9th century china. A 10 year old general's daughter nie yinniang shu qi, chinese zodiac, legend of the fist is abducted by a nun who initiates her in the martial arts transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors.one day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth, with orders to kill the man to whom she was promised a cousin who now leads the largest military region in north china.from the critically acclaimed director hou hsiao hsien flight of the red balloon comes an exquisite and captivating tale of love, death and the importance of honour.extrasbehind the scenes nie yinniang the actors no rehearsals the fights between masters a time machine to the tang dynasty