{ "id": "epqgt6keyg", "slug": "temptation-of-a-monk", "title": "Temptation of a Monk (诱僧)", "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": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical", "label": "War and historical films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics", "label": "Historical dramas and epics", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-m-to-z", "label": "Titles M to Z", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-m-to-z" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-m-to-z.alpha-sc-to-z", "label": "Titles Sc to Z", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-m-to-z.alpha-sc-to-z" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "China · 1946 to 2000: Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "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.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Temptation of a Monk (誘僧, You Seng) is a 1993 Hong Kong period film by Clara Law, adapted from Lilian Lee's novel, starring Joan Chen and Wu Hsing-kuo as a Tang dynasty general turned monk after the Xuanwu Gate Incident; Venice Golden Lion nominee, banned in China.", "snippet": "Temptation of a Monk (誘僧, You Seng) is a 1993 Hong Kong period film by Clara Law, adapted from Lilian Lee's novel, starring Joan Chen and Wu Hsing-kuo as a Tang dynasty general turned monk after the Xuanwu Gate Incident; Venice Golden Lion nominee, banned in China.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.war-historical.historical-dramas-and-epics.alpha-m-to-z.alpha-sc-to-z", "markdown": "# Temptation of a Monk (诱僧)\n\n**Temptation of a Monk** (诱僧; Cantonese Yale: Yáuh Jāng; pinyin: Yòu Sēng) is a 1993 Hong Kong period film directed by Clara Law, adapted from the novel of the same name by the Hong Kong writer Lilian Lee (李碧华), with a screenplay by Eddie Fong and Lee and starring [Joan Chen](https://www.edgepedia.org/joan-chen) and Wu Hsing-kuo[1](https://iffr.com/en/iffr/1994/films/temptation-of-a-monk). Set in early Tang dynasty China, it follows a general who is drawn into the plot that kills the crown prince he guards, takes refuge as a Buddhist monk, and is pursued both by the new emperor's soldiers and by a woman sent to seduce and kill him[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3075035/when-joan-chen-was-persuaded-shave-her-head-play-assassin). The film was nominated for the [Golden Lion](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-lion) at the 50th Venice International Film Festival and was promoted as the first Hong Kong film officially entered for that festival[3](https://www.scmp.com/article/49883/temptation-clara).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 诱僧 (You Seng), English title Temptation of a Monk[4](https://www.iucat.iu.edu/iuk/726588) |\n| Director / screenwriters | Clara Law; screenplay by Eddie Fong and Lilian Lee, from Lee's novel[1](https://iffr.com/en/iffr/1994/films/temptation-of-a-monk) |\n| Producer / production | Teddy Robin Kwan; Tedpoly Films, with Golden Harvest credited as production company[4](https://www.iucat.iu.edu/iuk/726588) • [5](https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/director-clara-law/monk/) |\n| Cast | Joan Chen, Wu Hsing-kuo, Zhang Fengyi, Michael Lee, Lisa Lu[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/temptation_of_a_monk) |\n| Runtime / language | 118 minutes; Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin versions)[4](https://www.iucat.iu.edu/iuk/726588) • [3](https://www.scmp.com/article/49883/temptation-clara) |\n| Hong Kong release | 23 October 1993; premiered in Canada on 15 September 1993[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7/5861909) |\n| Festival and awards | Golden Lion nomination, 50th Venice International Film Festival (1993); 7 nominations at the 13th Hong Kong Film Awards, winning Best New Performer (Wu Hsing-kuo) and Best Film Score[3](https://www.scmp.com/article/49883/temptation-clara) • [7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7/5861909) |\n| Hong Kong box office | About HK$4.513 million[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7/5861909) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nThe story is loosely based on the [Xuanwu Gate Incident](https://www.edgepedia.org/xuanwu-gate-incident), the real assassination of AD 626 in which Li Shimin killed his brother, the crown prince [Li Jiancheng](https://www.edgepedia.org/li-jiancheng), and took the throne[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3075035/when-joan-chen-was-persuaded-shave-her-head-play-assassin). In the film, General Shi Yan-sheng (Wu Hsing-kuo) is a subordinate of the crown prince. His fellow general [Huo Da](https://www.edgepedia.org/huo-da) (Zhang Fengyi) persuades him to hold his troops back during the succession struggle, promising a bloodless outcome; the prince is slaughtered instead, and the brother who killed him becomes emperor[5](https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/director-clara-law/monk/) • [8](https://www.acmi.net.au/works/94507--temptation-of-a-monk-you-seng-dvd/).\n\nRacked with guilt, Shi refuses the new emperor's offer of reward and flees with a small band of loyal followers, shaving their heads and entering a monastery under the name Jingyi, while secretly planning a coup[3](https://www.scmp.com/article/49883/temptation-clara) • [9](https://opus.ing/reviews/temptation-of-a-monk-clara-law-1993). Princess Hong-e, called Scarlet (Joan Chen), who loves him, joins the group and leads the disguised monks into a night of revelry in the world below the mountain; on the return journey the party is ambushed by government troops, and the princess and most of the men are killed[5](https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/director-clara-law/monk/) • [7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7/5861909).\n\nShi then takes shelter in a dilapidated temple run by an eccentric old abbot (Michael Lee), whose earthy, practical teachings stand in for conventional scripture[5](https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/director-clara-law/monk/) • [10](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/temptation-of-a-monk/2000124313/). A woman who closely resembles the dead princess, Lady Qing-shou, or Violet (also Joan Chen), arrives at the temple, takes vows as a nun, and seduces Shi; she is in fact an assassin sent by the emperor to kill him[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7/5861909) • [10](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/temptation-of-a-monk/2000124313/). Huo Da's forces finally close in, and Shi must choose between the emperor's offer and his life[9](https://opus.ing/reviews/temptation-of-a-monk-clara-law-1993).\n\n## Production\n\nClara Law, a Hong Kong \"Second Wave\" director then dividing her time between Hong Kong and Melbourne, had built her reputation on intimate contemporary dramas such as *Autumn Moon* (1992); *Temptation of a Monk* was her venture into epic material, and the only period film in a body of work otherwise concerned with migration and contemporary life[5](https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/director-clara-law/monk/). The film was a co-production between an independent Hong Kong company and a state-run Chinese partner, shot in China at [Shijiazhuang](https://www.edgepedia.org/shijiazhuang) in Hebei province before the formal co-production system existed[5](https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/director-clara-law/monk/) • [7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7/5861909).\n\nThe crew combined Hong Kong and international talent. Cinematography was shared by Andrew Lesnie, later known for *The Lord of the Rings*, and Arthur Wong; the editor was Jill Bilcock, and the score was by Tats Lau[5](https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/director-clara-law/monk/). The art direction and costume design were by Timothy Yip (叶锦添), early in his career, who combined surrealist elements in the manner of [Max Ernst](https://www.edgepedia.org/max-ernst) with traditional Chinese dress; the score drew on erhu, sanxian, ruan, and xun to evoke the mixed Hu and Han musical world of the early Tang[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7/5861909). Law said at the premiere that she wanted the monumental landscapes to convey the idea that the people and the landscape are one[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3075035/when-joan-chen-was-persuaded-shave-her-head-play-assassin).\n\nWu Hsing-kuo, a Taiwanese Peking Opera actor, made his feature film debut in the role of Shi[5](https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/director-clara-law/monk/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/temptation_of_a_monk). Joan Chen, returning to a Chinese-language film after many American productions, played both the princess and the assassin, and Law persuaded her to shave her head for the nun scenes[1](https://iffr.com/en/iffr/1994/films/temptation-of-a-monk) • [2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3075035/when-joan-chen-was-persuaded-shave-her-head-play-assassin).\n\n## Reception and awards\n\nThe film was entered for the 50th Venice International Film Festival in September 1993, receiving a Golden Lion nomination, and opened in Hong Kong the following month[3](https://www.scmp.com/article/49883/temptation-clara) • [7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7/5861909). It earned about HK$4.513 million in Hong Kong, a modest result, though it was well received at festivals in Europe and North America, including sold-out screenings at [Rotterdam](https://www.edgepedia.org/rotterdam) and a Toronto festival showing[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7/5861909) • [11](https://www.scmp.com/article/64603/cannes).\n\n**Awards.** At the 13th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1994 the film received seven nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor, and won two: Best New Performer for Wu Hsing-kuo and Best Film Score for Tats Lau and Wai Kai-leung[7](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7/5861909). At the 30th Golden Horse Awards it was nominated in seven categories and won Best Art Design (Yip Kam-tim, Lee Wai-ming, Yang Zhanjia) and Best Film Music[12](https://baike.so.com/doc/3321378-3498237.html).\n\n**Critical response.** Reviewers consistently praised the film's look while dividing over its substance. Paul Fonoroff wrote in the *South China Morning Post* that judged on visual splendor and craftsmanship it would rank as a milestone in Hong Kong cinema, citing the opening scene of hundreds of soldiers in a wintry northern Chinese landscape, but found the sumptuous looks undermined by a plodding pace and prosaic plot[13](https://www.scmp.com/article/48716/wing-and-prayer). Stephen Teo, writing in *Senses of Cinema*, argued that the film starts as an epic in the manner of Kurosawa's Shakespearean films but does not sustain its epic form, and that its real theme is redemption rather than temptation, a process the film fails to expound[5](https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/director-clara-law/monk/). On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 64% Tomatometer from four critics, with an IMDb audience rating of 6.4 out of 10[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/temptation_of_a_monk).\n\n## Censorship and afterlife\n\nThe film was banned in China; Law has spoken out about the unhappy circumstances of the shoot, saying she found working with the Chinese crew difficult largely because of the exigencies of co-production financing[5](https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/director-clara-law/monk/). In Hong Kong it was classified as a Category III film, the adult-only rating[14](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7?hl=zh&id=A85CCC966A9D733DMV).\n\nThe film reached Western home video through Fox Lorber Home Video, which released a Mandarin-language VHS in 1995, and had a United States theatrical release on 25 August 1995[4](https://www.iucat.iu.edu/iuk/726588) • [15](https://www.blu-ray.com/Temptation-of-a-Monk/701485/). It has since become little seen and is not generally available on streaming services[2](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3075035/when-joan-chen-was-persuaded-shave-her-head-play-assassin) • [16](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/movie/temptation-of-a-monk). Within Law's filmography it remains the interruption in a canon otherwise devoted to contemporary stories of migration, and it was the film for which she was later best remembered among Hong Kong critics as one of her most outstanding representative works[5](https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/director-clara-law/monk/) • [17](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/film/fUatm0862005/).\n\n## References\n\n1. [Temptation of a monk, International Film Festival Rotterdam](https://iffr.com/en/iffr/1994/films/temptation-of-a-monk)\n2. [When Joan Chen was persuaded to shave her head to play an assassin in Temptation of a Monk, South China Morning Post (2020)](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3075035/when-joan-chen-was-persuaded-shave-her-head-play-assassin)\n3. [TEMPTATION OF CLARA, South China Morning Post (31 October 1993)](https://www.scmp.com/article/49883/temptation-clara)\n4. [誘僧 / You seng = Temptation of a monk, IUCAT catalog record](https://www.iucat.iu.edu/iuk/726588)\n5. [Stephen Teo, Temptation of a Monk, Senses of Cinema (2001)](https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2001/director-clara-law/monk/)\n6. [Temptation of a Monk, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/temptation_of_a_monk)\n7. [诱僧, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7/5861909)\n8. [Temptation of a monk = You seng [DVD], ACMI collection](https://www.acmi.net.au/works/94507--temptation-of-a-monk-you-seng-dvd/)\n9. [Temptation of a Monk by Clara Law (Review), Opus](https://opus.ing/reviews/temptation-of-a-monk-clara-law-1993)\n10. [Temptation of a Monk, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/temptation-of-a-monk/2000124313/)\n11. [IN THE CANNES, South China Morning Post (1994)](https://www.scmp.com/article/64603/cannes)\n12. [诱僧 - 1993年香港电影, 360百科](https://baike.so.com/doc/3321378-3498237.html)\n13. [Paul Fonoroff, On a wing and a prayer, South China Morning Post (22 October 1993)](https://www.scmp.com/article/48716/wing-and-prayer)\n14. [诱僧, Google Play Movies](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/%E8%AF%B1%E5%83%A7?hl=zh&id=A85CCC966A9D733DMV)\n15. [Temptation of a Monk (1993), Blu-ray.com](https://www.blu-ray.com/Temptation-of-a-Monk/701485/)\n16. [Temptation of a Monk (1993), Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/movie/temptation-of-a-monk)\n17. [誘僧, 開眼電影網 @movies](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/film/fUatm0862005/)\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 › War and historical films (individual works) › Historical dramas and epics › Titles M to Z › Titles Sc to Z*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 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/temptation-of-a-monk", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/temptation-of-a-monk.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": "\"Temptation of a Monk (诱僧)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/temptation-of-a-monk. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Temptation of a Monk (诱僧)](https://www.edgepedia.org/temptation-of-a-monk)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/temptation-of-a-monk](https://www.edgepedia.org/temptation-of-a-monk). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Temptation of a Monk (诱僧)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/temptation-of-a-monk. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Temptation of a Monk is a 1993 Hong Kong period film by Clara Law, adapted from Lilian Lee's novel, starring Joan Chen and Wu Hsing-kuo as a Tang dynasty general turned monk after the Xuanwu Gate Incident; Venice Golden Lion nominee, banned in China." }