When the women of her time had their feet bound to please men, Qiu Jin was already questioning the sexual inequality of feudal traditions. Free-spirited and well-educated, she grew up practicing martial arts and was as well versed in poetry as she was in sword-fighting. When this rebellious girl moved to Beijing with her husband, she witnessed how her country was raided and ravaged by foreign powers. With the encouragement of her neighbor Wu Zhiying, the wife of righteous magistrate Li Zhongyue, Qiu Jin left her family behind to pursue study in Japan. There, she met some like-minded schoolmates who shared her ideals, including revolutionary leader Xu Xilin, and secretly joined his anti-Qing cause. After returning to China, Qiu Jin participated in the uprisings staged by Xu Xilin, leading a small group of hot-blooded students against the armed forces of the corrupt Qing government...
Acting
Crystal Huang Yi's fierce, heartbreaking transformation
Cinematography
Stunning contrast of delicate interiors and brutal battlefields
Production
Meticulous period detail that makes the Qing era suffocatingly real
Director
Herman Yau
Crystal Huang Yi
Qiu Jin
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
Li Zhongyue
Dennis To Yu-Hang
Xu Xilin
Rose Chan Ka-Wun
Fusheng
Kevin Cheng Ka-Wing
Wang Tingjun
Pat Ha Man-Jik
Wu Zhiying
Lam Suet
Gui Fu
Xiong Xinxin
Ao Feng
Wong Yau-Nam
Chen Boping
Awayne Liu
Liu Daoyi
Mia Yam
Chen Fen
Chui Tien-You
Chen Tianhua
Liu Gang
Owodog Chuang
Lau Siu-Ming
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Qiu Jin is literally on Chinese currency (the 100 yuan note) yet most Western audiences have never heard of her. Herman Yau fought for years to get this made because studios kept calling her 'too obscure.'
Crystal Huang Yi trained in wushu for eight months and performed most stunts herself, including the final execution scene which was filmed in a single devastating take.
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