Temptress Moon is a 1996 Chinese film directed by Chen Kaige. It was jointly produced by the Shanghai Film Studio and the Taipei-based Tomson Films. The film saw Chen reuniting with Leslie Cheung and Gong Li who had previously worked with him in his breakout international hit Farewell My Concubine. Ye Zhaoyan's novel A Flower's Shade was believed to be the basis for the film, although Ye was not credited in the film. Temptress Moon premiered at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival, where it was in competition for the Palme d'Or that eventually went to Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies. Despite its international profile, the film was banned by state authorities in Mainland China. Synopsis Childhood at the Pang estate The film opens on February 12, 1912 (still 1911 Xin Hai Year in the Chinese calendar), the day of the abdication of Emperor Pu Yi, the end of the Qing Dynasty. The Pang clan, a wealthy family in a small town near Shanghai is suffering a similarly drawn out decline. Yu Zhongliang (Leslie Cheung), then a 13-year-old boy, arrives at the Pang estate to live with his sister Yu Xiuyi (He Saifei) and her husband Pang Zhengda (Zhou Yemang), both heavy opium users. Zhengda sexually abuses Zhongliang, forcing him into incest with his own sister and generally treating him like a servant. Pang Ruyi (Gong Li), daughter of the head of the family, has been raised as an opium addict from birth and is consequently unable to be married off. Duanwu (Kevin Lin), a distant cousin with no prospects, longs to play with Ruyi. All three momentarily share a doorway. After a period of months of continued abuse, Zhongliang flees the estate, heavily implied to have poisoned his brother-in-law in revenge. As Zhongliang attempts to find his way to Beijing, however, he is robbed by a group of children and subsequently taken by several men to Shanghai where he is embraced by the triads. Zhongliang's return Ten years later, Zhongliang has become a handsome gigolo who seduces rich, married women for his triad Boss in order to blackmail them. The triad's modus operandi usually involves Zhongliang paying a visit to the woman in her room (a secret rendezvous) whereupon he would usually send a clear signal to his cohorts by opening the curtains of the room's window. His partners in crime would then storm the room and stage a semi-mock