The main character Tsing Yi is an inspiration taken from the real-life assassin Jing Ke, who is historically remembered for his failed assassination attempt of Qin Shi Huang.
The Emperor and the Assassin, also known as The First Emperor, is a 1998 - 1999 Chinese historical romance film based primarily on Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin, as described in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian.
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Its story consists in the main of three incidents: the attempt by Jing Ke to assassinate Ying Zheng; the rumour of a Chief Minister's having sired the latter before transferring his concubine to become Queen Mother; and the (possibly fictitious) story of an official having sired children by the Queen Mother herself.
According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, Gao Jianli was a friend of the assassin Jing Ke, who fails in an attempt upon Ying Zheng's life.
Wong Jing | Jing Ke | Jing | Emperor Jing of Han | Jing Ulrich | Jing'an District | Hou Jing | Guo Jing | Zhou Bi Suan Jing | Yu Jing | Rule of Wen and Jing | Lü Meng's invasion of Jing Province | Jing Wu Men | Jing River | Jing Hao | Jing County, Anhui | Jing County | Bu Bu Jing Xin | Assassinator Jing Ke |
Two young men, Jing Ke and Fan Wuji, grew up together in the valley with their common romantic interest, Ye Xiaohu.