To talk about how scary Chinese ghost stories can be, we have to say "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", a masterpiece of Chinese horror that has been around for hundreds of years. Among them, the most famous and well-known one is "Painted Skin", published by Zhou Xun in 200

If you want to talk about how scary Chinese ghost stories can be, you have to say "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio", a masterpiece of Chinese horror that has been around for hundreds of years. Among them, the most famous and well-known one is " Painted Skin ". In 2008, Zhou Xun and Chen Kun brought this love-hate entanglement to the big screen, which instantly sparked intense discussions about "appearance" and "authenticity of love."

As a shadow of many people’s childhood, the emphasis on ghost stories in “Liao Zhai” often makes people overlook the love component. The movie " Paper Painted Skin " we are going to talk about today is very different from the simple remakes in the past, both from the perspective of horror themes and love rendering.

(1)

Lu Jiuqing was originally an immortal official in heaven, but he was demoted to the mortal world for his private use of Yaochi water. After being demoted to the mortal world, he was appreciated for his excellent painting skills, and was highly rewarded by the emperor for painting the most beloved Concubine Dong Guifei in the dynasty. But the strange thing is that the day after Lu Jiuqing finished painting the portrait of Concubine Dong, Concubine Dong turned into a faceless person? ! In anger, the emperor thought that Lu Jiuqing was using evil magic to cause trouble, and ordered him to be hunted down. In panic, Lu Jiuqing met an immortal, who gave him a painting of a beauty and a magical pen of Lu Zu. And just when Lu Jiuqing started to add some flowers to the beauty painting, the sudden appearance of the barrier sucked him into the painting.

Lu Jiuqing fell uncontrollably and landed on the branch of an ancient tree. He saw two exquisite and beautiful fairies standing under the tree, and one of them was looking at him. Lu Jiuqing, who was lost in thought, fell from the tree to the ground again, but before he could take care of the pain, he became obsessed with the beauty in front of him.

Lu Jiuqing, who was well-spoken, was scolded by another fairy for being frivolous, but he did not show any shame or embarrassment. Before he could continue to say love words, the barrier appeared again, sucking the two of them away and traveling to the human world. The overly intimate posture allowed the fairy to see clearly the face of the person in front of her, and she seemed to have remembered something.

It turns out that the fairy's name is Yan Ge, and she is a plant spirit who has been practicing for hundreds of years. The plant spirits are so beautiful, because they have devoted themselves to practice to become a beautiful skin that will conquer the whole country. This is their treasure and also the gate of life.

Before arriving in the human world, there was a king of all demons in the realm of Wanxu where Yan Ge was. He wanted Yan Ge to be the demon queen, and even threatened the faces of all the plant elves. If they did not comply, they would ruthlessly peel off their faces. , so Yan Ge and other plant elves tried their best to escape from the Wanxu barrier.

The two people who accidentally entered the human world spent time together day and night, and their relationship quickly heated up. Lu Jiuqing was infatuated with Yan Ge's beauty. His eyes were glued to Yan Ge's body all day long, and he also said all kinds of fancy love words, coaxing Yan Ge into a daze. Yan Ge also confessed the fact that he was a demon, but Lu Jiuqing was not afraid at all. After all, she was so beautiful, so why did it matter if she was a demon?

As a result, Yan Ge revealed his true appearance. When Lu Jiuqing saw it, he was so frightened that he ran away without looking back, leaving Yan Ge secretly feeling sad.

Fortunately, Lu Jiuqing regarded this episode as a prank by Yan Ge. He firmly believed that Yan Ge's beautiful face was real. One day while the two were chatting, Yan Ge asked Lu Jiuqing a question: Do you think I am beautiful? When Lu Jiuqing heard this, he wondered if there was any need to hesitate, and said firmly: "This beauty is here, I am afraid that the meeting is just a dream."

(2)

After hearing such an answer, if it were any other woman, looking at such a talented, handsome and passionate man in front of her, coupled with the constant attacks of sweet words, she would probably have fallen long ago.

But Yan Ge didn't. The more affectionate Lu Jiuqing was in front of her, the more her heart felt like a knife. The people in front of him were not like the people at that time. Lu Jiuqing once secretly used the water of Yao Chi to water Yan Ge, who had not yet cultivated into a human form.At that time, Yan Ge, an inconspicuous grass beside the Yao Pond, often listened to Lu Jiuqing's thoughts alone, accompanying him day and night. Soon Yan Ge developed a secret love for Lu Jiuqing and worked harder to practice.

The first time he cultivated into human form, Yan Ge went to Lu Jiuqing to express his feelings. Unexpectedly, when Lu Jiuqing saw Yan Ge for the first time, his eyes were filled with fear and resistance. He immediately turned around and left, never looking back again. Later, Yan Ge transformed into the exact same face in the beauty pictures Lu Jiuqing drew every day, and spent three days with Lu Jiuqing. During these three days, Lu Jiuqing changed from the uneasiness and avoidance he felt when they first met, and talked to Yan Ge about everything.

I thought of Lu Jiuqing who had left indifferently, Lu Jiuqing who accepted him again because of his face change, and then looked at Lu Jiuqing who was full of admiration in front of me. The same person, the same self, just because of a face that changed between ugly and beautiful, Lu Jiuqing's heart was erratic, and his sincerity was lifted up and broken again.

Worried that Lu Jiuqing would abandon him again, Yan Ge used other people's stories to tell Lu Jiuqing's ruthless actions. At this time, Lu Jiuqing, who had lost his memory of heaven, said that if it were him, he would definitely accept everything about Yan Ge, and would even be willing to destroy his appearance just to "match" Yan Ge.

It’s a pity that the slap in the face can’t come too soon. That night, Yan Ge's sisters showed up to look for Yan Ge. They happened to be seen by Lu Jiuqing, who woke up from a dream. Lu Jiuqing was so frightened that he lost half of his soul. In shock, he asked Yan Ge if he had seen the very ugly dead branches. Yan Ge could only divert his attention with a deep kiss, but his heart was full of mixed feelings...

Counting this time, Lu Jiuqing had already empathized six times between ugliness and beauty. Can Yan Ge fully open his heart? , face Lu Jiuqing with his true face, and can Lu Jiuqing completely accept Yan Ge's true appearance?

At present, "Paper Painted Skin" has been released. Whether the love between Lu Jiuqing and Yan Ge can transcend appearance, substance and appearance, you have to interpret it yourself after watching the whole film on Tencent Video.