A Chinese Odyssey

Synopsis

Stephen Chow's genre-defying masterpiece that transforms Journey to the West into a heartbreaking love story disguised as a madcap comedy. Douban 9.2 — the highest-rated Hong Kong film ever.

Overview

A Chinese Odyssey (大话西游) is a 1995 two-part Hong Kong film written and directed by Jeffrey Lau, starring Stephen Chow. Loosely based on the classic novel Journey to the West, the films reinvent the beloved tale as a wild comedy that gradually reveals itself as a devastating love story. Part Two: Cinderella (大圣娶亲) holds a Douban rating of 9.2, making it the highest-rated Hong Kong film on the platform.

Produced with a massive budget of over 60 million HKD — with Chow himself as an investor — the films were commercial failures upon release. It was only years later, through VCD distribution and internet culture, that they were recognized as masterpieces and became deeply embedded in Chinese popular culture.

Plot Summary

Part One: Pandora's Box

Joker (Stephen Chow) is the leader of a bandit gang who accidentally obtains the Pandora's Box, a magical artifact that allows time travel. Demons from 500 years in the past — Spring Thirty (Yammie Lam) and Bak Jing-jing (Karen Mok) — arrive seeking to eat the monk Tripitaka's flesh. Jing-jing and Joker develop feelings for each other, but a misunderstanding leads to tragedy. Joker uses the Pandora's Box to travel back in time to save her.

Part Two: Cinderella

Joker is transported 500 years into the past, where he meets Zixia (Athena Chu), a fairy with a prophecy: whoever can draw her Purple Green Sword is her destined lover. Joker unintentionally draws the sword, and Zixia becomes convinced they are fated to be together.

Initially indifferent, Joker only wants to return to his own time to save Jing-jing. But as the story unfolds, he gradually realizes his true feelings for Zixia. The cruel irony is that to gain the power to save her, he must accept his destiny as the Monkey King — and putting on the golden headband means renouncing all worldly desires and love.

The film's most iconic moment is Joker's monologue before donning the headband: "Once, a sincere love was placed before me, but I did not cherish it. When I lost it, I regretted deeply. This is the most painful thing in the world. If heaven could give me one more chance, I would say three words to that girl: I love you. If this love must have a deadline, I wish it would be ten thousand years." This monologue has become the most quoted line in Chinese cinema history.

Cast

Cultural Impact

A Chinese Odyssey represents one of the most remarkable reversals of fortune in film history. Earning only about 15 million RMB at the box office, it was initially deemed a flop. Yet from around 1997, the films spread through VCDs and campus culture, becoming a generational touchstone.

The "sincere love" monologue is recited by virtually every young Chinese person. The films spawned countless fan works, academic papers, and cultural discussions. Chinese universities even hosted academic conferences analyzing the films' philosophical themes.

From a scholarly perspective, A Chinese Odyssey pioneered postmodern deconstruction in Chinese cinema. It dismantled the grand narrative of Journey to the West through absurdist humor, exploring fate, love, sacrifice, and self-redemption beneath the surface of slapstick comedy. The experience of "laughing until you cry" set a standard that countless Chinese comedies have tried to replicate but none have surpassed.

References

1. Douban: 大圣娶亲
2. Douban: 月光宝盒
3. Wikipedia: A Chinese Odyssey
4. IMDb: A Chinese Odyssey Part One