A multinational venture, the film was made on a US$17 million budget, and was produced byEdko Films and Zoom Hunt Productions in collaboration withChina Film Co-productions Corporation and Asian Union Film & Entertainment forColumbia Pictures Film Production Asia in association withGood Machine International. The film premiered at theCannes Film Festival on 18 May 2000, and was theatrically released in the United States on 8 December. With dialogue inStandard Chinese,subtitled for various markets,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon became a surprise international success, grossing $213.5 million worldwide. It grossed US$128 million in the United States, becoming the highest-grossing foreign produced film in American history.[7] The film was the first non-English language film to break the $100 million mark in the United States.[8][9]
Universally acclaimed by critics,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won over 40 awards and was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 2001, includingBest Picture, and wonBest Foreign Language Film, Best Art Direction, Best Original Score, and Best Cinematography,[3] receiving the most nominations ever for a non-English-language film at the time, the record was later tied byRoma, and broken byEmilia Pérez. The film also won fourBAFTAs and twoGolden Globe Awards, each of them for Best Foreign Film. For retrospective years,Crouching Tiger is often cited as one of the finest wuxia films ever made[10][11] and has been widely regarded as one of thegreatest films of the 21st century.[12][13][14]
InQing dynastyChina, Li Mu Bai is a renownedWudang swordsman, and his friend Yu Shu Lien, a warrior, heads a private security company. Shu Lien and Mu Bai have long had feelings for each other, but because Shu Lien had been engaged to Mu Bai's close friend, Meng Sizhao[15] before his death, Shu Lien and Mu Bai feel bound by loyalty to Meng Sizhao and have not revealed their feelings to each other. Mu Bai, choosing to retire from thelife of a swordsman, asks Shu Lien to give his fabled 400-year-oldjiansword "Green Destiny" to their benefactor Sir Te inBeijing. Long ago, Mu Bai's teacher was killed by Jade Fox, a woman who sought to learn Wudang secrets. While at Sir Te's place, Shu Lien meets Yu Jiaolong, or Jen, who is the daughter of the rich and powerful Governor Yu and is about to get married.
One evening, a masked thief sneaks into Sir Te's estate and steals the Green Destiny. Shu Lien intercepts the thief and chases them across the grounds and rooftops of Sir Te's compound, but the thief escapes after Shu Lien is distracted by a dart shot at her by an unknown source. Shu Lien and Sir Te's servant Master Bo trace the theft to Governor Yu's compound, where Jade Fox had been posing as Jen's governess for many years. Soon after, Mu Bai arrives in Beijing and discusses the theft with Shu Lien. Master Bo makes the acquaintance ofInspector Tsai from the localpolice, and his daughter May, who have come toBeijing in pursuit of Fox. Fox challenges the pair and Master Bo to a showdown that night. Following a protracted battle, the group is on the verge of defeat when Mu Bai arrives and outmaneuvers Fox. She reveals that she killed Mu Bai's teacher because he would sleep with her, but refuse to take a woman as a disciple, and she felt it poetic justice for him to die at a woman's hand. Just as Mu Bai is about to kill her, the masked thief reappears and helps Fox. Fox kills Tsai before fleeing with the thief (who is revealed to be Jen). After seeing Jen fight Mu Bai, Fox realizes Jen had been secretly studying the Wudang manual. Fox is illiterate and could only follow the diagrams, whereas Jen's ability to read the manual allowed her to surpass her teacher in martial arts.
At night, a bandit named Lo breaks into Jen's bedroom and asks her to leave with him. In the past, when Governor Yu and his family were traveling in the western deserts ofXinjiang, Lo and his bandits raided Jen's caravan and Lo stole her comb. She pursued him to his desert cave to retrieve her comb. However, the pair soon fell in love and spend the night. Lo eventually convinced Jen to return to her family, though not before telling her a legend of a man who jumped off a mountain to make his wishes come true. Because the man's heart was pure, his wish was granted and he was unharmed, but flew away never to be seen again. Lo has come now to Beijing to persuade Jen not to go through with her arranged marriage. However, Jen refuses to leave with him. Later, Lo interrupts Jen's wedding procession, begging her to leave with him. Shu Lien and Mu Bai convince Lo to wait for Jen atMount Wudang, where he will be safe from Jen's family, who are furious with him. Jen runs away from her husband on their wedding night before the marriage can be consummated. Disguised in men's clothing, she is accosted at an inn by a large group of warriors; armed with the Green Destiny and her own superior combat skills, she emerges victorious.
Jen visits Shu Lien, who tells her that Lo is waiting for her at Mount Wudang. After an angry exchange, the two women engage in a duel. Shu Lien is the superior fighter, but Jen wields the Green Destiny and is able to destroy each weapon that Shu Lien wields, until Shu Lien finally manages to defeat Jen with a broken sword. When Shu Lien shows mercy, Jen wounds Shu Lien in the arm. Mu Bai arrives and pursues Jen into abamboo forest, where he offers to take her as his student. Jen agrees if he can take Green Destiny from her in three moves. Mu Bai is able to take the sword in only one move, but Jen reneges on her promise, and Mu Bai throws the sword over awaterfall. Jen dives after the sword and is rescued by Fox. Fox puts Jen into a drugged sleep and places her in a cavern, where Mu Bai and Shu Lien discover her. Fox suddenly attacks them with poisoned needles. Mu Bai mortally wounds Fox, only to realize that one of the needles has hit him in the neck. Before dying, Fox confesses that her goal had been to kill Jen because Jen had hidden the secrets of Wudang's fighting techniques from her.
Contrite, Jen leaves to prepare an antidote for the poisoned dart. With his last breath, Mu Bai finally confesses his love for Shu Lien. He dies in her arms as Jen returns. Shu Lien forgives Jen, telling her to go to Lo and always be true to herself. The Green Destiny is returned to Sir Te. Jen goes to Mount Wudang and spends the night with Lo. The next morning, Lo finds Jen standing on a bridge overlooking the edge of the mountain. In an echo of the legend that they spoke about in the desert, she asks him to make a wish. Lo wishes for them to be together again, back in the desert. Jen leaps from the bridge, falling into the mists below.
The title "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a literal translation of theChinese idiom "臥虎藏龍" which describes a place or situation that is full of unnoticed masters. It is from a poem of the ancient Chinese poetYu Xin (513–581) that reads "暗石疑藏虎，盤根似臥龍", which means "behind the rock in the dark probably hides a tiger, and the coiling giant root resembles a crouching dragon".[17] The title Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon relates largely to the film's two characters, Lo Xiaohu and Yu Jiaolong, but it also alludes to the larger martial world, which is filled with hidden genius and unknown heroes. Linguistically, the phrase can be regarded as a combination of "a crouching tiger" and "a hidden dragon," referring to both the major characters and the Jianghu's secret brilliance. Symbolically, the tiger signifies the unchanging, shadowy yin: Lo Xiaohu remains a bandit throughout, never truly changing. The dragon, on the other hand, represents the active and bright yang. Yu Jiaolong, previously a cloistered noblewoman compelled to hide her actual identity, gradually exposes her strength and rebellion. She begins by snatching the Green Destiny sword in disguise, intending to master the Xuanpin sword technique, and eventually dares to reveal her identity and enter the martial world alone—fearlessly confronting danger, causing havoc in public, and challenging even the most fearsome fighter. On another level, the Chinese idiomatic phrase is an expression referring to the undercurrents of emotion, passion, and secret desire that lie beneath the surface of polite society and civil behavior,[18] which alludes to the film's storyline.
The success of the Disney animated featureMulan (1998) popularized the image of the Chinese woman warrior in the west.[19] The storyline ofCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is mostly driven by the three female characters.[20] In particular, Jen is driven by her desire to be free from the gender role imposed on her,[21] while Shu Lien, herself oppressed by the gender role, tries to lead Jen back into the role deemed appropriate for her.[20] Some prominent martial arts disciplines are traditionally held to have been originated by women, e.g.,Wing Chun.[citation needed] The film's title refers to masters one does not notice, which necessarily includes mostly women, and therefore suggests the advantage of a female bodyguard.
Poison is also a significant theme in the film. The Chinese word "毒" (dú) means not only physical poison but also cruelty and sinfulness. In the world of martial arts, the use of poison is considered an act of one who is too cowardly and dishonorable to fight; and indeed, the only character who explicitly fits these characteristics is Jade Fox. The poison is a weapon of her bitterness[22] and quest for vengeance: she poisons the master of Wudang, attempts to poison Jen, and succeeds in killing Mu Bai using a poisoned needle. In further play on this theme by the director, Jade Fox, as she dies, refers to the poison from a young child, "the deceit of an eight-year-old girl", referring to what she considers her own spiritual poisoning by her young apprentice Jen. Li Mu Bai himself warns that, without guidance, Jen could become a "poison dragon".
The story is set during theQing dynasty (1644–1912), but it does not specify an exact time. Lee sought to present a "China of the imagination" rather than an accurate vision of Chinese history. At the same time, Lee also wanted to make a film that Western audiences would want to see.[23] Thus, the film is shot for a balance between Eastern and Western aesthetics. There are some scenes showing uncommon artistry for the typical martial arts film such as an airborne battle among wispy bamboo plants.[18]
The film was adapted from the novelCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon byWang Dulu, serialized between 1941 and 1942 inQingdao Xinmin News.[6] The novel is the fourth in a sequence of five.[18] In the contract reached between Columbia Pictures andAng Lee andHsu Li-kong, they agreed to invest US$6 million in filming, but the stipulated recovery amount must be more than six times before the two parties will start to pay dividends.[24]
Shu Qi was Ang Lee's first choice for the role of Jen, but she turned it down.[25]
Jet Li (李连杰) was Ang Lee's original choice to play the lead role of Li Mu Bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. However, Li declined the role in order to fulfill a personal commitment to his partner,Nina Li, who was pregnant at the time. He had promised to take time off from acting to care for her during the pregnancy. As a result, he turned down the opportunity despite the film's international potential. Li later stated that his decision was based on prioritizing family over career. The story of his personal sacrifice reportedly inspired elements of the 2001 filmKiss of the Dragon.[26]
The film was made in Beijing, with location shooting inUrumchi, Western Provinces,Taklamakan Plateau, Shanghai and Anji of China.[29] The first phase of shooting was in theGobi Desert where it consistently rained. Director Ang Lee noted: "I didn't take one break in eight months, not even for half a day. I was miserable—I just didn't have the extra energy to be happy. Near the end, I could hardly breathe. I thought I was about to have a stroke."[30] The stunt work was mostly performed by the actors themselves and Ang Lee stated in an interview that computers were used "only to remove the safety wires that held the actors" aloft. "Most of the time you can see their faces," he added. "That's really them in the trees."[31]
DirectorAng Lee had long dreamed of making amartial arts film with a strong humanistic touch. To him, martial arts were not just about fighting; each move was an extension of a character's personality, and a duel could reflect the evolving dynamics between characters. Lee was deeply fascinated by the chivalrous world of ancient China—a world filled with Confucian ideals, honor, and romance, which once carried emotional and cultural meaning for Chinese people. He felt that Hong Kong and Taiwanese martial arts films often lacked genuine emotional depth, remaining at the level of visual spectacle. ‘ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ’ began filming on July 31, 1999, in Xinjiang and later moved to Jiangnan and Beijing. It was Ang Lee's first time shooting a film in mainland China. For eight months, he worked over 15 hours a day, rarely going home. To balance cost and artistic vision, he oversaw nearly every detail himself.[32]
Another compounding issue was the difference betweenaccents of the four lead actors:Chow Yun-fat is from Hong Kong and speaks Cantonese natively;Michelle Yeoh is from Malaysia and grew up speaking English andMalay,[33] so she learned the Standard Chinese linesphonetically;[33]Chang Chen is from Taiwan and he speaks Standard Chinese in a Taiwanese accent. OnlyZhang Ziyi spoke with a native Mandarin accent that Ang Lee wanted.[30] Chow Yun Fat said, on "the first day [of shooting], I had to do 28 takes just because of the language. That's never happened before in my life."[30]
The film specifically targetedWestern audiences rather than the domestic audiences who were already used toWuxia films. As a result, high-quality English subtitles were needed. Ang Lee, who was educated in the West, personally edited the subtitles to ensure they were satisfactory for Western audiences.[34]
The score was composed byDun Tan in 1999. It was played for the movie by theShanghai Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai National Orchestra and the Shanghai Percussion Ensemble. It features solo passages for cello played byYo-Yo Ma. The "last track" ("A Love Before Time") featuresCoco Lee, who later sang it at the Academy Awards. The composerChen Yuanlin also collaborated in the project. The music for the entire film was produced in two weeks.[35] Tan the next year (2000) adapted his filmscore as acello concerto called simply "Crouching Tiger."
The film was adapted into avideo game and a series of comics, and it led to the original novel being adapted into a 34-episode Taiwanesetelevision series. The latter was released in 2004 asNew Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for Northern American release.[36]
The film was released on VHS and DVD on 5 June 2001 by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment.[37] It was also released onUMD on 26 June 2005. In the United Kingdom, it was watched by3.5 million viewers on television in 2004, making it the year's most-watched foreign-language film on television.[38]
The film premiered in cinemas on 8 December 2000, in limited release within the United States. During its opening weekend, the film opened in 15th place, grossing $663,205 in business, showing at 16 locations.[3] On 12 January 2001,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon premiered in cinemas in wide release throughout the U.S., grossing $8,647,295 in business, ranking in sixth place. The filmSave the Last Dance came in first place during that weekend, grossing $23,444,930.[39] The film's revenue dropped by almost 30% in its second week of release, earning $6,080,357. For that particular weekend, the film fell to eighth place, screening in 837 theaters.Save the Last Dance remained unchanged in first place, grossing $15,366,047 in box-office revenue.[3] During its final week in release,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon opened in a distant 50th place with $37,233 in revenue.[40] The film went on to top out domestically at $128,078,872 in total ticket sales through a 31-week theatrical run. Internationally, the film took in an additional $85,446,864 in box-office business for a combined worldwide total of $213,525,736.[3] For 2000 as a whole, the film cumulatively ranked at a worldwide box-office performance position of 19.[41]
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which is based on an early 20th century novel by Wang Dulu, unfolds much like a comic book, with the characters and their circumstances being painted using wide brush strokes. Subtlety is not part of Lee's palette; he is going for something grand and melodramatic, and that's what he gets.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was widely acclaimed in the Western world, receiving numerous awards. OnRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 98% based on 168 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The site's critical consensus states: "The movie that catapulted Ang Lee into the ranks of upper echelon Hollywood filmmakers,Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon features a deft mix of amazing martial arts battles, beautiful scenery, and tasteful drama."[43]Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 94 out of 100, based on 32 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[44]
Some Chinese-speaking viewers were bothered by the accents of the leading actors. Neither Chow (a nativeCantonese speaker) nor Yeoh (who was born and raised in Malaysia) spokeMandarin Chinese as amother tongue. All four main actors spoke Standard Chinese with vastly different accents: Chow speaks with a Cantonese accent,[45] Yeoh with a Malaysian accent, Chang Chen with a Taiwanese accent, and Zhang Ziyi with a Beijing accent. Yeoh responded to this complaint in a 28 December 2000 interview, stating: "My character lived outside of Beijing, and so I didn't have to do the Beijing accent." When the interviewer, Craig Reid, remarked: "My mother-in-law has this strangeSichuan-Mandarin accent that's hard for me to understand," Yeoh responded: "Yes, provinces all have their very own strong accents. When we first started the movie, Cheng Pei Pei was going to have her accent, and Chang Zhen was going to have his accent, and this person would have that accent. And in the end nobody could understand what they were saying. Forget about us, even the crew from Beijing thought this was all weird."[46]
The film led to a boost in popularity of Chinesewuxia films in the western world, where they were previously little known, and led to films such asHero andHouse of Flying Daggers, both directed byZhang Yimou, being marketed towards Western audiences. The film also provided the breakthrough role for Zhang Ziyi's career, who noted:
Because of movies likeCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,Hero, andMemoirs of a Geisha, a lot of people in the United States have become interested not only in me but in Chinese and Asian actors in general. Because of these movies, maybe there will be more opportunities for Asian actors.
Film Journal noted thatCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon "pulled off the rare trifecta of critical acclaim, boffo box-office and gestalt shift", in reference to its ground-breaking success for a subtitled film in the American market.[47]
Its success spawned a series of imitations to the basic formula in Greater China, with similar titles and variations in period and location. Producers of these imitators denied claims that their movies were emulations ofCrouching Tiger; Columbia's manager for Asia compared the copycats to a volcano disaster movie spawning imitations to cash in.[48]
Garnering widespread critical acclaim at theToronto andNew York film festivals, the film also became a favorite whenAcademy Awards nominations were announced in 2001. The film was screened out of competition at the2000 Cannes Film Festival.[49] The film received ten Academy Award nominations, which was the highest ever for a non-English language film, up until it was tied byRoma (2018).[50]
The film is ranked at number 497 onEmpire's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.[51] and at number 66 in the magazine's 100 Best Films of World Cinema, published in 2010.[52]In 2010, theIndependent Film & Television Alliance selected the film as one of the 30 Most Significant Independent Films of the last 30 years.[53]In 2016, it was voted the 35th-best film of the 21st century as picked by 177 film critics from around the world in a poll conducted by BBC.[12]The film was included in BBC's 2018 list of The 100 greatest foreign language films ranked by 209 critics from 43 countries around the world.[13] In 2019,The Guardian ranked the film 51st in its 100 best films of the 21st century list.[14] The February 2020 issue ofNew York Magazine listsCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as among "The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars."[54] In 2024,Looper ranked it number 12 on its list of the "50 Best PG-13 Movies of All Time," writing "It's rare for a movie to conjure up the word "sweeping," but that's just whatCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon does. Whether it's the sight of human beings flying through the sky or the absorbing human drama that drives the plot, Ang Lee's 2000 wuxia feature is a remarkable movie that makes one's jaw drop as often as it makes your heart soar."[55] In June 2025, the film ranked number 16 onThe New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century" and number 81 on the "Readers' Choice" edition of the list.[56][57] In July 2025, it ranked number 79 onRolling Stone's list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century."[58]
In 2001, it was reported that director Ang Lee was planning to make a sequel to the film.[79]Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny was released in 2016. It was directed byYuen Wo-ping, who was the action choreographer for the first film. It is a co-production between Pegasus Media, China Film Group Corporation, and the Weinstein Company.[80] Unlike the original film, the sequel was filmed in English for international release and dubbed into Chinese for Chinese releases.
Sword of Destiny is based onIron Knight, Silver Vase, the next (and last) novel in theCrane-Iron Series. It features a mostly new cast, headed byDonnie Yen. Michelle Yeoh reprised her role from the original.[81] Zhang Ziyi was also approached to appear inSword of Destiny but refused, stating that she would only appear in a sequel if Ang Lee were directing it.[82]
In the West, the sequel was for the most part not shown in theaters, instead being distributeddirect-to-video by the streaming serviceNetflix.[83]
^Short, Stephen (11 December 2000)."She Makes Magic".Time.Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved17 August 2020.politely declined. I'm lazy, Shu Qi admits. I thought the training would be too difficult and I didn't want to commit to a film for that long.
^abcCorliss, Richard (3 December 2000)."Year of the Tiger".Time. Archived fromthe original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved29 June 2011.a top-flight all-Asian cast featuring Chow Yun Fat (Hong Kong), Michelle Yeoh (Malaysia), Zhang Ziyi (Beijing) and Chang Chen (Taiwan). Only one of the stars -- Zhang, then a 19-year-old ingenue -- spoke anything like the classical mainland Mandarin that Lee demanded.
^Willow Green (3 October 2008)."The 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time".Empire.Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved8 August 2020.Lee exceeded all expectations with this wushu masterpiece set in ancient China. A martial-arts opus packed with emotion, beauty and plenty of elegant ass-kickery, it's the ultimate fusion of action and art.
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