Farewell My Concubine (Chinese: 霸王别姬, lit. "The Hegemon-King Bids Farewell to His Concubine") is a 1993 Chinese film directed by Chen Kaige. It stars Leslie Cheung, Gong Li, and Zhang Fengyi. The film is based on a novel by Lilian Lee and follows events in 20th-century China, from the early years of the Republic of China to the time after the Cultural Revolution. It tells the story of three Peking opera actors—Cheng Dieyi, Duan Xiaolou, and Gong Juxian, Xiaolou’s wife—and how their personal lives and relationships are affected by the political and social changes of their time.
The film explores themes such as confusion about identity and the difficulty of telling the difference between real life and life on stage, as shown through the character of Dieyi, who loves Xiaolou but is never returned with the same feelings. It also highlights the political and social challenges faced in 20th-century China, a common focus of Chinese Fifth Generation cinema.
The film was first shown in Hong Kong on January 1, 1993. Critics praised it, and it shared the Palme d'Or award with The Piano at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Chinese-language film to win this honor. It later received a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and a BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language. It was also nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film.
A few weeks after its release in China, government officials requested changes to the film because of its portrayal of traditional values and political topics, including the Communist Youth League of China. While the film was allowed to be shown in Beijing, the government opposed its depiction of homosexuality, gender identity, a character’s suicide, and the turmoil of China in the 1960s.
The film was approved for a second showing in September 1993, less than a year after its initial release. However, state censors removed 14 minutes of the film. Officials believed that allowing a re-release, rather than banning it completely, would reduce international criticism and support China’s effort to host the 2000 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Farewell My Concubine is considered one of the most important films from the Fifth Generation movement, which helped bring Chinese filmmakers to global attention. In 2005, the film was named one of the "100 Best Films in Global History" by Time magazine.
Plot
In 1924, in Peking, a young boy named Douzi was left behind by his mother, who was a prostitute, and sent to live with a Peking opera group led by Master Guan. Many opera leaders, like Master Guan, took in children without parents to train them as actors. At the group, Douzi was teased by other children because of his mother’s background, but he became friends with another boy, Shitou, who had the ability to smash rocks with his head.
As teenagers, Douzi trained to play dan roles, which are for female heroines, while Shitou learned jing roles, for male heroes. While practicing the play Dreaming of the World Outside the Nunnery, Douzi mistakenly said, “I am by nature a boy, not a girl,” instead of the correct line. He was punished physically for this mistake. Douzi and another student, Laizi, tried to run away. Laizi used Douzi’s coins to buy candied hawthorns, but Douzi decided to continue training after being inspired by an opera performance. When they returned, the group was being punished for their escape, and Douzi took Shitou’s place to be beaten. Laizi later ate the hawthorns and died by hanging.
Na Kun, a person who funded opera plays, visited the group to find talented actors. When Douzi repeated his mistake in front of Na Kun, Shitou told him to start over. Douzi finally performed the entire speech correctly and earned Na Kun’s support. The group was invited to perform for a powerful man named Zhang. At Zhang’s home, Douzi and Shitou saw a finely made sword, which Shitou promised to give to Douzi one day, as a hero might give a gift to a loved one. Zhang asked to meet Douzi alone and attacked him. Shitou knew what happened, but Douzi did not speak about it. On the way home, Douzi found an abandoned baby, who later trained under Master Guan.
Years later, Douzi and Shitou became famous opera stars, known as Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou. Their most famous play was Farewell My Concubine, where Dieyi played Consort Yu and Xiaolou played Xiang Yu. Before each performance, Dieyi would finish Xiaolou’s makeup as a small act of care. Their fame reached a high-ranking official named Yuan Shiqing, who had the sword from Zhang’s house and gave it to Dieyi. Though Yuan pursued Dieyi, Dieyi secretly loved Xiaolou, who met a strong-willed prostitute named Juxian. After Juxian bought her freedom with her silk shoes to be with Xiaolou, Xiaolou married her, and Dieyi stopped helping Xiaolou with his makeup. The complicated love between Dieyi, Xiaolou, and Juxian, along with political changes after the Second Sino-Japanese War, caused jealousy and betrayal. When Master Guan died, the baby Douzi had rescued, now named Xiao Si, began training under Dieyi to learn dan roles.
During the war, the opera was closed by the Japanese, and Xiaolou was jailed. Juxian asked Dieyi to help free Xiaolou, so Dieyi agreed to perform for the Japanese in exchange for Xiaolou’s release. After the war, the Kuomintang military arrested Dieyi for performing for the Japanese, which was considered treason. His arrest caused a fight, and Juxian lost the baby she was carrying. Xiaolou and Juxian begged Yuan for help, and he agreed after Juxian threatened to expose him. During Dieyi’s trial, witnesses lied, claiming Dieyi was forced to perform, but he denied this. The military interrupted the trial, and Dieyi was released on bail to perform for the new government. Later, Dieyi became addicted to opium.
When the communist forces won the civil war, Yuan was sentenced to death, and Xiao Si became a supporter of the new government. He questioned Dieyi about his views on new plays and accused him of being a capitalist after Dieyi refused to answer. Dieyi’s addiction hurt his performances, but Xiaolou and Juxian helped him recover. Xiao Si grew angry with Dieyi for strict training and took over Dieyi’s role in Farewell My Concubine during a performance. Xiaolou refused at first but continued after Xiao Si threatened him about politics. Heartbroken, Dieyi stopped
Production
Chen Kaige was most famous for his earlier film, Yellow Earth, which used a simple and direct style. For Farewell My Concubine, he aimed to create a film that was both popular and artistic. In 1988, Chen received a copy of Lilian Lee's novel. He found the story "compelling" but thought the emotional parts of the novel were "a bit thin." After meeting with Lee, they hired Chinese writer Lu Wei to write the screenplay. In 1991, Lu completed the first draft of the screenplay.
Jackie Chan was first considered to play the role of Cheng Dieyi but turned down the offer. Later, John Lone tried to get the role but could not move forward due to contract issues with producer Hsu Feng.
Leslie Cheung, a Hong Kong actor, was included in the film to attract audiences because melodramas were not widely popular at the time. It was reported that this was the first film in which Cheung spoke Mandarin. However, most of his lines were recorded by Beijing actor Yang Lixin. Director Chen kept Cheung's original voice in two scenes where his voice showed signs of physical and mental struggle. Gong Li was cast in one of the main roles because of her fame on the international stage.
Historical background
The film is based on five important times in Chinese history, such as the late Qing Dynasty, the Republican Era, the Japanese occupation, and the Cultural Revolution. This helps the film show how personal stories are connected to Chinese history.
The film uses traditional Chinese opera, like Peking opera, to show the characters' feelings. Peking opera is included in the movie, so viewers see two stories at once: the movie and the opera. This helps the story move forward and shows the characters' emotions. In Peking opera, each makeup shows a role. In the film, Cheng Dieyi starts by refusing a male dan mask, then accepts it, and finally can't tell if he's male or female. This makes his role as a concubine mix real life and performance.
Cheng Dieyi is also influenced by the society and politics of his time, which affect his identity as an artist and person. Roger Ebert said that Dieyi was "raised by the opera as a homosexual whether or not he agrees," showing how society and culture shape identity.
Ebert also praised the film's story, saying it "helps viewers feel what life was like in China during those times." The film looks at how traditional art, like Peking opera, survives. It's both a cultural base and a place for personal struggles. Director Chen Kaige's own experiences during the Cultural Revolution, like denouncing his father, made the film more real. This challenges the strict gender rules in Maoist China. During the Cultural Revolution, the political group targeted Cheng's identity and old traditions, showing how politics controlled personal identity.
Release
The film was first shown in Shanghai in July 1993 but was taken off of movie screens after two weeks for further review by censors. It was later banned in August. During this time, government censorship was common in films made after Mao Zedong’s rule. Films that had political messages the government did not agree with, such as Judou and Raise the Red Lantern, were often removed from theaters. However, the film won the Palme d'Or, a top award, at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. This caused strong reactions from people around the world. Officials allowed the film to be shown again in September because they believed the ban could hurt China’s chances of hosting the 2000 Summer Olympics. When the film returned, some parts were changed. Scenes about the Cultural Revolution and homosexuality were removed, and the final scene was altered to make it less harsh.
During the 1990s, the Chinese government worked to improve the country’s image after political events, such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. Scholar David Shambaugh explains that the government’s goals included making it look like the government was united, keeping the military loyal, restoring order, controlling provinces, managing the economy, and defining China’s role in the world after the Cold War.
Leslie Cheung had not yet publicly shared that he was bisexual at the time. His acting in the film was genuine. However, because of traditional views on homosexuality in Chinese-speaking areas and government rules, the film was not shown at other Chinese-language film festivals before it was released in theaters.
The film was shown in three theaters on October 15, 1993, and earned $69,408 in its first weekend. It made $5,216,888 in the United States.
In 2005, about 25,000 Hong Kong movie fans voted it their favorite Chinese-language film of the century. It came after Wong Kar-wai’s Days of Being Wild.
International audience
Some critics note that Chen made the film to appeal to both local and international viewers, as Chen understood how people outside China might view and think about sexuality in the country.
At the Cannes Film Festival, the movie won the top award, the Palme d'Or. Harvey Weinstein, a leader at Miramax, bought the rights to show the film and cut fourteen minutes, creating a version that is 157 minutes long. This is the version shown in movie theaters in the United States and United Kingdom.
In Peter Biskind's book, Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film, Louis Malle, the head of the Cannes jury that year, said: "The film we loved so much at Cannes is not the same film shown in the United States. It is twenty minutes shorter, but it feels longer because it is confusing. It was better before those changes were made."
The full, uncut version of the film, which is 171 minutes long, was released on DVD by Miramax.
In the fall of 2023, a company called Film Movement showed a restored version of the film in movie theaters to celebrate its 30th anniversary. This was the first time the complete, uncut version was shown in North American theaters.
Later, The Criterion Collection announced plans to release a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray version of the film in July 2024.
Reception
Roger Ebert gave the film four stars, saying the story was "almost unbelievably ambitious" and was made with "freedom and energy." Vincent Canby of The New York Times praised the film for its "action, history, exotic color" and said the acting by Gong Li, Leslie Cheung, and Zhang Fengyi was strong. David Denby of New York criticized the film's "spectacle" but believed it would be well-received internationally, showing a story of love and culture in difficult times. Hal Hinson of The Washington Post noted the film's "deep love for the theater, its colors, its vitality, and even its harsh challenges." Desson Howe from the same publication had mixed feelings, saying the first part of the film was powerful but the ending became "slow and less focused."
The film was listed in The New York Times' 2004 "Best 1000 Movies Ever Made" and Time's 2005 "Best Movies of All Time." It ranked No. 97 in Empire magazine's 2010 list of "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" and No. 1 in Time Out's 2014 list of "100 Best Mainland Chinese Films." On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 90% approval rating based on 52 reviews, with an average score of 8.40/10. Critics said the film is "grand in scope and presentation" and "both horrifying and enthralling." Metacritic gave it a score of 84 out of 100 based on 28 reviews, meaning it received "universal acclaim." The BBC ranked it No. 12 in its 2018 list of "100 Greatest Foreign Language Films." It was also ranked No. 55 on the Hong Kong Film Awards Association's 2005 list of "Best 100 Chinese-Language Motion Pictures." In 2005, the public voted it the most beloved film in Hong Kong in a poll by Handerson ArtReach.
The film is one of the few mainstream Chinese films with a gay main character and is now part of the LGBTQ+ film collection in Chinese cinema. However, how the film shows homosexuality, compared to the original novel, has caused discussion. At the film's premiere, Leslie Cheung said, "Chen Kaige once told me, 'This is 1992, not 1929. People's views on homosexuality should not be as sensitive as before.' I was deeply moved by those words." In 2002, Cheung said in a lecture, "In the novel, Lilian Lee's portrayal of homosexuality is clear, accepting, and natural. However, Chen Kaige's film version shows extreme dislike of homosexuality, making it harder to see gay people as independent."
Cheung said the film added more details about the character Ju Xian, played by Gong Li, to "balance the gay themes in the story," which he believed showed the director's hesitation to address same-sex relationships. He also said, "During filming, my performance had to make up for the director's avoidance of homosexual themes, and I did my best within my limits. If the film had been more faithful to the novel and developed its gay themes further, it might have been even more respected than my later film, Happy Together."
The film was widely praised by international audiences for its wide view of modern Chinese history and its bold handling of difficult topics like the Cultural Revolution and a gay main character. International success was helped by partnerships between mainland China and Hong Kong, which allowed Chinese filmmakers to reach global audiences while avoiding some restrictions at home.
- 6th – Joan Vadeboncoeur, Syracuse Herald American
- Top 10 (not ranked) – Dennis King, Tulsa World
At the Cannes Film Festival, the film won the Palme d'Or along with Jane Campion's The Piano from New Zealand. Farewell My Concubine was the first and, as of 2025, the only Chinese-language film to win the Palme d'Or.