Most underrated film in existence

Excellent call about King Hu being unjustly overlooked as a whole. He is without a doubt, the most underrated director in cinema (as far as I'm concerned) and A Touch of Zen just happens to be his masterpiece, thus the parallelisms there...

I'd put him in the very upper echelon with such masters as Fellini, Kurosawa, Kubrick, Bergman and Herzog, who incidentally have all received more respect both internationally and among esteemed critics and historians. You mentioned the utter vacancy of his message board (which can also be clearly seen and felt here, in the habitat of his highest achievement) and I don't know if this saddens or angers me more. As a musician myself, I am aware everyday of how true art will always have to battle the compromise of purity versus acceptance in the eyes of the mainstream and/or majority. The fact that an artist, like Hu, who accomplished such amazing feats, can be so overlooked not only by outsiders but even in his native China, is a total travesty. It is really up to the audience (limited only to those with actual knowledge and understanding) to carry on the legacies of those fallen by celebrating what they left behind.

I plan on reviewing Hu's works soon.

"...stumbles upon his several month old child sitting on a rock with a note strapped to it even though Yang was not visibly pregnant at any point."

Had trouble following the story, did you? There's a scene in which Yang quite unambiguously welcomes Ku into her bed. Immediately after the battle at the "haunted" fort, Yang leaves and the Abbot makes it clear to Ku that she does not want to be followed. It is much later, after Yang has given birth, that Ku finds her at the monastery.
You might not have enjoyed the film, but you can't call it bad because you were inattentive.