"Nie Yinniang" (Chinese: 聶隱娘, Niè Yǐnniáng) is a short story written in

Classical Chinese Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning "literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning "literar ...

by Pei Xing, a Chinese writer who lived during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

.Accessed 1.1.2016 The story is set in 9th century China and tells the story of Nie Yinniang who was trained in martial arts from a young age. She is the daughter of Nie Feng, a general under Tian Ji'an, the ruler of the ''de facto'' independent '' fanzhen'' of

Weibo Weibo may refer to: * Microblogging in China, or China-based microblogging services (), including: ** NetEase Weibo (), launched by NetEase ** People's Weibo (), launched by ''People's Daily'' ** Phoenix Weibo (), launched by Phoenix Television ** W ...

. The story was published in the collection ''Pei Xing Chuanqi'' (Chinese: 裴鉶传奇).Accessed 16.12.2015

Plot

At the age of 12, Nie Yinniang was placed under a spell, and taught the arts of fencing and stealthy kungfu, enabling her to assassinate targets undetected. After five years of training, Nie is sent home to her father, but because of Yinniang's exceptional kungfu skills, her father is petrified. Fearful of his daughter, he was also reluctant to ask Nie why she regularly disappears after dusk without explanation. With better insight into the human condition, Nie Yinniang chooses a man who makes his living by polishing mirrors as her husband. After the death of her father, the general Tian Ji'an sees Nie's advanced skills and hires her as an assistant. During the reign of Tang Xian Zong, Tian Ji'an developed an adversarial relationship with Liu Changyi, another famous general at that time. This adversary seeks out the advice of a spiritual leader with renowned prophetic skill. Nie turns on Ji'an and works for Liu. Furious, he sends Jingjinger to slay both Nie Yinniang and Liu Changyi – but he fails and Nie kills him instead. Tian Ji'an escalates the battle, sending Kongkonger to assassinate Liu, but Nie foils the assassination attempt. Finally, Liu Changyi is safe and treats Nie better than ever. A few years later, after Liu moves to the capital to work for the emperor, Nie bids him farewell, She later remembers him at his funeral, where she attends his coffin to show respect and to mourn.

Movie adaptation

'' The Assassin'' () is a 2015

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

directed by Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien.Accessed 16.12.2015 At

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...

, Hou won the award for Best Director for this film. It was released in China on 27 August 2015. It was selected as the Taiwanese entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

88th Academy Awards The 88th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2015 and took place on February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m. PST. Dur ...

References

{{wikisourcelang, zh, 太平廣記/卷第194 Short stories set in the Tang dynasty Short stories by Pei Xing Short stories adapted into films Fiction about assassinations Fiction set in the 8th century Fiction set in the 9th century Short stories set in Hebei Stories within Taiping Guangji Short stories set in Henan Wuxia short stories Short stories set in Sichuan

Plot

Movie adaptation

See also

References