Along with being one of the major inspirations behind Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, its also the first Chinese-language film to gain recognition at the Cannes Film Festival. A Touch of Zen is a quiet, visually stunning martial arts film which builds on mood and tension rather than reliance on constant fighting. Directed by King Hu, the story follows a timid artist who becomes involved with a young womans quest for revenge against the Imperial agents responsible for her familys death. Interestingly, the film was originally released in two parts in Taiwan before it was finally edited into a three hour epic for Hong Kong and international audiences.