{ "id": "epa6h24y62", "slug": "red-rose-white-rose-1994-film", "title": "Red Rose White Rose (红玫瑰白玫瑰) (1994 film)", "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.genre-form", "label": "Films by genre, form, and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.adaptations", "label": "Adaptations of literature, stage, and other media", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.adaptations" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.adaptations.novel-and-short-fiction-adaptations", "label": "Films based on novels, novellas, and short fiction", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.adaptations.novel-and-short-fiction-adaptations" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.adaptations.novel-and-short-fiction-adaptations.films-based-on-early-20th-century-litera", "label": "Films based on early 20th-century literature", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.adaptations.novel-and-short-fiction-adaptations.films-based-on-early-20th-century-litera" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form", "label": "China · 1946 to 2000: Films by genre, form, and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946", "label": "China · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form", "label": "Films by genre, form, and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Red Rose White Rose (紅玫瑰白玫瑰) is a 1994 Hong Kong drama by Stanley Kwan adapted from Eileen Chang's novella, starring Joan Chen, Veronica Yip, and Winston Chao; it won five Golden Horse awards and was a Berlin Golden Bear nominee.", "snippet": "Red Rose White Rose (紅玫瑰白玫瑰) is a 1994 Hong Kong drama by Stanley Kwan adapted from Eileen Chang's novella, starring Joan Chen, Veronica Yip, and Winston Chao; it won five Golden Horse awards and was a Berlin Golden Bear nominee.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.adaptations.novel-and-short-fiction-adaptations.films-based-on-early-20th-century-litera", "markdown": "# Red Rose White Rose (红玫瑰白玫瑰) (1994 film)\n\n**Red Rose White Rose** (紅玫瑰白玫瑰; pinyin: Hóng méiguī bái méiguī) is a 1994 Hong Kong drama film directed by Stanley Kwan, adapted from [Eileen Chang](https://www.edgepedia.org/eileen-chang)'s 1944 novella *Red Rose, White Rose* (紅玫瑰與白玫瑰). It stars [Joan Chen](https://www.edgepedia.org/joan-chen) as Wang Jiaorui, Veronica Yip as Meng Yanli, and Winston Chao as Tong Zhenbao, a Western-educated Shanghai man torn between his friend's passionate wife and the conventional woman he later marries.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/literature/pe-event-2024-literature-fs-film05.html) • [2](https://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=7939) The film won five Golden Horse awards, including Best Actress for Joan Chen and Best Adapted Screenplay, and was nominated for the [Golden Bear](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-bear) at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/literature/pe-event-2024-literature-fs-film05.html) • [3](https://mulanfestival.com/festival-2024/red-rose-white-rose/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director / source | Stanley Kwan; adapted from Eileen Chang's 1944 novella *Red Rose, White Rose*[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/literature/pe-event-2024-literature-fs-film05.html) |\n| Screenplay | Edward Lam, with Liu Heng; incorporates psychological descriptions from the novella and elements of Chang's other writings[3](https://mulanfestival.com/festival-2024/red-rose-white-rose/) • [1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/literature/pe-event-2024-literature-fs-film05.html) |\n| Principal cast | Joan Chen (Wang Jiaorui), Veronica Yip (Meng Yanli), Winston Chao (Tong Zhenbao)[2](https://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=7939) |\n| Hong Kong release | 12 December 1994 to 18 December 1994; box office HK$1,828,093; Category II rating[2](https://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=7939) |\n| Running time | Reported as 110 minutes[4](https://tw.18dao.net/%E5%BD%B1%E8%A6%96%E8%B3%87%E6%96%99/%E7%B4%85%E7%8E%AB%E7%91%B0%E7%99%BD%E7%8E%AB%E7%91%B0_%281994%29), 112 minutes[5](https://www.biff.kr/eng/html/archive/arc_history_view.asp?kind=history&m_idx=301&page=6&pyear=1996), or 116 minutes[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/literature/pe-event-2024-literature-fs-film05.html) by different sources |\n| Honors | Five Golden Horse awards at the 31st Taipei Golden Horse Awards, including Best Actress (Joan Chen) and Best Adapted Screenplay; Golden Bear nominee at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/literature/pe-event-2024-literature-fs-film05.html) • [3](https://mulanfestival.com/festival-2024/red-rose-white-rose/) |\n| Key crew | Cinematography Christopher Doyle; art direction and costume design Pan Lai (朴若木); editing Chan Kong-hiu[2](https://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=7939) • [3](https://mulanfestival.com/festival-2024/red-rose-white-rose/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nTong Zhenbao (Winston Chao), freshly returned to Shanghai after studying abroad, has a reputation for righteousness. He falls for his friend's wife, the seductive and passionate Wang Jiaorui (Joan Chen), his \"red rose\". When Jiaorui responds to his love with genuine affection, Zhenbao, fearing social pressure and gossip, retreats and marries Meng Yanli (Veronica Yip), a conservative, delicate woman introduced by his mother, his \"white rose\".[3](https://mulanfestival.com/festival-2024/red-rose-white-rose/) • [1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/literature/pe-event-2024-literature-fs-film05.html)\n\nThe marriage proves stifling and dull. Yanli tries awkwardly to become a perfect wife and eventually takes refuge in the seclusion of her bathroom, while Zhenbao distances himself with alcohol and other women.[5](https://www.biff.kr/eng/html/archive/arc_history_view.asp?kind=history&m_idx=301&page=6&pyear=1996) When the superficial marriage falls into chaos, Zhenbao unexpectedly reunites with Jiaorui, who is now vastly different from the woman he remembered, leading him into deep reflection.[3](https://mulanfestival.com/festival-2024/red-rose-white-rose/)\n\n## Adaptation of Eileen Chang\n\nEileen Chang (張愛玲) is known for incisive commentary on love and marriage and sharp criticism of Chinese traditions, written in a style layered with irony that is difficult to transfer to the screen. Edward Lam (林奕華), who had already adapted Chang's work for the stage in the 1980s, addressed this in the screenplay by inserting passages of the novella's psychological description of the characters, preserving a sense of reading, and by embedding dialogue and elements from Chang's other writings into the film.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/literature/pe-event-2024-literature-fs-film05.html) A scholarly study of the film describes this blending of Chang's prose, fiction, and an existing movie as Kwan's innovation, enriching the original text while quietly shifting its meaning beneath an apparently faithful surface.[6](https://ah.lib.nccu.edu.tw/item?item_id=109144&locale=zh_TW)\n\nThe source novella's famous framing image, that every man has two women, the red one becoming a mosquito-blood stain on the wall while the white remains moonlight before the bed, and vice versa, is quoted in Chinese reference material on the film.[7](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=125618871)\n\n## Production and style\n\nThe film was shot on 35 mm in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio.[8](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/300179/) The Hong Kong Movie Database credits Golden Flare Films Co., Ltd. as the filming company, with Lam Yik-Wa among the screenwriters, [Christopher Doyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-doyle) as cinematographer, and Piu Yeuk-Muk (Pan Lai) as art director.[2](https://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=7939) The Hong Kong Film Archive credits the production companies as First Organisation and Golden Entertainment, with producers Wong Hoi and Wu Kao-hsiung.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/literature/pe-event-2024-literature-fs-film05.html) • [3](https://mulanfestival.com/festival-2024/red-rose-white-rose/)\n\nThe Archive's notes attribute the film's atmosphere to Kwan's precise and imaginative mise-en-scène, Pan Lai's elaborate art direction, and Doyle's evocative cinematography, which bring the glamorous yet melancholic world of old Shanghai to life.[1](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/literature/pe-event-2024-literature-fs-film05.html) The Vesoul festival notes describe Kwan's collaboration with Doyle as giving the narration a suggestive style vibrant with emotion, treating the self-regarding protagonist with irony.[9](https://archives.cinemas-asie.com/en/movies/item/3964-red-rose-white-rose.html)\n\n## Release and reception\n\nThe film opened in Hong Kong on 12 December 1994 and ran through 18 December, earning HK$1,828,093, which placed it 143rd for the year according to a Japanese film database.[2](https://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=7939) • [10](https://kungfutube.info/25589) It later screened in Singapore (23 March 1995), Finland (11 August 1995), the United States (1995), and Japan (17 February 1996).[7](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=125618871) It was shown in the first Busan International Film Festival in 1996 in the \"A Window on Asian Cinema\" section.[5](https://www.biff.kr/eng/html/archive/arc_history_view.asp?kind=history&m_idx=301&page=6&pyear=1996)\n\nAt the 31st Taipei Golden Horse Awards the film won five awards, including Best Actress for Joan Chen and Best Adapted Screenplay, and received nominations for Best Director and Best Art Direction; it was also nominated for the Golden Bear at the 45th [Berlin International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/berlin-international-film-festival).[3](https://mulanfestival.com/festival-2024/red-rose-white-rose/) • [11](https://mulanfestival.com/zh/festival-2024/red-rose-white-rose/) At the 14th Hong Kong Film Awards it received nominations for Best Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Original Film Song, and Best Film Score.[7](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=125618871)\n\nA *South China Morning Post* review in 1996 called the film a deeply realized [Shanghai](https://www.edgepedia.org/shanghai) drama and Kwan's best work since *Rouge* (1987), noting a budget of about US$3 million and praising Veronica Yip, then known mainly for category III films, for bringing character to her role.[12](https://www.scmp.com/article/148983/ring-roses) The film was later featured in the 1996 documentary *Yang ± Yin: Gender in Chinese Cinema*.[13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110053/)\n\n## Director's context\n\nStanley Kwan, born in 1957, is a key figure of the Hong Kong Second Wave whose films center on female protagonists and their romantic struggles, including *Rouge* (1987), *Full Moon in New York* (1989), *[Center Stage](https://www.edgepedia.org/center-stage-1991-film)* (1992), *[Red Rose White Rose](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-rose-white-rose-1992-film)* (1994), and *[Everlasting Regret](https://www.edgepedia.org/everlasting-regret)* (2005).[3](https://mulanfestival.com/festival-2024/red-rose-white-rose/) A scholarly chapter on the adaptation places Kwan among the important directors of the Hong Kong New Wave and reads the film as picking up Chang's study of the power relationships involved in seeing and being seen, adding race to the complications of gender politics in the story.[14](https://doi.org/10.21313/hawaii/9780824833732.003.0003)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Red Rose White Rose, Hong Kong Film Archive](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2024/literature/pe-event-2024-literature-fs-film05.html)\n2. [紅玫瑰白玫瑰 (1994), Hong Kong Movie Database](https://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=7939)\n3. [Red Rose White Rose, Mulan International Film Festival](https://mulanfestival.com/festival-2024/red-rose-white-rose/)\n4. [影視資料/紅玫瑰白玫瑰 (1994), Tw.18dao.net](https://tw.18dao.net/%E5%BD%B1%E8%A6%96%E8%B3%87%E6%96%99/%E7%B4%85%E7%8E%AB%E7%91%B0%E7%99%BD%E7%8E%AB%E7%91%B0_%281994%29)\n5. [Red Rose, White Rose, Busan International Film Festival archive](https://www.biff.kr/eng/html/archive/arc_history_view.asp?kind=history&m_idx=301&page=6&pyear=1996)\n6. [文學╱影像的合謀與拮抗, 政大學術集成 (Chuang Yi-Wen, 2008)](https://ah.lib.nccu.edu.tw/item?item_id=109144&locale=zh_TW)\n7. [红玫瑰白玫瑰, 搜狗百科](https://baike.sogou.com/m/fullLemma?lid=125618871)\n8. [红玫瑰白玫瑰 (1994), 1905电影网](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/300179/)\n9. [Red Rose, White Rose, Festival des Cinémas d'Asie de Vesoul](https://archives.cinemas-asie.com/en/movies/item/3964-red-rose-white-rose.html)\n10. [赤い薔薇 白い薔薇／紅玫瑰白玫瑰（1994）, KUNGFU TUBE](https://kungfutube.info/25589)\n11. [红玫瑰白玫瑰, 木兰国际电影节](https://mulanfestival.com/zh/festival-2024/red-rose-white-rose/)\n12. [Ring of roses, South China Morning Post (1996)](https://www.scmp.com/article/148983/ring-roses)\n13. [Red Rose White Rose (1994), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110053/)\n14. [Eileen Chang and Stanley Kwan: Politics and Love in Red Rose (and) White Rose, Hsiu-Chuang Deppman, Oxford Academic](https://doi.org/10.21313/hawaii/9780824833732.003.0003)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Adaptations of literature, stage, and other media › Films based on novels, novellas, and short fiction › Films based on early 20th-century literature*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 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/red-rose-white-rose-1994-film", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/red-rose-white-rose-1994-film.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": "\"Red Rose White Rose (红玫瑰白玫瑰) (1994 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/red-rose-white-rose-1994-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Red Rose White Rose (红玫瑰白玫瑰) (1994 film)](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-rose-white-rose-1994-film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/red-rose-white-rose-1994-film](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-rose-white-rose-1994-film). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Red Rose White Rose (红玫瑰白玫瑰) (1994 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/red-rose-white-rose-1994-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Red Rose White Rose is a 1994 Hong Kong drama by Stanley Kwan adapted from Eileen Chang's novella, starring Joan Chen, Veronica Yip, and Winston Chao; it won five Golden Horse awards and was a Berlin Golden Bear nominee." }