Temptation of a Monk
1993 film by Clara Law
Temptation of a Monk (Chinese: 誘僧; Cantonese Yale: Yáuh Jāng; pinyin: Yòu Sēng) is a 1993 Hong Kong period drama film directed by Clara Law based on Pik Wah Lee's novel of the same name. The film stars Joan Chen and Wu Hsing-kuo in the lead roles. Its plot follows a monk named Jing-yi and his haunting past, and a lady assassin who was sent to kill him. The film was banned in China.
Synopsis
Set in Tang dynasty China, General Shi Yan-sheng (Hsing-Kuo Wu) was tricked by his friend General Huo Da (Zhang Fengyi) into forsaking his lord Crown Prince Li, whose entire household was murdered in the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Dishonored, Shi swore revenge upon Huo for the treachery but was forced to flee and seek refuge as a Buddhist monk. His mother (Lisa Lu) had committed suicide, and his lover Princess Scarlet (Joan Chen) was later killed in an ambush when one of his surviving comrades betrayed them for bounty. Devastated and heartbroken, Shi wandered around the country and ended up in a ruined mountain monastery attended by only a lonely senile monk, changing his name to Jing-yi.
One day, a widow named Violet, who had striking resemblances with the deceased Scarlet, visited the monastery and decided to become a nun. Initially, Jing-yi was disturbed by Violet's presence but later fell for her seduction, unaware that she was actually an assassin sent by Huo.
“Temptation of a Monk” enters the record as 1993 film by Clara Law. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Temptation, Monk and film can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7699037. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1993.
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