A xia is a knight-errant, who might come from any class, and wuxia involves knightly chivalry. The Chinese concept of the knight-errant originates the fourth century BC, but chivalric stories as we know them today go back to the T'ang dynasty, around the ninth century AD. Some were literary efforts composed by men of learning, others were oral tales and ballads in colloquial prose or simple verse. By the seventeenth century, these forms had become a flourishing fictional genre concentrating on vagabond warriors who display outstanding courage, honor, and fighting skills. Magical elements had also entered the mix, so knights were often given superhuman powers — flying, hurling balls of fire, becoming invisible. Many stories played on the boundary between pure fantasy and what might be barely possible for a supremely trained and gifted warrior — not really flying but the "weightless leap"; not being invulnerable but being able, through control of breathing, to make one's body as hard as iron. To enjoy the wuxia tale we must grant that supreme skill in martial arts could give a fighter extraordinary powers.

The Chinese martial tradition, a bit like Chinese cuisine, presents astonishing variety. The country is so vast, and its local fighting traditions so diverse, that a well-stocked armory indicates a frightening range of ways to inflict damage on other humans.

Central to the wuxia mythology is the sword. Chinese distinguish between double-bladed ones, calling them swords proper, and single-bladed ones, which regardless of size and design are usually called knives. There are broadswords like the Green Destiny Sword in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and lighter sabre-like swords, as well as heavy cutlass-like blades (often pierced with rings to snag the opponent's weapon and to distract the opponent with their clanging). Shorter swords are often used in pairs, such as the so-called "butterfly swords," and the emei, or blades with arrow-like points at each end.

Western fans often assume that the exotic weaponry on display in wuxia films is an invention of moviemakers, but very often it comes from tradition. The simple staff, which may be as long as seven feet, can also have one or two joints (making it useful for delivering a hard, swinging blow or for enclosing an opponent's arm). Bruce Lee popularized the short jointed staff, best known by its Japanese name, nunchaku. Whips may be sectional as well. Spears come in a dazzling variety of shapes, including the jagged-edged "snakehead" spear and the hook-spear. Spears often have colorful tassels or feathers which distract the opponent from the blade's maneuvers. There are hand axes, hammers with heavy spherical heads, and heavy cudgels with bulbous, gourd-shaped heads. For throwing there are darts and arrows, razor-edged stars and boomerang-style blades, and the infamous "flying guillotine," a rattan basket with an opening lined with knives. During the 1960s and 1970s, many wuxia pian built their plots around the sheer variety of Chinese arms. Zhang Che's "New One-Armed Swordsman," for instance, gave the villain a two-jointed staff, the secondary protagonist a pair of heavy butterfly swords, and the main protagonist a single light broadsword, so the combat was not only among fighters but among weapons and techniques.

CHOW YUN FAT (Li Mu Bai) is now the most popular actor in Asia, and by sheer numbers, — the world. He most recently starred with Jodie Foster in Andy Tennant's "Anna and the King." His next project will be playing the title role in "Bullet Proof Monk" produced by Jon Woo.

When Chow Yun Fat was only 18 years old, he enrolled in an actor's training course at TVB, Hong Kong's most powerful television station. Within a couple of years, he starred in a 128 episode TV series, "Hotel," which made him a television star in his native Hong Kong. Several hit series later, he created another craze in 1981, with "The Bund," a television series in which he played a gangster in 1930's Shanghai. This role made him a household name in every Southeast Asian country, as well as China.

Chow Yun Fat's career began in 1977 but it was not until 1982, when he starred in Ann Hui's "The Story of Woo Viet," that he became recognized as a major actor and a movie star of the first magnitude.

In 1985, Leung Po-Chih's "Hong Kong 1941" won Chow Yun Fat the best actor award in the Asia Pacific Film Festival in Tokyo and the Golden Horse Award in Taiwan. In 1986 he made 12 pictures, a record for a leading actor. One of them, John Woo's "A Better Tomorrow," made cinema history when released. It broke box office records in every single South-East Asian country and Korea, and Chow Yun Fat became a superstar. This film garnered him his first Best Actor Award at the Hong Kong Academy Awards, and more importantly, he created a phenomenon never seen before.

"A Better Tomorrow" formed a perfect alliance between him and director John Woo, which resulted in subsequent hits "The Killer," "Once A Thief," and "Hard-Boiled." These films, along with Mabel Cheung's "An Autumn Tale" and Ringo Lam's "City On Fire," are pinnacles of a Hong Kong movie renaissance, which eventually caught the eyes of Western film critics.

In the early nineties, Chow Yun Fat Retrospectives were mounted all over the world, first at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, then onwards to other major cities such as New York, London and Paris.

When "The Killer" was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 1991 it caught the attention of Hollywood studios which started wooing Yun Fat. It was not until 1996 that Yun Fat made his first American film, Antonie Fuqua's "The Replacement Killers," followed by "The Corruptors" directed by James Foley.

MICHELLE YEOH (Yu Shu Lien) enjoys a unique position as the only action actress with a truly worldwide following. A native of Ipoh, Malaysia, Yeoh made her name in Asia with a string of martial arts thrillers including "Yes, Madam," "Tai Chi Master" and "Heroic Trio." These films attracted an international cult following. Yeoh broke into the mainstream when "Supercop," in which she co-starred with Jackie Chan, became a theatrical hit in the USA. This led to a role opposite Pierce Brosnan in the 007 blockbuster "Tomorrow Never Dies," and a new level of worldwide popularity for the actress.

Yeoh is now producing her own films. She established Mythical Films, in partnership with the Hong Kong-based Media Asia. The first film from this new entity, an action thriller called "The Touch," goes into production later this year.

Michelle Yeoh excelled in ballet, squash, diving and swimming from an early age. She attended London's prestigious Royal Academy of Dance, where she furthered her ballet training and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree. On her return to Malaysia, Yeoh won the Miss Malaysia contest, and went on to win another beauty pageant in Melbourne, Australia.

In 1984, Yeoh was invited to appear opposite action superstar Jackie Chan in a television commercial. She was subsequently offered a movie contract by D and B Films, and cast in a traditional female role in the comedy "Owl Vs. Dumbo." Yeoh rebelled against this stereotype, undergoing a rigorous martial arts training program to prepare for her action debut, "Yes, Madam," in which she insisted on performing her own stunts. The success of the film established Michelle Yeoh as Asia's foremost female action star.

In 1992, Michelle Yeoh became the highest paid actress in the history of Hong Kong cinema with the fee she commanded to star alongside Jackie Chan in "Police Story III: Supercop." The film became that year's highest grossing Asian release, and Yeoh went on to star in a string of hit martial arts films. These include "The Butterfly Sword," "Project S," "Wing Chun," "Tai Chi Master," "Heroic Trio," and "Executioners." She has worked with the finest talent in the field, including directors Stanley Tong, Yuen Wo Ping and Ching Sin-tung, and actors Sammo Hung and Jet Li.

Yeoh went on to establish herself as a dramatic actress with her roles in Ann Hui's "Ah Kam" and Mabel Cheung's historical epic, "The Soong Sisters." Her performance in the latter earned Yeoh a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Michelle Yeoh's performance in 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies" made her well known in the US. In December 1999, she was the recipient of an Award For Excellence from Cineasia, an organization of Asian film-makers. Michelle Yeoh also lends her name and energies to a variety of charitable causes, including the Hong Kong Cancer Fund and AIDS Concern.

ZHANG ZIYI (Jen Yu) was born in Beijing in December of 1979. She studied at the Beijing Dance Academy Middle School from 1990 to 1996. She is presently a second-year student in the Acting Department of the Central Theatre College in Beijing. Zhang was awarded the Chinese Folk Dance Taoli Cup at the Fourth National Youth Dance Contest in 1994. She has acted in two commercials in Beijing and Hong Kong. Zhang's first role in a feature film was in Zhang Yimou's "The Road Home," to be released in 2001 by Sony Pictures Classics.

CHANG CHEN (Lo) was born in Taipei. He made his film debut at the age of 14 in the leading role of Edward Yang's " A Brighter Summer Day." He went on to star in Edward Yang's "Mahjong," opposite Virginie Ledoyen, and in Wong Kar-Wai's "Happy Together," with Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. In 1998, Chang was nominated for a Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Happy Together." "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was Chang's first filming experience in the People's Republic of China. His next film is Wong Kar-Wai's "2046."

CHENG PEI PEI (Jade Fox) was one of the most renowned kung fu actresses in the 1960s. Formally trained in martial arts, the Shanghai born actress earned her reputation acting in dozens of martial arts films and working with kung fu masters like King Hu and Yuen Wo Ping. Her impressive list of credits includes "Lovers' Rock," "Dragon Creek," "Golden Swallow," "Dragon Swamp," "That Fiery Girl," " The Shadow Whip," "Lady of Steel," "Painted Faces," "Wing Chun," "Flirting Scholar" and "A Man Called Hero." Pei pei has also made numerous television appearances since the 1980s, acting in television dramas and hosting lifestyle programs in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States.

LUNG SIHUNG (Sir Te) played the father in the three films that compose Ang Lee's "Father Knows Best Trilogy": "Pushing Hands," "The Wedding Banquet," and "Eat Drink Man Woman."

ANG LEE (Director/Producer) was born in Taiwan in 1954, and moved to the United States in 1978, where he received his BFA in theater from the University of Illinois and his MFA in film production from New York University. In 1983 he won the Taiwanese Golden Harvest Film Festival Best Narrative Film Award for his film "Dim Lake." While at NYU, Lee directed "Fine Line," a 45 minute film that received Best Director and Best Film at the 1985 NYU Film Festival.

"Pushing Hands," Ang Lee's first feature, screened in the Panorama section of the 1992 Berlin Film Festival, and won Best Film in the Asian-Pacific Film Festival. It was also nominated for nine Golden Horse awards (the Taiwanese Academy Award) and won three, including a Special Jury Prize for Ang Lee's direction. In 1994, "The Wedding Banquet" premiered at the Berlin Film Festival (1993) and was awarded Berlin's top prize, the Golden Bear. The film garnered tremendous critical praise and box office success. Variety (1/10/94) heralded it as "the most profitable film in the world in 1993." The film was nominated for the Academy and Golden Globe awards for Best Foreign Language Film, and six Independent Spirit Awards. In Taiwan, "The Wedding Banquet" received five Golden Horse Awards, including awards for Best Film and Best Director. "Eat Drink Man Woman," the third film in Ang Lee's "Father Knows Best" trilogy, premiered as the opening night film in the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival (1994). It was nominated for Academy and Golden Globe awards, and was voted Best Foreign Language Film by the National Board of Review.

In 1995, Ang Lee directed "Sense and Sensibility," starring Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, and Kate Winslet, with a screenplay by Thompson. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won the Oscar for Best Screenplay Adaptation. In addition, the film received the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, as well as Golden Globes for Best Screenplay and Best Film. One of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, "Sense and Sensibility" was featured in over 100 Ten Best Films lists for 1995, and was lauded by the New York Film Critics (Best Director), the Boston Film Critics (Best Film, Best Director), and the National Board of Review (Best Film, Best Director).

In 1996, Ang Lee completed "The Ice Storm," his first feature on an entirely American subject, which was adapted from the acclaimed novel by Rick Moody, and stars Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, and Joan Allen. The film was selected for competition at the 50th International Film Festival in Cannes (1997), and won the award for Best Screenplay Adaptation. "The Ice Storm" was also selected as the opening night film at the 1997 New York Film Festival.

In 1999, Ang Lee directed "Ride With The Devil," a Civil War era western adapted from Daniel Woodrell's novel Woe to Live On by James Schamus. "Ride With The Devil" stars Skeet Ulrich, Tobey Maguire, Jewel, Jeffrey Wright, Simon Baker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, James Caviezel, Thomas Guiry, and Tom Wilkinson.

JAMES SCHAMUS (Co-Producer and Executive Screenwriter) founded Good Machine with Ted Hope in 1991.In 1998, Schamus produced, with Hope and Robert F. Colesberry, Ang Lee's "Ride With The Devil," for which he also wrote the screenplay. Schamus co-wrote Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," starring Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat.

Schamus's other collaborations with Ang Lee include producing "The Ice Storm," which he also adapted from the novel by Rick Moody and which received the Best Screenplay Prize at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival along with 1998 Writer's Guild and BAFTA nominations; co-producing "Sense And Sensibility" (Golden Bear, 1996 Berlin Film Festival, Golden Globe Award for Best Picture, Academy Award for Best Screenplay Adaptation); co-writing and associate producing "Eat Drink Man Woman" (opening night film, Director's Fortnight, Cannes 1994, Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Film, 1994); producing and co-writing "The Wedding Banquet" (Golden Bear, 1993 Berlin Film Festival and Academy Award nominee, Best Foreign Film, 1993); and producing Lee's first feature, "Pushing Hands."

Over the past several years, Schamus has served as executive producer on a variety of independent films, including Todd Solondz' s "Happiness," Todd Haynes's "Safe," Nicole Holofcener's "Walking And Talking," Cindy Sherman's "Office Killer"; Bart Freundlich's "The Myth of Fingerprints," Hannah Weyer's "Arresting Gena," Frank Grow's "Love God," and John O'Hagan's "Wonderland."

Schamus has also been involved in four of the last nine Grand Jury Prize Winners at Sundance: "The Brothers McMullen" by Edward Burns (1995, executive producer with Ted Hope); Tom Noonan's "What Happened Was..." (1994, exec. prod. with Hope); Alexandre Rockwell's "In The Soup" (1992, assoc. prod.); and "Poison," by Todd Haynes (1991, exec. prod.).

Schamus is Associate Professor of film theory, history and criticism at Columbia University, where he was recently a University Lecturer. He was also the 1997 Nuveen Fellow in the Humanities at the University of Chicago. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Foundation for Independent Video and Film, and on the board of Creative Capital.

WANG HUI LING (Co-screenwriter) co-wrote "Eat Drink Man Woman" with James Schamus, and is a successful television writer in Taiwan.

TSAI KUO JUNG (Co-screenwriter) is an acclaimed film critic in Taiwan, and chief entertainment editor of the "China Times," the most respected newspaper in Taiwan. He has written numerous television and feature film scripts as well as the books, "Chinese Movies Culture Research," and "A Dream is Gone - Hong Kong and Taiwanese Movie Star Analysis."

WANG DU LU (Author of the original novel) was born to a poor family in Beijing in 1909. He suffered from poverty and illness in his early childhood, which prevented him from receiving a formal education. Wang started writing when he was 20, mainly social realist drama and martial arts novels, both of which manifested a strong sense of pathos and tragic sentiment in his characters. He was appointed as the People's Representative of Shenyang in 1956. With the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, martial arts novel were banned and writers of the genre were prosecuted. Wang died of Parkinson's disease in 1977.

BILL KONG (Co-Producer) is head of Edko Films Ltd., one of the longest-standing independent film companies in Hong Kong. Founded by Kong's father Kong Cho Yee in 1959 as the first Chinese-run independent film company in Hong Kong, Edko began importing and exporting movies, and building cinemas across Hong Kong. Bill assumed the responsibility from his father in the 1980s and expanded the operation of cinema-operating, film distribution and film production. Today Edko operates one of the biggest theater circuits in Hong Kong, consisting of ten theaters. Edko distributes forty movies to the Hong Kong public every year. Edko is also a strong advocate of local movies, helping many local filmmakers get their movies made. Acclaimed filmmakers like Tsui Hark, Yim Ho, Jacob Cheung and Ang Lee all work closely with Edko to produce local films.

HSU LI KONG (Co-Producer) is one of the most important producers of modern Taiwanese cinema, and is currently President of Zoom Hunt International Productions Co. Ltd. Hsu was head of the Taiwan film archives before working for the Kuomingtong Cultural Work Committee. He then joined the central Motion Picture Corporation as General Manager and Production Chief. During his tenure at CMPC, he oversaw the production of some of the best known Taiwan films, including Ang Lee's first three films "Pushing Hands," "The Wedding Banquet," and "Eat Drink Man Woman," as well as "Hills of No Return," "Vive L'Amour," "The Peony Pavilion," "Siao Yu," "The Accidental Legend," and "The River." Hsu left CMPC in 1997 to form Zoom Hunt International Production Co., which produces television series and films including "Sweet Degeneration," "Love Go Go," and "The Personals." Hsu has also written numerous television scripts.

DAVID LINDE (Executive Producer) joined Paramount Pictures Corp. in 1985, after graduating from Swarthmore College. At Paramount, he supervised the sales of select international theatrical rights. In 1988, he left Paramount for an international sales position at Fox/Lorber Associates, and in 1990 he was named Vice President. At Fox/Lorber, he directed the sales of over 300 independently produced film, documentary and television titles.

He joined Miramax Films in 1991 as Vice President of Acquisitions, where he acquired such acclaimed independent films as Chen Kaige's "Farewell My Concubine," Peter Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures," John Sayles' "Passion Fish," and Woody Allen's "Bullets over Broadway." In 1992, he was named Senior Vice President (and subsequently Executive Vice President -- Head of Sales) at the newly created Miramax International, distributor of International box office successes such as Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," Robert Altman's "Pret-A-Porter," Wayne Wang's "Smoke," Woody Allen's "Mighty Aphrodite," and Anthony Minghella's Academy Award-winning "The English Patient."

In January 1997, David joined Good Machine as a partner. Good Machine subsequently announced the formation of Good Machine International (GMI) with David as President. Linde executive produced Ang Lee's "Ride with the Devil," Todd Solondz's "Happiness," the Cable ACE Award-winning documentary "Wonderland"; and the documentaries "Guys and Dolls off the Record," "The Who's Tommy," and "The Belly Talkers." He is also serving as executive producer on Todd Solondz's next film.

PETER PAU (Director of Photography) has been nominated for fourteen Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Cinematography, and has won three - for "The Bride with White Hair" in 1994, "Saviour of the Soul" in 1992, and "A Fishy Story" in 1990. Pau's numerous film credits as cinematographer include "Metade Fumaca," "Bride of Chucky," "Anna Magdalena," "The Phantom Lover," "The Chinese Feast," "Treasure Hunt," "Bury Me High," "The Legend of Wisely," and "The Killer." Pau also directed "Misty," and "The Temptation of Dance." He is currently serving as Director of Photography on the Golden Harvest Release "And I Hate You So."

YUEN WO PING (Choreographer) served as the Fight Choreographer for Keanu Reeves' 1999 mega-hit, "The Matrix," and has collaborated with such celebrated Hong Kong martial artists as Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Sammo Hung. Wo Ping has an extended list of film credits, in which he has taken on the role of action choreographer, director, actor, and producer.

Wo Ping was born in 1945 -the eldest son in a family of 12 in Guangzhan, China. In the 1960s, Wo Ping found work as a stuntman and kung fu fighter. By the age of 26, he had earned his first film choreography credits with the early kung fu hits of Ng See Yuen. In 1978, Wo Ping directed his first film, the well regarded "The Eagle's Shadow," starring the now legendary, international cross-over star Jackie Chan. He went on to direct another Jackie Chan feature, "Drunken Master."

By 1979, Wo Ping had formed his own production and choreography company. The timing proved fortuitous, with the popularity of kung fu growing steadily in China and worldwide. Through the years, Yuen Wo Ping has worked with or directed many of China's top film talents, "Last Hero in China," "Tai Chi Master," and "Fist of Legend" featured the incomparable Jet Li, recently seen in "Lethal Weapon 4" and "Romeo Must Die." Sammo Hung, now of CBS-TV's "Martial Law" worked with Wo Ping in both "The Magnificent Butcher" and "Eastern Condors." One of Wo Ping's most highly regarded film's is 1991's "Iron Monkey," starring popular star Donnie Yen.

TIM SQUYRES (Editor) edited Ang Lee's films "Ride with the Devil," "The Ice Storm," "Sense and Sensibility," "Eat Drink Man Woman," and "The Wedding Banquet." His other credits include Paul Auster's "Lulu on the Bridge"; television documentaries for Bill Moyers, Michael Moore, ESPN, and VH-1; and numerous commercials and music videos.

TIM YIP (Production Design/Costume Design) is active in both theatrical and film production. He started his career as an Art Director in the Hong Kong film industry in the 1980s, producing a remarkable list of credits, including films by John Woo, Wayne Wang, Ringo Lam, Stanley Kwan and Clara Law. Yip's credits include "A Better Tomorrow," "City on Fire," "Rouge," "Eat a Bowl of Rice," "The Peony Pavilion" and "Temptation of a Monk," for which he won the 1994 Golden Horse Award for Best Art Direction.

TAN DUN (Music) began his career in his native China in the Peking Opera. A graduate of Beijing's Central Conservatory and Columbia University in New York, Tan Dun has created world-premiere recordings of his opera "Marco Polo" and "Symphony 1997" (Heaven Earth Mankind), a large choral-orchestral work written to commemorate the occasion of the return of Hong Kong to China. Tan Dun's original score for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" features performances by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who was also soloist on "Symphony 1997."

For the BBC's live, 27-hour coverage of the arrival of the millennium around the world, Tan Dun created original music that appears on "A World Symphony for the Millennium." He composed a signature theme for the coverage and an elaborate suite that was heard throughout the live telecast around the world as viewers welcomed in the Millennium.

Tan Dun himself conducted the Sony Classical recording of "Symphony 1997" (Heaven Earth Mankind), performed live at the reunification ceremony in Hong Kong on July 1, 1997. In the fall of 1997, "Marco Polo" had its American debut at the New York City Opera. This highly original operatic treatment of the spiritual journey of the adventurer Marco Polo was commissioned by the Edinburgh Festival and premiered in 1996 at the Munich Biennale, with subsequent performances at the Holland and Hong Kong Festivals. The German magazine "Oper" named Tan Dun composer of the year for "Marco Polo."

Among many international awards he has received, Tan Dun was named one of the Musicians of the Year (1997) by the New York Times and was selected by Toru Takemitsu for the 1996 City of Toronto Glenn Gould Prize in Music and Communication. Tan Dun is currently the artistic director of the Tanglewood Contemporary Festival and the artistic director of the 2000 Festival for Barbican Centre London.

YO-YO MA (Cello soloist) has a discography of nearly fifty albums, which includes thirteen Grammy Awards. He renews his creative relationship with composer Tan Dun in their collaboration on the original score for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Tan Dun and Ma earlier collaborated on the composer's "Symphony 1997" (Heaven Earth Mankind), a large choral-orchestral work commemorating the return of Hong Kong to China.

As a performer, Ma maintains a balance between his engagements as a soloist with orchestras throughout the world and his recital and chamber music activities. Alongside his performing and recording activities, Ma devotes time to work with young musicians in educational programs such as the Interlochen and Tanglewood festivals in the United States.

Born in Paris in 1955 to Chinese parents, Yo-Yo Ma began his cello studies with his father at the age of four. He later studied with Janos Scholz and, in 1962, became the pupil of Leonard Rose at the Julliard School of Music. He received the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize in 1978 and is a graduate of Harvard University, from which he also received an honorary doctorate in 1991.

COCO LEE (Singer of end title song) has established herself as one of Mandarin music's biggest stars in a meteoric career that is only six years in the making - a remarkable achievement considering that she did not speak a word of Mandarin before 1994. CoCo Lee sings the end song "A Love Before Time" in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The music for "A Love Before Time" was written by Tan Dun and Jorge Calandrelli with lyrics by James Schamus and cello solos by Yo-Yo Ma.

CoCo Lee signed with 550 Music in the U.S. after making an impact overseas that continues to reverberate. She has recorded and released twelve albums since her 1994 debut. In the midst of her steady stream of best selling albums, Lee performed in concert in Taiwan in August 1998 before more than 30,000 fans - only Michael Jackson has commanded a larger audience there. She also worked opposite international action star Jackie Chan, supplying not only the voice for the lead character in the Mandarin-language version of Disney's animated adventure "Mulan" but singing the film's theme song as well.

BROADCAST FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
Best Film nominee
Best Foreign Language Film
Runner-up, Best Director

BOSTON FILM CRITICS AWARDS
Best Foreign Film
Best Cinematography (Peter Pau)

DALLAS-FORT WORTH FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
Runner-up, Best Film
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Cinematography (Peter Pau)

FLORIDA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS
Best Foreign Language Film

GOLDEN GLOBES - nominations
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Director
Best Original Score (Tan Dun)

GOLDEN HORSE AWARDS (Taiwan)
Best Picture
Best Fight Choreography (Yuen Wo Ping)
Best Visual Effects
Best Sound Effects
Best Editing
Best Original Score

GOLDEN SATELLITE AWARDS - nominations
Best Director
Best Cinematography
Best Production Design
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Foreign Film
Best Sound

IFP/WEST INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS - nominations
Best Feature
Best Director
Best Supporting Female (Zhang Ziyi)

LOS ANGELES CRITICS AWARDS
Best Picture
Best Cinematography (Peter Pau)
Best Music (Tan Dun)
Best Production Design (Tim Yip)
Runner-up, Best Director

NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW
Best Foreign Language Film

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
Best Cinematography
Runner-up, Best Film
Runner-up, Best Director
Runner-up, Best Foreign Language Film

NEW YORK ONLINE FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
Best Cinematography (Peter Pau)
Best Special Effects
Best Foreign Language Film

ONLINE FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
Best Cinematography (Peter Pau)
Best Foreign Language Film

SAN DIEGO FILM CRITICS
Runner-up, Best Foreign Language Film
Runner-up, Best Cinematography (Peter Pau)

TORONTO FILM CRITICS AWARDS
Best Film
Best Supporting Female Performance (Zhang Ziyi)
Runner-up, Best Director
Runner-up, Best Female Performance (Michelle Yeoh)

TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL
People's Choice Award