''Jade Goddess of Mercy'' or ''Goddess of Mercy'' () is a 2003 film directed by

Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Hon ...

, starring

Zhao Wei Zhao Wei (; born 12 March 1976), also known as Vicky Zhao or Vicki Zhao, is a Chinese actress, businesswoman, film director, producer and pop singer. She is considered one of the most popular actresses in China and Chinese-speaking regions, an ...

and

Nicholas Tse Nicholas Tse Ting-fung (born 29 August 1980) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and chef.EEGmusic.EEGmusic." ''Nicolas Tse profile.'' Retrieved on 22 April 2008. As multi talented celebrity, he became a TV ch ...

. It was adapted from a novel from Chinese writer Hai Yan. The title comes from a necklace featuring

Kuan Yin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk reli ...

, the "Goddess of Mercy". In 2003 Hai Yan also produced a TV serial based on his novel, starring Sun Libr>

Plot

Yang Rui is a handsome

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

executive who is bored with his easy life and numerous female conquests. He is having an affair with his female boss, and in general seems to despise women and relationships. He hears about a woman named He Yanhong who is from out of town, beautiful but mysterious and quite reclusive. He soon falls in love with her, despite the fact that she rejects his advances and appears to have few friends. When she kicks him in the head after coming on too strongly, she shows some regret and compassion, nursing him back to health and they develop a friendship. He Yanhong tells him her nickname is An Xin ("peace" in English). Unfortunately, Yang Rui's scorned female boss becomes jealous, reveals she has been spying on the young couple, arranges for He Yanhong to lose her job, reveals that she has a child, and then frames him for accepting an illegal kickback that briefly sends Yang Rui to prison. He Yanhong arranges for a lawyer to free Yang Rui from prison, and he tracks her down, discovering that her real name is actually An Xin, and that she moved to Beijing to escape a disastrous

love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...

that led to her former husband's death and threatens both her life and that of her child, Xiong. In revealing herself to Yang Rui, he learns the following: An Xin was an up-and-coming police officer in

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

Province of southern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, engaged to a journalist named Tiejun who also has a promising career. Before the date of their marriage, An Xin has a chance encounter with Mao Jie, with whom she has a brief but emotionally intense romantic fling. Neither is honest about their career, and only during a drug sting operation does An Xin discover that Mao Jie is part of a drug dealing family. Since neither knew the other's true profession, she is forced to testify against Mao Jie and his parents receive the death penalty. However Mao Jie is able to convince a judge to set him free because of accusations that An Xin may have framed him to exit their now extinguished love affair. In retribution, Mao Jie and his brother kills An Xin's husband to avenge his parents' death and her betrayal. From then on An Xin's life slowly unravels as she tries to build a new life while hiding from the Mao brothers.

Cast

- An Xin *

- Maojie * Liu Yunlong - Yang Rui *

Chen Jianbin Chen Jianbin (born June 27, 1970) is a Chinese actor active in television and film. He is most notable for the portrayal of Cao Cao in the 2010 television series ''Three Kingdoms (TV series), Three Kingdoms''; as well as his performance in ''Dec ...

- Tiejun * Chen Abao - Tiejun's mother * Dong Yangyang - Xiao Xiong (Baby) * Fu Qiang - Mao's father * Gao Zhilan - Mao's mother * Hong Jiantao - Liu Minghao * Liu Guanghou - Lao Qian * Lun Zhu - Xiao Kang * Niu Li - Zhong Ning * Su Jiatong - Xiao Xiong (An Xin's son) * Tang Jinglin - Mao Fang

Reception

*"Despite plot twists that strain credulity, the film works, thanks mostly to Zhao's soulful performance as a cop torn between love, duty and motherhood. With her elfin stature, Zhao couldn't intimidate a jaywalker, but her convincing portrayal confirms her status as one of China's best actresses. Goddess's real success is its rewarding fusion of mainstream mainland actors with Hong Kong indie vision, pointing the way for future cross-border collaborations. When Zhao and Tse exchange smoldering glances (and occasional gunfire), one country, two systems never looked so good."--

TIME Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

(Asia edition)''Love Hurts-Jade Goddess of Mercy is a mix of blood and tears''
TIME Magazine2004-05-03
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Awards and nominations

26th Moscow International Film Festival The 26th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 18 to 27 July 2004. The Golden George was awarded to the Russian film '' Our Own'' directed by Dmitriy Meshiev. Jury * Alan Parker (United Kingdom – Chairman of the Jury) * Jerzy Stu ...

* Nominated: Golden George 10th Golden Phoenix Awards * Won: Female Actor Award (

) 5th Chinese Film Media Awards * Nominated: Best Actress (

) * Nominated: Best Supporting Actor(

Sun Haiying Sun Haiying (; born 7 October 1956) is a Chinese actor. Sun is noted for his roles as Shi Guangrong and Hong Qigong in the television series ''The Years of Intense Emotion'' (2001) and ''The Legend of the Condor Heroes'' (2002) respectively. He ...

) 27th Hundred Flowers Awards * Nominated: Best Film * Nominated: Best Actor (

) 8th Verona Film Festival * Won: Audience Award * Nominated: Best Film

References

External links

*
HK cinemagic entry

Goddess Of Mercy at tcm.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jade Goddess Of Mercy Hong Kong films 2003 films 2000s Mandarin-language films Films directed by Ann Hui Films set in Yunnan Films based on Chinese novels Chinese crime films Chinese romance films