of The South China Morning Post gave the film 0.5 out of 5 stars, calling it a pointless reboot that relied on its title to feign connection to the 1995 classics, which he described as a postmodern masterpiece of Hong Kong pop culture.[7](https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2021330/film-review-chinese-odyssey-part-three-china-reboot-1995-classic?module=inline&pgtype=article) A Singapore review scored it 2.25/5, criticizing sub-par special effects and a convoluted plot that depended heavily on knowledge of the earlier films.[15](https://sg.style.yahoo.com/review-chinese-odyssey-part-three-063534563.html) The New Straits Times was more positive, finding the film hugely enjoyable despite a storyline that made little sense, and noting that Han Geng's performance bore a striking resemblance to Stephen Chow's Monkey King.[16](https://www.nst.com.my/amp/news/2016/09/175213/movie-review-chinese-odyssey-3-3-ller) On IMDb the film holds a rating of 3.5/10 from 662 user votes.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4862468)\n\nLau himself said before release that he could accept any evaluation, having put down the burden of the audience-given halo around the original, and that he never intended to surpass the earlier films.[10](https://culture.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0906/c22219-28693809.html)\n\n## References\n\n1. [《大话西游3》曝先导预告 再续二十年经典, Sina Entertainment (18 March 2016)](https://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2016-03-18/doc-ifxqnski7702106.shtml?from=wap)\n2. [A Chinese Odyssey Part Three, The Asian Cinema Critic (5 January 2024)](https://theasiancinemacritic.com/2024/01/05/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three/)\n3. [刘镇伟：请放下包袱看\"大话3\", Phoenix News (13 September 2016)](https://news.ifeng.com/c/7fbqdzcUmd0)\n4. [当红IP开发样本：《大话西游3》是怎么\"一鱼多吃\"的, Jiemian News](https://www.jiemian.com/article/412479.html)\n5. [《大话西游3》中秋档上映报道, 齐鲁晚报 (18 September 2016)](https://epaper.qlwb.com.cn/Qlwb/PDF/20160918/A13.pdf)\n6. [A Chinese Odyssey: Part Three (2016), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4862468)\n7. [Film review: A Chinese Odyssey Part Three, South China Morning Post (21 September 2016)](https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2021330/film-review-chinese-odyssey-part-three-china-reboot-1995-classic?module=inline&pgtype=article)\n8. [《大话西游III》研究报告, 东方财富 (9 November 2015)](https://pdf.dfcfw.com/pdf/H3_AP201511090011335518_1.pdf?1601213803000.pdf=)\n9. [《大话西游》系列将终结？周星驰确定不再参演, 人民网转新京报 (22 April 2015)](https://culture.people.com.cn/n/2015/0422/c22219-26883531.html)\n10. [《大话西游3》导演刘镇伟：光环是观众给的, 人民网 (6 September 2016)](https://culture.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0906/c22219-28693809.html)\n11. [刘镇伟：从此之后，我和《大话西游》再无关系, 中国新闻周刊 (7 September 2016)](https://finance.sina.cn/2016-09-07/detail-ifxvukuq3888954.d.html?vt=4)\n12. [专访《大话西游3》导演刘镇伟：原来紫霞没有死, Jiemian News](https://m.jiemian.com/article/883359_yidian.html)\n13. [《大话西游3》有全新结局？刘镇伟：要放下包袱, 1905电影网/凤凰网 (15 August 2016)](https://ent.ifeng.com/c/7e2DtrUQrE0)\n14. [大话西游3 影评页, 1905电影网](https://m.1905.com/m/film/review/2229380.shtml?review=1)\n15. [Review: 'A Chinese Odyssey Part Three' lacks heart, Yahoo Life Singapore (2016)](https://sg.style.yahoo.com/review-chinese-odyssey-part-three-063534563.html)\n16. [Movie Review: A Chinese Odyssey 3 is a '3-ller', New Straits Times (22 September 2016)](https://www.nst.com.my/amp/news/2016/09/175213/movie-review-chinese-odyssey-3-3-ller)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Teen and comedy series film entries › Entries released in the 2010s*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"A Chinese Odyssey Part Three (大话西游终结篇)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[A Chinese Odyssey Part Three (大话西游终结篇)](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"A Chinese Odyssey Part Three (大话西游终结篇)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/a-chinese-odyssey-part-three. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "A Chinese Odyssey Part Three is Jeffrey Lau's 2016 Chinese fantasy comedy sequel to the 1995 Stephen Chow classic, starring Han Geng, Tiffany Tang, and Wu Jing, released 14 September 2016 to strong box office but poor reviews." }