The Land Of Many Perfumes
Monk Tang and his followers, Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy proceed to the West Heaven to collect a sacred book. They come to “The Land of Many Perfumes” which has is entirely populated by females.The Queen of this unusual land plans to marry her daughter to Monk Tang in the hope that she will bear a son. In this unique country, the women reproduce by drinking the waters of the “Fertility Spring,” but their children are only girls.The “Evil Sisters”, Cobra and Scorpion, also have their eyes on Monk Tang but they are afraid of Monkey.However, Monkey soon leaves the group to return to his home when he learns that it is being attacked by evil forces.Monk Tang and his followers receive a joyous welcome to the city where women have never before seen men.The Queen arranges a feast in honour of the visitors. Erotic songs and dances take place for Monk Tang’s pleasure but he is repelled by the performances and leaves the party.The princess who is to be matched with Monk Tang mistakenly takes Pigsy for her prospective groom. She is disappointed by his appearance and gives up the idea of marriage.With her daughter’s rejection and having developed a liking for him herself, the Queen now plans to marry Monk Tang. The princess soon discovers the case of mistaken identity and she starts quarrel with the Queen.The Queen tries to seduce Monk Tang but he rejects her advances. She then plots with her daughter to trick Monk Tang into marrying the princess. While the plot is being carried out, Monkey returns to the scene. He suggests that the Queen’s predicament can be solved by means of guessing. Monk Tang and three others will sit in four sedans. If the princess can guess which sedan Monk Tang is sitting in, she will take him for her husband. The princess guesses correctly.Meanwhile, the sinister “Evil Sisters” turn the princess into a parrot and kill her maid servant. They disguise themselves as the princess and the maid and plot to capture Monk Tang.Monkey, on discovering who the real villains are, changes the parrot back to the princess. The “Evil Sisters” capture Monk Tang and escape. “Monkey” leads his colleagues in a chase after the “Evil Sisters”, kills them and rescues Monk Tang.The Queen realizes her misdeeds and set Monk Tang free to proceed on his way. Monk Tang and his followers, bidding farewell to the Queen and the princess, set off once again for the West Heaven to get the sacred scriptures.
The Monkey Goes West
By order of Emperor Tai Tsung, Tang Hsuan-chuang, also known as Tripitaka, leaves for the West with his attendants in search of certain scriptures.After several days of arduous trekking, the group reaches a forest at sundown and camps for the night. To his consternation, Tripitaka finds all his men have been devoured by wild beasts during the night, and he himself made prisoner of the King of Demons. He manages to flee the devil’s clutches and starts scaling the Five-Finger-Mountain in pitch darkness. He spots Money King, Sun Wu-kung, who has been imprisoned under rocks for several thousand years. Tripitaka sets him free. In gratitude, Monkey subdues the Dragon Prince and gives his White Dragon Steed to Tripitaka for the long and dangerous journey ahead. The grateful Monkey, now converted by the Goddess of Mercy, decides to follow Tripitaka to the West.While passing through Kao Chia Chang, Tripitaka finds a wounded scholar by the roadside. Apparently, Pigsy, a wolf in disguise, plots to take the scholar’s lover, Miss Kao, by force. Monkey goes to the girl’s village and breaks into her boudoir to rescue her. He tells the girl to pretend she is willing to wed Pigsy.On the wedding day, Pigsy uses magic to turn human for the occasion. However, Monkey who is disguised to substitute for the bride traps him. He breaks free from the crowd and runs for his life but is taken prisoner by Monkey.Lord Kao agrees to let his daughter marry the poor scholar. Tripitaka persuades Pigsy to reform. The converted Pigsy pleads with Tripitaka to take him as another follower to the West. Tripitaka agrees and changes his name to Pa-chieh. The master and his two disciples continue their journey through rugged terrain. One day, they come across a house in serene surroundings. A young woman who says she is newly widowed greets the strangers. She shows great care in treating Tripitaka. Her hospitality arouses Monkey’s suspicion. He puts Pigsy on guard duty. As both Tripitaka and Monkey slumber, Pigsy tiptoes out to the backyard and is enthralled by a lovely fantasy - the pretty widow and eight nude maidens playing in a pool. The daydreaming Pigsy is caught red-handed by the widow. Under duress, he helps her steal a charm from Tripitaka. With it, she first bewitches Monkey and then takes Tripitaka away with her to Sandy, King of the River of Flowing Sands, who demands his life. Pigsy and Monkey dash to the spot to rescue their master. Monkey manages to enter a heavily guarded fortress where the priest is just about to be dismembered by Sandy and the widow. Monkey repulses the enemy and hands the master over to Pigsy, while he continues to battle the pursuing outlaws. Tripitaka saves Sandy from Monkey who has already slaughtered the widow. Sandy repents. His tearful words move the master and he is accepted as the third disciple. Mounting the White Dragon Steed, the master and his three followers continue their journey to the West.
Last Woman Of Shang
Around 1100 B.C., King Chou of Ying Shang, a brave and valiant warrior, had vanquished all his neighboring states. After a victorious campaign against his strongest neighbor, he returns in triumph to his capital at Chao Ko. The lords and nobles of his court give him a welcome befitting an all-conquering hero. King Chou proudly rides his war-chariot into the capital amid the acclaim of his people.That night, there is celebration and revelry in the court of King Chou. At the festivities, Pei Kan, a loyal minister, advises King Chou to consolidate his triumphs and develop peace throughout the country, as his foreign campaigns had depleted the national coffers and the people were tired of war. However, King Chou pays little heed to his advice. He orders obsequious minister Fei Chung to exact higher tributes from the vanquished states, and is delighted when Fei Chung replies that he has already sent Yiu Hun to do so.Yiu Hun arrives at Chichow demanding tribute from the Duke of Su. He refuses to accept tributes of brassware and jades, but demands other treasures and beautiful girls. However, Yiu Hun is really interested in Ta Chi, the daughter of the Duke of Su. Ta Chi is a very beautiful and accomplished girl, so Yiu Hun tries to make things difficult for the Duke of Su hoping that he will appease him by offering him his daughter.Ta Chi loves the countryside and often visits it with her lady-in-waiting Chi Yen. One day he meets Chi Fa, the son of the Duke of Sipa. They get along very well, as both are fond of music. They return together to the castle of the Duke of Su. While they’re playing a musical duet, Yiu Hun breaks in on them. Pretending to be drunk, he makes advances on Ta Chi. Seeing this, Chi Fa leaves in disgust. Yiu Hun wants Ta Chi to drink with him, but she refuses. Since King Chou sent him, Chi Yen advises her to humor Yiu Hun. After Chi Yen leaves to get help, Yiu Hun tries to attack Ta Chi, but the Duke of Su arrives in time and orders Yiu Hun to leave immediately.Chichow is struck with famine. The Duke of Su barters the treasures, initially gathered as tribute to King Chou, to neighboring states for grain to feed his hungry people. King Chou is displeased with the Duke of Su, and egged on by Fei Chung and Yiu Hun, sends an army against Chichow. The Duke of Su is defeated and killed in battle. Ta Chi tries to commit suicide but Chi Yen saves and advises her to avenge her father’s death by using her beauty to destroy King Chou.Ta Chi agrees to return to Chao Ko with King Chou. On the way back she frames Yiu Hun for trying to seduce her. Seeped in rage, King Chou orders Yiu Hun executed.Under the spell of Ta Chi’s beauty, King Chou begins to neglect the affairs of state as well as his Queen, who out of jealousy, tries to murder Ta Chi. The attempt fails forcing the Queen to kill herself. King Chou then makes Ta Chi his queen. To satisfy Ta Chi’s whim to reach the stars, King Chou orders a tall tower built. Already impoverished by the constant wars, his subjects are dissatisfied as the Duke of Sipa advises King Chou to stop the project. The King orders him imprisoned.Pei Kan also tries to save King Chou from the spell of Ta Chi, and pleads with him to send her away for his country’s sake. King Chou angrily turns on Pei Kan and orders him to kill himself.Learning that his father is imprisoned, Chi Fa visits him. The Duke of Sipa orders Chi Fa to assassinate Ta Chi. Chi Fa manages to sneak into Ta Chi’s chambers at night and finds her sleeping. But since he can’t bring himself around to killing her, he is arrested. Because Fei Chung suspects that Chi Fa and Ta Chi are having an affair, he suggests to King Chou to have Chi Fa and the Duke of Sipa killed then as a test, feed their cooked flesh to Ta Chi. However, Chi Yen discovers this and informs Ta Chi. Together they save Chi Fa and his father, and two other persons are killed in their place. Ta Chi accuses King Chou of insulting her by feeding her the flesh of a disloyal noble. King Chou angrily turns on Fei Chung, who barely escapes execution.After escaping from prison, Chi Fa and his father conspire with 800 nobles of the land to rebel against King Chou. They launch a lightning attack against Chao Ko. Taken by surprise, King Chou takes refuge in the tower he had built for Ta Chi, but it is quickly surrounded. Fei Chung tries to escape with the treasures of King Chou, but is intercepted by Chi Fa, who kills him.The tower is set on fire and King Chou and Ta Chi are both trapped. Only then does Ta Chi tell King Chou that she had planned his destruction to avenge her father’s death. King Chou tries to strangle her but a falling beam traps him. The tower is burnt to the ground as King Chou and Ta Chi perish in the flames. By the light of the dawn, Chi Fa and ChiYen stand before the smoldering ruins of the tower to mourn the death of Ta Chi.
The Adventures Of Emperor Chien Lung
In 1710 A.D., the 49th year of the reign of Emperor Kang Hsi, the Emperor and members of his household went to the summer resort of Cheng Te. There Yung Cheng, one of his sons, shot a deer and drank its warm blood; this aroused his passions and he forced himself upon Li Chia Shih, an Imperial stable-woman. The Emperor rebuked his son for his action, and look the pregnant girl to his palace stables, where she gave birth to a son, whose name was Hung Li, the fourth son of Yung Cheng.Ten years later, whilst out hunting, Emperor Kang Hsi was attacked by a wild bear, but was rescued by a young boy who managed to kill the beast. The young hero was none other than Hung Li, and in his gratitude, the Emperor took the boy and his mother to his own palace.Hung Li ascended to the throne in 1736 and was named Emperor Chien Lung, and he became the longest ruler in the history of China. Emperor Chien Lung was fond of the company of witty and learned scholars and poets, including Chi Yun and Liu Yung. They used to exchange jokes and pleasantries, and often engaged in battles of wits. It is said that Liu Yung once saved his own life by his witty remarks and humorous tales, which so amused the monarch that he pardoned his indiscretions.The Emperor made a trip to South China, alone and incognito, and visited Yang Chow; there, whilst drinking tea in an inn, he saw a young vegetable hawker in the street, reading a novel. The waiter at the teahouse informed the Emperor that the hawker’s name was Chou Jih-ching, the son of a sick old scholar, and that his interests were reading and practicing martial arts. All of a sudden, a group of soldiers seized Chou, and demanded money from him. The Emperor asked the waiter, “What’s going on with that boy?”, and the waiter told him that the previous year, Emperor Chien Lung had set up a toll office in South China, and the masses were compelled to pay high taxes. Chien Lung was astounded to hear the waiter say “This is all the work of that bastard Chien Lung!” since of course he knew that no taxes had levied by him, and that this could only be the work of corrupt officials. Meanwhile, the soldiers chased Chou into the inn, after his refusal to pay them; the emperor lost no time in siding with Chou to resistthe soldiers and between the two of them, the soldiers were roundly thrashed. The corrupt officials were horrified to learn the identity of the stranger, and upon learning that he was the Emperor, they begged his forgiveness. At that moment, the chief minister and other high dignitaries arrived to escort the Emperor back to Peking, and as promised, the young hawker accompanied the Emperor to the capital.
The Empress Dowager
The Empress Dowager (Lisa Lu), the whimsical monarch of China, wields power for half a century, until 1894, when the time comes for the 60-year-old tyrant to step down. Ceremoniously, she hands over power to Emperor Kuang Hsu (Ti Lung), but she continues to control the fate of the country behind the scenes. Her chief eunuch, Li Lien-ying (Miao Tien), a cunning and treacherous sycophant, sends his subordinate, eunuch Kou Lien-tsai, (David Chiang) to wait upon the Emperor in the Yu Ching Palace. But actually his job is to spy upon the 20-year-old Emperor.Though inexperienced, the Emperor plans to introduce reforms to improve the efficiency of his government. But the Empress Dowager stands in the way. She also prevents the dispatch of Chinese troops to Korea to resist the Japanese invaders, on the grounds that China is not yet prepared for war against Japan.Realizing that the Emperor is rather lukewarm towards his spouse, Empress Chin Feng (Ivy Ling Po), it is then proposed by the Empress Dowager that he should take Li Chieh-erh (Tanny Tien Ni), the younger sister of Li Lien-ying, as a concubine. But he rejects the proposal, and takes instead two sisters Concubine Chin (Chen Ping), and Concubine Chen (Hsiao Yao), who are recommended by his tutor, Weng Tung-ho (Chang Ying). As the emperor takes more interest in Concubine Chen than the others, she is placed in an unenviable position.Emperor Kuang Hsu and his senior minister, Weng Tung-ho, propose to use force to expel the Japanese from Korea, whereas the Empress Dowager and Li hung-chang, (Ku Feng) who is the minister of foreign and military affairs, advocate a policy of appeasement. Later on, the Emperor is so excited by news of a Chinese victory in Korea, that he asks the Empress Dowager’s approval to declare war on Japan. At first, the Empress Dowager disapproves of the idea, because she does not want to aggravate the situation. Meanwhile, news spreads to the effect that Japan has declare war on China. Hence, the Empress Dowager, cannot but bow to the wish of the Emperor.No sooner has open warfare started, than the Japanese begin to demonstrate their military superiority by thrashing the Ching army in Korea, and the vaunted Ching North Ocean Fleet in the Yellow Sea. As China reels under the Japanese blows, the Emperor becomes infuriated, and cashiers some of his own high-ranking ministers, including those who are henchmen of the Empress Dowager. She retaliates by hunter-charging the Emperor with being a hawk. The Emperor wants to leave the palace with Concubine Chen, when it dawns upon him that he is after all a puppet. The Empress Dowager sends Li Hung-chang to seek peace with the advancing Japanese. Meanwhile, discord is down between the Empress Dowager and Concubine Chen, when Li Lien-ying and Li Chieh-erh spread a rumor about an affair between the concubine and an actor, Cheng (Tien Ching).The conflict between the Empress Dowager and Kuang Hsu grows after the capitulation of China to the Japanese. Eunuch Kou Lien-tsai is conscience-sticken, as he is impressed by the sincerity, as well as the patriotism of the Emperor and the reformers. Therefore the eunuch petitions the Empres Dowager for her support to the enlightened policy of the Emperor whose aim is to make China strong. But instead of heeding it, she orders Kou to be put to death. The tragic incident is a shock to many, especially Emperor Kuang Hsu, who finds solace in the arms of his beloved Concubine Chen.
The Cave Of Silken Web
Monk Tang Hsuan-chuang, also known as Tripitaka, continues his Westward journey in search of Buddhist scriptures, accompanied by disciples Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy. Little do they know they are being wat ched by the Seven Spiders, mistresses of the fog shrouded Cave of Silken Web.These beautiful spiders, bent on achieving immortality by eating Tripitaka’s flesh, watch the procession through a crystal ball. The Golden Spider, eldest of the seven, sets a trap for the monk.The clever Monkey stops Tripitaka from entering the first trap, a devil’s den camouflaged as a cottage. Cries of help lead Monkey to another place where a girl is being pursued by a devil. But Monkey realises the girl is actually the Green Spider and he catches her. Meanwhile, the monk is abducted by the other spiders with Pigsy and Sandy caught by their silken web.Monkey rushes to their rescue. A fight starts in front of the Cave of Silken Web. Monkey loses and asks Pigsy to help but the Green Spider captures him. Sandy and Monkey learn from the Old Man of the Earth that only Magic Fire can get them into the Cave. Sandy is sent to borrow the fire.Monkey manages to sneak into the cave where the she spiders, in on orgy, attempt to seduce Tripitaka. Monkey has a good time in fooling the spiders. Sandy comes in with the fire only to have it stolen by Centipede posing as Monkey.The Green Spider tries to abduct the monk and is killed by Golden Spider. Red Spider now conspires with Centipede to kidnap Tripitaka. In the turmoil, Monkey regains the Magic Fire and storms in. He cannot find the monk who has been led away by Red Spider. Monkey comes to his rescue. The other spiders also arrive on the scene. In the melee, Monkey destroys all his opponents and demolishes the cave.Monk Tripitaka and his three followers resume their sacred quest.
The Last Tempest
In 1898, China was under the reign of Emperor Kuang Hsu of the Ching Dynasty, but the Empress Dowager (Lisa Lu), who had retired to the Summer Palace, was the real power behind the throne.Implementing the reform program formulated by Kang Yu-wei (Ling Yun), Tan Szu-tung (Yueh Hua) and other government ministers imbued with Western ideas, the emperor (Ti Lung) institutes a series of new measures, including the abolition of the traditional bureaucratic system, the imperial examination and feudalistic titles.But the emperor finds himself in confrontation with the conservative Empress Dowager, who is egged on by her old followers to take over the reins of state.Meanwhile, the wily, ambitious General Yuan Shih-kai, on whose military support he often counted on, betrays the emperor.When the emperor’s plot to strip the Empress Dowager of power is divulged, the latter detains him in the Ying Tai Palace and disgraces his beloved Concubine Chen (Hsiao Yao). Cherishing eternal love for her, he risks his life to rendezvous with her. Although the Empress Dowager engineers reconciliation between them, he remains estranged from Empress Chin (Ivy Ling Po).With the help of a faithful eunuch, Wang Shang, the emperor succeeds in fleeing from Ying Tai, but many of his close followers and his beloved Mistress Chen are arrested and executed afterwards.The sweet romance between Emperor Kuang Hsu and Concubine Chen is still talked about in China today.
Princess Iron Fan
Tripitaka resumes his journey west in search of Buddhist scriptures accompanied by Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy. They pass the Flame Mountain. Princess Iron Fan, to avenge the capture of her son Red Boy by Monkey, again sets the mountain alight and the spreading flames block the path of the travelers.The fire can only be extinguished by a magic palm-leaf owned by Princess Iron Fan. Repeatedly refused by the Princess, Monkey manages to obtain the fan by a ruse. He is enraged when he discovers she has given him a fake. Monkey now impersonates Ox Demon, the Princess’ husband, during his absence from home. He nearly succeeds in seducing the Princess before her husband’s return puts an end to his scheme.The Princess and Ox Demon now trap Monkey, only to see him escape when the Heavenly Guards capture Ox Demon. Monkey uses the magic fan to douse the flames and the party continues westward. New enemies appear. Madam White Bone and her sisters change into innocent young girls in order to seize Tripitaka and eat him. They believe the monk’s flesh will make them immortal. Pigsy meets two of the girls and takes them to Tripitaka. Luckily, Monkey returns in time to kill the female demons before they can do any harm. But Madam White Bone is not so easily vanquished. An old couple appears on the scene to bemoan the fate of their slain “daughters.” Monkey however, suspects it’s a trick and kills the couple on the spot.Madam White Bone and her sisters now pretend to be divine messengers from Heaven who prompt Tripitaka into sending Monkey away. Soon the monk is hopelessly trapped and Pigsy escapes to beg Monkey’s help. Monkey feigns refusal and Pigsy rushes back to the White Bone Palace.Tripitaka is now about to be cooked and eaten. Suddenly Golden Toad, the mother of White Bone, appears. The proud daughter cannot resist reconstructing the monk’s capture for her mother’s amusement. Tripitaka regrets bitterly having wronged Monkey. Golden Toad, who is actually Monkey in disguise, now reveals himself and the palace is destroyed. Once more, the foursome starts off on their journey to the West.
