MovieChat Forums > Wo hu cang long (2001) Discussion > In the end what happened to Jen Yu?

In the end what happened to Jen Yu?


When she jumped off the cliff did she kill herself or go to the mountins? Cause if someone jumped off the bridge they're wish would come true and she wished to be in the mountins.

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It's implied, but not explained that Jen commited suicide in grief of what her selfish actions had done to kill both Jade Fox and Li Mu Bai. It's mostly left to interpretation, because the greater messages behind the story are meant to be deciphered by the viewer. To spiritually grow by interpreting a greater meaning than ones' self awareness.

The greatest motif in the film is the motif of poison, not just in the poisons to which Jade Fox employed, but also in the poison to which she tainted Jen's soul with making her into the less-than virtuous protagonist we see.

And it is because of Jen's suicide that Lo is seen grieving at the end of the film, for he mourns that she has taken her own life; but has not the will or the heart to take his own. It's not cowardice, it's merely an unwillingness to give up on life even for love. He likely never loved anyone else as he loved her, and died holding on to her memory.

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Whoa, whoa, whoa, is there a clip in the credits that I don't know about? Or are you merely talking about Lo crying after Jen jumped from the mountain?

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She always went on about how she wanted to be free and the saying goes "free like a bird" so it's pretty fitting throwing herself of a cliff flying away. But I honestly don't know if that's the answer or if it was a simple suicide, I guess both explanations work.

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I agree that it was written and filmed in such a way as to allow for viewer interpretation. I wonder, though, because of Jen's skill, if she would have survived the jump. I was intrigued by the legend Lo spoke of, in which someone jumped so his wish would come true... and then when Jen jumped, she had Lo make the wish.

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That´s all your interpretation though :) I see other motives in my opinion more important. But even though it was well made, and carried good themes for a while, it failed as every other movie fails. They only show you something, but they don´t evcen care what you make of it in the end.

Jen reminds me of girls I know. She is still killing herself though, so it´s like saying: Hey, I know your pain. But there is nothing to do about it anyway. *beep* you, life is meaningless.

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she commited suicide

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Im really unsure about this, and I have wondered about it for a long time. I think the story, when stripped down is a coming of age/self discovery story. So the ending is meant to reflect and represent her enlightedned state. The only way I can really explain it to myself is to not think of it literally; I see the ending as a symbol of her 'souls' asension into something greater (of course with this comes great saddness over her misdeeds), whether it is through her death or not, I really cannot tell.

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It's a fantasy, and the only way to have the wish come true. She doesn't die. After all the earlier flying skill she shows, I don't think it will fail her now.

"Did you make coffee...? Make it!"--Cheyenne.

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I think it's very clear that she killed herself in atonement for her bad judgment and misdeeds throughout the film which culminated in the death of Li Mu Bai. Leaping from the mountaintop in accordance with ancient legend gave her decision a more poetic and romantic resonance, absolutely; but she was clearly resigned to her fate when she made the leap, and the palpable grief on Lo's face as she jumped made it clear that he was losing her forever.

All the other interpretations on this thread behind WHY she jumped are all totally sound, but I don't think it's reasonable to assume a final unseen result that she survived her leap, ended up in some mystical place, or even intended or hoped to survive the fall, for that matter. It always seemed clear to me that it was a leap of atonement, not a leap of faith. Assuming that you'd never locate the body of person who'd jumped from such a height, however, one might say that she is never seen again and can be designated the more romantic fate of having been granted her wish. But that's just for the sake of emotional comfort. In reality, I think we all know that at some point after she fell into the mist, her body hit the ground and that was the end of her.

Besides, if you've watched as many Chinese movies as I have... one must admit that the Chinese have a real propensity for tragedy in their storytelling. I've seen an awful lot more tragic, tear-jerking endings in Chinese movies than I've seen happy ones, that's for sure!

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[deleted]

Well, I'll be damned. I didn't know that!

If it's a sequel written in the original series of stories (and not something that a fanboy concocted after watching this movie), then yeah, I'd say that has lots of bearing.

On the other hand, CTHD didn't come off like it was produced with sequels in mind (or prequels, for that matter), so the *cinematic* intention may have always been to simply end the story with Jen's romantic suicide.

Read the novel "First Blood," then watch the movie (how many people are even aware that the first Rambo movie was based on a book, and an excellent one, at that??), and then you'll see how a major character's ultimate fate can be altered in the transition from page to screen!

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It has some. However, it is fair to say that this is a very LOOSE interpretation of the book series in which Li and Fox do not die (unlike in the movie). I think it is purely up to viewer interpretation. Where in the book, her character didn't feel Lo could live up to her social status so she fled to make a new identity, I don't think that's a certain resolution in this film. I am much more willing to believe she set herself free from the engulfing suffering, the lingering burdens of guilt and whatnot by jumping to her death.

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What happen to them in the book? And the others?

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The books( there are 5 of them) are quite different from the film.

I like the way it is left open-ended and unresolved to a degree.

Great ending!

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yeah but what happen to them in the book?

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They're all alive. Jen jumps off a cliff, but for a different reason, but survives.

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Well tell me a little bit about the book ending. You say she jumps of the cliff, but for a different reason and survives ... that makes sense ... and the Master lived too? What happened?

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I read the Iron Crane series years ago from the library.

As happens frequently with adaptions to films, changes need to be made to fit in with the parameters of the film and the director's vision.

IMO Ang Lee created a terrific film using ideas from the books, but heads off in different directions and for different reasons.

I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't own the series, but from memory Jen takes the jump off the cliff to give the impression she died, so she could go and create a new life for herself.

She did love Lo, but couldn't see herself spending her life with him, given her family background.

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Is the book the same name as the movie? You didn't say what happen to the master? I don't think a summary of the book isn't going to be any copyright infringements

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Yes the book is the same name as the film and is the fourth in the series of 5, but the film takes some ideas from some of the earlier books.

Spirit stoked to see you're interested. But I do have a life and I really haven't got the time to provide you with a detailed summary of all that takes place in the book, when as I explained earlier I borrowed them from a library some time back.

My suggestions:
Go and do the same yourself, or research on the net.

Happy reading!

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I think it's quite clear that the ending is meant to be unresolved, a mystery to the viewer as much as it is Jen.

We know that the legend states that one who makes a wish and jumps is never seen again. What happens, then, when you jump? Perhaps you die, but your body is never found. Perhaps you survive and go lead a life elsewhere, knowing you can never return to the one you left. Or perhaps you leave this plane of existence entirely, either in spirit, body, or both. Jen can have no way of knowing which of these happens. But she would trust that whatever did happen would be fair, just, and wise. Committing suicide would be to assert that you deserve to die for your sins. That is a judgment better left to the Universe.

An earlier poster who was sure it was a simple suicide said that "this was not a leap of faith but one of atonement." But of course it can be both. Jen is trusting her fate to the unknown reality behind the legend.

It is all the more poignant because we are left in the same position as Jen at the moment of her decision to leap: facing a great mystery. We don't know the great ending of the story of our own lives, so the sorts of neat endings that you see in movies are inherently unrealistic. And yet ordinarily you can't stop a movie at an unresolved point in the story because, as narrative, that is unfulfilling. But this ending is sublime. It forces us, as viewers, to trust in the wisdom and justice of the universe, just as Jen does.

Prepare your minds for a new scale of physical, scientific values, gentlemen.

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Erm, no.

SHE COMMITTED SUICIDE

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Heh. Why? Because you said so? Don't state opinion like it's a fact.

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Okay how's this then; IN MY OPINION SHE COMMITTED SUICIDE.

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In my opinion, Jen was in love with Lee Mu Bai, and she jumped off the cliff, secretly hoping that her sacrifice, according to the legend, would bring Lee Mu Bai back to life.

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Why do you feel she was in love with him?

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Not sure she was in love with Lee Mu Bai but I'd assumed she jumped to somehow save him so that he and Yu Shu Lien could be together. Which actually makes no sense at all in light of the far more intelligent interpretations above but that's just the way I saw it at the time.

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IMHO there *was* an unspoken attraction/lust (middle-aged man to nubile young woman) between Li Mu Bai & Jen that was covertly expressed in his wish to make her his disciple, and added jealous fuel to the fiery rivalry between Jen & Yu Shu Lien.

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I like your interpretation, emvan. The tragic, mysterious, "un-Hollywood" ending is one of the aspects that makes this film so great. Sublime indeed.

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Quite clear that she committed suicide
it's the only thing that makes sense and holds true to the plot and theme of the movie

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[deleted]

After looking at it again I've come to the conclusion that she jumped because she wanted to be free from the constraints of their society, and that the only way she could be free was to disappear in the eyes of the world. So I choose to believe that she didn't die because of her skill and their wish came true and no one including her husband or family will ever look for her again.

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There is also one thing that no one appears to have considered. We are talking about legendary warriors with mystical fighting skills. These guys can literally leap tall buildings at a single bound, and stage a battle across the tops of trees. So I don't necessarily think that taking a literal leap of faith must result in death. I think the outcome as dictated by Ang Lee was intended to be a bit more spiritual/allegorical than an actual suicide. But again, it's strictly IMO. Has anybody ever asked Ang Lee?

Lethe

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Yes they do have extraordinary fighting skills , but there's always a limit- for instance she almost drowned when dived after the sword that Mu Bai threw in the water , if not for the Jade Fox who lifted her from there.

...

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