Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (Chinese: 狄仁傑之神都龍王) is a 2013 action-adventure fantasy mystery film directed, produced, and co-written by Tsui Hark, which acted as a prequel to Tsui's 2010 film Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. Taiwanese-Canadian actor Mark Chao takes over from Andy Lau as a young Dee Renjie, while William Feng, Kenny Lin, Ian Kim (in his Chinese debut), and Angelababy co-star alongside a returning Carina Lau from Mystery of the Phantom Flame, rounding up the ensemble cast. A Chinese-Hong Kong co-production, the film was shot in native 3D.
In Rise of the Sea Dragon, Di investigates the origins and nature of an attack against the Chinese fleet, believed to have been caused by a mysterious sea creature. A sequel of the film and the third installment of the Detective Dee series, titled Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings, was released in 2018, with Chao, Feng, Lin, and Lau all reprising their roles.
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Plot
In 660, a Chinese fleet is attacked by a mysterious sea monster in the East China Sea, destroying many ships and leaving the remainder severely damaged. Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau) charges Yuchi (Feng Shaofeng), a member of the Ministry of Justice, to investigate the sea monster attacks, threatening him with execution if he does not succeed in ten days. The young Dee Renjie (Mark Chao) arrives in the Imperial Capital Luoyang, after receiving a recommendation to join the Court of Judicature and Revision (Da Li Si). By accident, he overhears a plan to kidnap the courtesan Yin Ruiji (Angelababy) as an offering to appease the sea monster. While Dee fights the kidnappers, Ruiji is taken by a different, humanoid sea creature, but she is rescued by Dee before the creature is able to escape with her. Upon arriving at the scene, Yuchi has Dee arrested and sends Ruiji into protective custody. In prison, Dee befriends medical assistant Shatuo (Lin Gengxin), who helps him escape.
