Nie Xiaoqian is a fantasy story in Pu Songling's short story collection Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, and the name of its female lead character. [1] Pu describes her appearance as "gorgeous; girl in paintings" (traditional Chinese: 艷絕；畫中人; simplified Chinese: 艳绝；画中人). The story has been adapted into numerous films and television dramas. The name is commonly rendered as Nip Siu Sin in Hong Kong adaptations in accordance with its Cantonese pronunciation.
| "Nie Xiaoqian" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short story by Pu Songling | |||
 19th-century illustration from Xiangzhu liaozhai zhiyi tuyong (Liaozhai with commentary and illustrations; 1886) | |||
| Translator | Sidney L. Sondergard | ||
| Country | China | ||
| Language | Chinese | ||
| Genre(s) | Zhiguai | ||
| Publication | |||
| Published in | Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio | ||
| Publication type | Anthology | ||
| Publication date | c. 1740 | ||
| Published in English | 2008 | ||
| Chronology | |||
| |||
| Nie Xiaoqian | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 聶小倩 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 聂小倩 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Plot
editNie Xiaoqian is introduced as a beautiful female ghost. She died at the age of 18 and was interred in an old temple in Jinhua, Zhejiang. Nie is coerced to participate in ritual murders in the service of a demon. A pale-faced scholar, Ning Caichen, is going to Beijing to take a civil service examination. Though Nie attempts to prey upon Ning Caichen, he resists her and takes her from the demon. As Ning's sickly wife slowly dies, Nie fulfills expectations of filial piety as she takes upon the household chores. Once Ning's wife dies, he is free to pursue Nie. Nie's good works earn her humanity back. She and Ning marry and conceive a child, representative of Nie's restoration.[2]
Film and television
edit| Year | Title | Chinese Title | Actress | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | The Enchanting Shadow | 《倩女幽魂》 | Betty Loh Ti | |
| 1975 | Chinese Folklore: Nie Xiaoqian | 《民間傳奇之聶小倩》 | Wen Lau-mei | |
| Blue Lamp in a Winter Night | 《寒夜青燈》 | Qin Meng | ||
| 1981 | Nie Xiaoqian | 《聂小倩》 | Geng Xiaolu | |
| 1982 | Nie Xiaoqian | 《聂小倩》 | Chen Xiaoxu | |
| 1984 | The Nocturnal Legends | 《聊齋夜話之聶小倩》 | Zhuang Jing'er | |
| 1987 | A Chinese Ghost Story | 《倩女幽魂》 | Joey Wong | [3][4] |
| 1991 | 《古墓荒斋》 | Hu Tian'ge | ||
| 1994 | Spirit in an Old Temple | 《古庙倩魂》 | Hui Juanyan | |
| 1995 | Ghost Catcher - Legend of Beauty | 《天師鍾馗之倩女情仇》 | Yu Xiaofan | |
| 1997 | A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation | 《小倩》 | Anita Yuen / Sylvia Chang | |
| 1999 | People Love Ghost | 《人鬼情缘》 | Liu Mintao | |
| 2003 | Eternity: A Chinese Ghost Story | 《倩女幽魂》 | Barbie Hsu | |
| 2004 | The Qian Nü lost souls: Catch tianshi | 《倩女失魂》 | Wang Qian | |
| 2005 | Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio | 《新聊斋志异》 | Yang Mi | |
| 2008 | Love Stories in Ancient China | 《中国古代爱情故事新编之小倩》 | Jiang Yan | |
| 2010 | Ghost Catcher - Legend of Beauty | 《天师钟馗之血色鸳鸯》 | Jenny Zhang | [5] |
| 2011 | A Chinese Ghost Story | 《倩女幽魂》 | Liu Yifei | [6] |
| 2012 | Hu Xian | 《狐仙》 | Choo Ja-hyun | [7][8][9] |
| 2019 | The Knight of Shadows: Between Yin and Yang | 《神探蒲松龄之兰若仙踪》 | Zhong Chuxi | |
| 2020 | The Enchanting Phantom a.k.a. A Chinese Ghost Story - Human Love | 《倩女幽魂：人间情》 | Eleanor Lee |
References
edit- ^ "Nie Xiaoqian". Cultural China. Archived from the original on 2015-04-25. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
- ^ Pu, Songling (1982). Strange Tales of the Leisure Chamber. Hong Kong: Commercial Press. pp. 91–99.
- ^ 最接近原著的角色 王祖贤版聂小倩后无来者 (in Chinese). Hainan News. 2014. Archived from the original on 2017-07-02.
- ^ 盘点那些最接近原著的角色 王祖贤小倩成经典 (in Chinese). Guiyang Evening News. 2014.
- ^ "《天师钟馗》主演：张嘉倪 饰 聂小倩/林小蝶". Sohu. 2009.
- ^ 刘亦菲演聂小倩不怕与王祖贤比 称从未看过旧版 (in Chinese). Chinanews. 2011.
- ^ 《狐仙》定妆照曝光 秋瓷炫版"聂小倩"清纯(组图) (in Chinese). Chinanews. 2011.
- ^ 图文：《狐仙》定妆照--秋瓷炫饰聂小倩 (in Chinese). Sina. 2011.
- ^ 《狐仙》横店热拍 秋瓷炫演绎“韩版聂小倩”(图) (in Chinese). Xinhua. 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-12-25.