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A Touch of Zen

Original title: Xia nü
  • 1971
  • Not Rated
  • 3h 20m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
8.4K
YOUR RATING
Feng Hsu in A Touch of Zen (1971)
Trailer for A Touch of Zen
Play trailer1:51
1 Video
62 Photos
MandarinWuxiaActionAdventureDramaThriller

A lady fugitive on the run from corrupt government officials is joined in her endeavors by an unambitious painter and skilled Buddhist monks.A lady fugitive on the run from corrupt government officials is joined in her endeavors by an unambitious painter and skilled Buddhist monks.A lady fugitive on the run from corrupt government officials is joined in her endeavors by an unambitious painter and skilled Buddhist monks.

  • Director
    • King Hu
  • Writers
    • Songling Pu
    • King Hu
  • Stars
    • Feng Hsu
    • Chun Shih
    • Ying Bai
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    8.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • King Hu
    • Writers
      • Songling Pu
      • King Hu
    • Stars
      • Feng Hsu
      • Chun Shih
      • Ying Bai
    • 49User reviews
    • 72Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination total

    Videos1

    A Touch of Zen
    Trailer 1:51
    A Touch of Zen

    Photos62

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    + 56
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    Top Cast38

    Feng Hsu
    Feng Hsu
    • Miss Yang Hui-ching
    Chun Shih
    Chun Shih
    • Ku Shen Chai the Calligrapher
    Ying Bai
    Ying Bai
    • Shih Wen-chiao the Fortune-teller
    Peng Tien
    Peng Tien
    • Commander Ou-yang Yin
    Miao Tien
    Miao Tien
      Ping-Yu Chang
      Ping-Yu Chang
      • Mrs. Ku the Mother of Shen-Chai
      Han Hsieh
      Han Hsieh
      • Lu Meng the Herbalist
      Jui Wang
      Jui Wang
      • Mun Ta the Eunuch
      Chung-Shan Wan
      Chung-Shan Wan
      Ming Kao
      Ming Kao
      Chu Liu
      Chu Liu
      Jia Lu-shek
      Chu-Hua Men
      Ming-Wai Chan
      Ming-Wai Chan
        Liu Zhuo
        Shih-Wei Chen
          Wei-Ho Tu
          Roy Chiao
          Roy Chiao
          • Monk Hui Yuan
          • Director
            • King Hu
          • Writers
            • Songling Pu
            • King Hu
          • All cast & crew
          • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

          User reviews49

          7.58.3K
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          Summary

          Reviewers say 'A Touch of Zen' Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

          Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque
          Lorem ipsum dolorSit amet consecteturAdipiscing elitSed do eiusmodTempor incididuntUt labore et doloreMagna aliquaUt enim ad minimVeniam quisNostrud exercitation
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          Related interests

          Jonathan Chang in Yi Yi (2000)
          Mandarin
          Maggie Cheung in Hero (2002)
          Wuxia
          Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
          Action
          Still frame
          Adventure
          Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
          Drama
          Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
          Thriller

          Storyline

          Did you know

          • Trivia
            Director King Hu had a full village constructed for the opening half of the movie, and then left it alone for nine months to give it a weathered look.
          • Goofs
            The film is set in the 14th century AD. However, the Gu family have maize (corn) drying outside their house - this crop is American in origin and did not reach China until the 16th century.
          • Quotes
            • Ku Shen Chai: Have you seen Miss Yang, the lady who lives here?
            • General Shih Wen-chiao: No, I'm blind.
            • Ku Shen Chai: Forgive me.
            • General Shih Wen-chiao: Miss Yang and her mother are gone.
            • Ku Shen Chai: Mr. Shih! She said you should run for your life too. Do you know where she went?
            • General Shih Wen-chiao: No.
            • Ku Shen Chai: I have to find her!
            • [Shih pulls out a sword as two soldiers fly down from the sky and attack, but are quickly killed in a few brief strokes of the sword]
            • Ku Shen Chai: Mr. Shih! Mr. Shih, who are you really?
            • General Shih Wen-chiao: I'm not blind, that's for sure.
          • Alternate versions
            A Touch Of Zen was originally released in Taiwan in two parts with a total running time of 3 hours 20 minutes. However, the bamboo forest sequence which ended part one was reprised at the beginning of part two, adding over 20 minutes to the total running time. When the two parts were combined by King Hu without any repeated scenes in 1975, the resulting total time was 3 hours. The 2015 4K restoration from the original negative runs 2 hours 59 minutes.
          • Connections
            Featured in La Menace (1977)

          Top picks

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          Details

          • Release date
            • November 18, 1971 (Hong Kong)
          • Countries of origin
            • Taiwan
            • Hong Kong
          • Language
            • Mandarin
          • Also known as
            • Ein Hauch von Zen
          • Filming locations
            • Taroko National Park, Hualien, Taiwan(monastery and river canyon)
          • Production companies
            • International Film Company
            • Golden Harvest Company
            • Union Film Company
          • See more company credits at IMDbPro

          Tech specs

          • Runtime
            • 3h 20m(200 min)
          • Color
            • Color
          • Sound mix
            • Mono
          • Aspect ratio
            • 2.35 : 1

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