Although the film could not gain access to movie theaters in mainland China when it was first released, it became a cult film among young people in the mainland, especially the generation born in the 1980s. The film was popular in Hong Kong and several Asian countries, including South Korea and Japan. The plot is loosely based on a short story about Nie Xiaoqian from Qing dynasty writer Pu Songling's Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio and is also inspired by the 1960 Shaw Brothers Studio film The Enchanting Shadow. 'The Ethereal Spirit of a Beauty') is a 1987 Hong Kong romantic comedy horror film starring Leslie Cheung, Joey Wong and Wu Ma, directed by Ching Siu-tung and produced by Tsui Hark. A Chinese Ghost Story ( Chinese: 倩女幽魂 Wade–Giles: Ch'ien-nü Yu-hun lit.
