The 40 most popular hong kong history movies, ranked. Click any film for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


Hero
2002 · 1h 39m
country: Hong Kong
During China's Warring States period, a district prefect arrives at the palace of Qin Shi Huang, claiming to have killed the three assassins who had made an attempt on the king's life three years ago.


Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
1993 · 1h 59m
country: Hong Kong
This film is a glimpse into the life, love and the unconquerable spirit of the legendary Bruce Lee. From a childhood of rigorous martial arts training, Lee realizes his dream of opening his own kung-fu school in America. Before long, he is discovered by a Hollywood producer and begins a meteoric rise to fame and an all too short reign as one the most charismatic action heroes in cinema history.


Mother Bhumi
2025 · 2h 9m
country: Hong Kong
In a community of farmers living on the Malaysia-Thailand border, Hong Im recently lost her husband under mysterious circumstances. Hong Im uses black magic to address villagers’ everyday issues until she encounters a ghost that reveals a secret about her husband’s death.


The Grandmaster
2013 · 2h 10m
country: Hong Kong
The fall of China's last dynasty, a time of chaos, division and war, is the golden age of Chinese martial arts. Legendary kung fu master Ip Man, who will eventually train Bruce Lee, finds his peaceful life interrupted by vengeance.


Ip Man
2008 · 1h 46m
country: China
A semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the first martial arts master to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun. The film focuses on events surrounding Ip that took place in the city of Foshan between the 1930s to 1940s during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Directed by Wilson Yip, the film stars Donnie Yen in the lead role, and features fight choreography by Sammo Hung.


Ip Man 3
2015 · 1h 45m
country: China
When a band of brutal gangsters led by a crooked property developer make a play to take over the city, Master Ip is forced to take a stand.


Lover of the Last Empress
1995 · 1h 40m
country: Hong Kong
The story of an innocent girl who is destined to become one of the emperor´s concubines. Initially she suffers from a loss of innocence and the intrigues of the other concubines but over the course of time she becomes less and less scrupulous and finally is impregnated by the emperor and thus becomes his wife - the empress of China. However, her "career" has corrupted her once innocent soul and so, after the emperor dies she rules the land with terror.


The Flowers of War
2011 · 2h 26m
country: China
A Westerner finds refuge with a group of women in a church during Japan's rape of Nanking in 1937. Posing as a priest, he attempts to lead the women to safety.


Men Behind the Sun
1988 · 1h 45m
country: Hong Kong
Japanese troops round up Chinese and Russian prisoners of war and take them to unit 731, where they're horribly tortured and experimented on to test new biological weapons.


The Warlords
2007 · 2h 6m
country: China
The civil war in China has ruined many lives including General Pang's. A wounded General Pang is saved by a beautiful young woman along with two other men. Together they vow to eradicate the rebels.


Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen
2010 · 1h 45m
country: Hong Kong
The Japanese forces occupy Shanghai and slowly start spreading terror in the city. Chen Zhen, who was presumed dead, returns to fight against the Japanese and put an end to their tyrannical rule.


Dragon Blade
2015 · 2h 7m
country: Hong Kong
Huo An, the commander of the Protection Squad of the Western Regions, was framed by evil forces and becomes enslaved. On the other hand, a Roman general escapes to China after rescuing the Prince. The heroic duo meet in the Western Desert and a thrilling story unfolds.


Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon
2008 · 1h 41m
country: China
The aging Zhao embarks on his final and greatest campaign, a road to adventure that will crown his name in glory for all time.


Ip Man 4: The Finale
2019 · 1h 45m
country: China
Following the death of his wife, Ip Man travels to San Francisco to ease tensions between the local kung fu masters and his star student, Bruce Lee, while searching for a better future for his son.


The Amorous Lotus Pan
1994 · 1h 29m
country: Hong Kong
Helmed by the aesthetic Li Han-hsiang, The Amorous Lotus Pan features former Blue Jeans band member Shan Li-wen in a dual role as Wu Sung and Hsimen Ching. The reverse narrative tells the story of Wu Sung, who was pardoned from prison and seek the libidinous Pan Chin-lien (Huang Mei-tsing) to avenge his brother's death. The remorseful Pan recounted her pathetic life, which began when she was traded to the rich Changs as a maid. But she was raped by her master and flirted with Hsimen Ching and other gentleman callers


An Empress and the Warriors
2008 · 1h 39m
country: China
After the death of her father, a woman is forced to take over as empress and fight to save her kingdom.


Bodyguards and Assassins
2009 · 2h 19m
country: China
In 1905, revolutionist Sun Yat-sen came to Hong Kong to meet revolutionary comrades. The Qing government sent a group of killers to murder him. Ordinary citizens from all walks of life joined together, blocking the streets and fighting off the assassins to keep Sun Yat-sen safe.


Center Stage
1991 · 2h 35m
country: Hong Kong
Based on the tragic true story of China's first prima donna of the silver screen, Ruan Lingyu, chronicling her rise to fame as a movie actress in Shanghai during the 1930s.


Battle of Jangsari
2019 · 1h 44m
country: South Korea
Korean War, September 1950. In order to fight the enemy forces based in the South of the peninsula, General MacArthur orders the start of the Incheon Landing Operation, deploying diversionary attacks in other locations. Without real military forces to spare, 772 very young Korean student soldiers, barely trained, are sent to Jangsari Beach, where they will face a heroic fate and discover the value of friendship. (A sequel to Operation Chromite, released in 2016.)


Last Hero in China
1993 · 1h 51m
country: Hong Kong
Jet Li stars in this comic spectacle as a Chinese "Robin Hood" who stumbles upon a kidnapping scheme after unwittingly opening a martial arts school next to a brothel!


On Wings of Eagles
2016 · 1h 36m
country: China
Eric Liddell - China's first gold medalist and one of Scotland's greatest athletes - returns to war-torn China.


Once Upon a Time in China IV
1993 · 1h 41m
country: Hong Kong
Wong Fei Hung must win another Lion Dance contest in order to defeat the eight foreign concessions in Shanghai.


High Road to China
1983 · 1h 45m
country: Hong Kong
A biplane pilot is saddled with a spoiled industrialist's daughter on a search for her missing father through Asia that eventually involves them in a struggle against a Chinese warlord.


Assembly
2007 · 2h 3m
country: China
Follows a soldier trying to gain recognition for comrades who died in 1948, at a turning point in the civil war between the communists and the nationalist forces of the Kuomintang.


The Guillotines
2012 · 1h 53m
country: China
In the time of the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor Yongzheng created a secret army known as the Guillotines. It was the job of the Guillotines to protect the Emperor by killing anyone who posed a threat to him or his rule. After 348 successful missions to eliminate their target, the 349th assignment proves to be their last.


Romance of the West Chamber
1997 · 1h 32m
country: Hong Kong
Cheung, a 23-year-old unmarried travelling scholar, stops by the monastery, where he sees a beautiful woman. Against the rules, Monk Faben allows Cheung to stay and woo the girl, Ann-Ann. She is shy, and also the Prime Minister's daughter, so the wooing is arranged by Ann-Ann's maid Hung.


The Lost Bladesman
2011 · 1h 47m
country: China
During the warring period of the three kingdoms, ancient China is in turmoil. To unify the country, general Cao Cao, the real power behind the Emperor, enlists the aid of the greatest warrior in the land, Guan Yu. However, Guan Yu is a loyal friend of Cao Cao's enemy Liu Bei so to persuade the peerless warrior to fight, Cao Cao takes his beloved Qi Lan hostage. After leading Cao Cao's forces to victory Guan Yu sets out with Qi Lan to rejoin Liu Bei. Now Cao Cao has deemed him too great a threat to live, and on the journey he must face all the forces at the Emperor's command sent to destroy him.


Hero of Hong Kong 1949
1994 · 2h 8m
country: Hong Kong
In 1949, CCP domain the mainland China and many people moved to Hong Kong during this period, especially the soldier of KMT. Hong King Shan, general to embarrass leading his guides escaped to Hong Kong to lived at Tiu Kan Lan, but they were repelled by the other residents. After that, he know Fan, the head of Tsing Pong and a female doctor Sheung Tse Tin. Hon and Sheung fell in love but objected by Sheung’s brother. Fan convinced Hon and his followers to kill the head of black society, Simon, and re-build up the reputation the Tsing Pong ……


City of Life and Death
2009 · 2h 12m
country: China
In 1937, during the height of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Imperial Japanese Army has just captured Nanjing, then-capital of the Republic of China. What followed was known as the Nanking Massacre, or the Rape of Nanking, a six week period wherein tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians were killed.


The Banquet
2006 · 2h 11m
country: China
Crown Prince Wu Luan is in love with Little Wan but left heartbroken when she marries his father, the emperor. The emperor's brother, Li, kills him and Wu Luan tries to avenge his father's death.


Saving General Yang
2013 · 1h 42m
country: Hong Kong
When a rival nation sends troops to invade the Song Dynasty, the emperor sends general Yang Ye (Adam Cheng) to defend the nation. However, Yang's place in the court is shaky due to a feud with Pan Renmei caused by the accidental death of his son at the hands of one of Yang's sons. At the battle, Yang is abandoned by Pan's troops, leaving him trapped in the face of an attack by Yeli Yuan (Shao Bing), an enemy general who wants to kill Yang to avenge his father. After learning about their father's predicament, Yang Ye's seven sons set out to rescue their father at any cost.


Princess Yang Kwei-fei
1955 · 1h 32m
country: Hong Kong
In 8th-century China, the Emperor grieves the death of his wife. The Yang family wants to provide the Emperor with a consort so that they may consolidate their court influence. General An Lushan finds a distant relative working in their kitchen, whom they groom to present to the Emperor. The Emperor falls in love and she becomes the Princess Yang Kwei-fei. The Yangs are then appointed important ministers, though An Lushan is not given the court position he covets.


Septet: The Story of Hong Kong
2022 · 1h 52m
country: China
A seven-part anthology film exploring the history of Hong Kong from the 1940s to present day.


The Magnificent Concubine
1962 · 1h 43m
country: Hong Kong
Perhaps the most notorious concubine in Chinese history, Yang Guifei set a pudgy standard of beauty in her days of glory during the Tang dynasty. The Emperor Minghuang was so besotted with the woman that when An Lushan stages his rebellion against the empire, the ruler takes Yang Guifei along with his imperial entourage in an escape to the mountainous area of modern-day Sichuan, and sanctuary of sorts. But the concubine had roused the jealousy of the court and unfortunately for her and to the great sorrow of the king, her brother and others among the king's retainers demanded she be strangled to death while they were still in the mountains. This is the story told in this interesting Taiwanese adaptation by director Li Han-hsiang (Li Hanxiang).


The New One-Armed Swordsman
1971 · 1h 42m
country: Hong Kong
Lei Li lost his right-arm in a sword duel with the master of a martial arts school, long ago. Now, he is able to defend himself well with just his left arm, and kung fu techniques. That he proves with just the help of his friend Chung-Chieng, when he crosses his path with a beautiful girl in need, Pao Chiao. Even against impossible odds, he will prove a great warrior.


The Soong Sisters
1997 · 2h 25m
country: China
Ai-ling married a wealthy and powerful businessman. Ching-ling married Sun Yat-sen, the revolutionary founder of modern China. Mei-ling married Chiang Kai-shek, China's leader during World War II. The sisters captured the world's fascination for their brilliant marriages and their strong influence on their nation.


Facets of Love
1973 · 1h 34m
country: Hong Kong
This story is centering around a Ming Dynasty brothel that steams with secret erotic myths, trysts and twists of pleasurable indulgence. A shaw production


The Dream of the Red Chamber
1977 · 1h 48m
country: Hong Kong
Pao-yu is in love with his cousin, Lin Tai-yu, but his family has other marital plans for him that will leave both broken-hearted.


The Amorous Lotus Pan
1964 · 1h 14m
country: Hong Kong
A woman in an arranged marriage falls in love with her husband's brother.


The Jade Pendant
2017 · 1h 46m
country: United States
Fleeing an arranged marriage in China, the independent Peony signs a contract to work as a “flower girl” in America, where she meets Tom, an American Born Chinese cook whose father works on the Transcontinental Railroad. Thwarted by a Hong Kong Triad boss seeking to extend his power into America, theirs is the tale of the first great Chinese immigration to the United States – a story of romance, bigotry, passion, food and a search for everlasting love – set against the largest mass lynching in American history, in Los Angeles’ Chinatown, in 1871.
Hong Kong cinema's 1980s and 90s peak produced the most influential action filmmaking of the era — John Woo's gunplay ballets, Jackie Chan's stunt comedy, and the wire-work that Hollywood promptly absorbed. Wong Kar-wai's films run on a completely different and equally exported register.
Historical films reconstruct the past, whether faithfully or as deliberate myth-making. The genre attracts big budgets and big performances, and it reveals as much about the era that produced the film as the one on screen.