More are on the way, however, and most will piggyback on brand-new movies which carry a similar theme or story, just as Ghost Story and Fairy Tale have done. Choosing Leslie's films to be the first is safe,' film critic Huang Liang told the Global Times. 'It is obvious that Cheung's reputation and great fan base can bring audiences to cinemas. A Chinese Ghost Story Redux and Ashes of Time Redux both starred Cheung and are dedicated to him. Remastering it is in memory of him,' claimed Ng at the press conference recently.

'Leslie once told me his favorite work is A Chinese Ghost Story.

Ever since Wong Kai-wai's Ashes of Time (1994) was re-released two years ago to a 43 million yuan ($6.61 million) box office, remastering the classics has become standard practice to gain easy profit. Photos: CFPĬhinese cinema is, in recent years, known for repeating classical stories and lacking fresh ideas. Leslie Cheung (left) and Joey Wong in A Chinese Ghost Story Redux. The new version is showing nationwide in both Putonghua and Cantonese. The color adjusting alone took half a year, and 5.1 Dolby sound has also been added,' explained Ng. 'It was all shot on film… a lot of the color and sound has been lost. To celebrate the 24 years since its release, director Siu-Tung Ching and producer See-Yuen Ng are presenting the remastered, or redux, version on the big screen again. A Top 10 Hong Kong movie in 1987 and winner of two Hong Kong Film Awards, since the death of Cheung in 2003 and Wong's retirement, A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) has been hailed by fans and critics as one of China's best films. Set in ancient China, A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) tells of a young man, Ning Caichen (Cheung), who falls in love with a ghost, Nie Xiaoqian (Joey Wong). The two versions are both inspired by the story (and character) Nie Xiaoqian from The Strange Tales of a Lonely Studio, a classic work of literature consisting of about 500 ghost stories collected by Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) author Pu Songling.

Now it seems that China has caught the remake bug: With A Chinese Ghost Story Redux showing in cinemas since last Saturday and a new version based on the same story, A Chinese Fairy Tale, showing from April 19, it's a box-office battle of the old-but-new. Actors Liu Yifei (left) and Yu Shaoqun in A Chinese Fairy Tale.Īfraid of the dark? Well, don't be: The all-time classic A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), starring legendary Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung is less a horror story and more a romance with the other side – think the Chinese equivalent of Hollywood's Ghost (1990).

A chinese ghost story (2003)