Bases on an early twentieth-century novel of the wuxia pian (martial chivalry) genre, Lee’s most successful film to date uses elements from the popular martial arts films of the 1960s as a means of exploring the legacy of classical Chinese culture. In spite of its epic scale, Crouching Tiger observes modest Taoist themes about righting wrongs and discovering internal strength. Chow Yun Fat plays skilled martial artist Li, whose plans for a simple, meditative life are thwarted when a legendary sword he entrusts to his friend and sequestered love Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) is stolen by associates of Jade Fox, a notorious female assassin. Lee and his talented team choreograph the entire drama as a spectacular ballet, and the results are breathtakingly beautiful.