# Cheng Pei-pei

Cheng Pei-pei (6 January 1946 – 17 July 2024) was a Hong Kong-American actress who started her career in 1963 and was considered cinema's first female action hero. She is known for films Come Drink with Me (1966), Flirting Scholar (1993), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), TV series Young Justice Bao (2000), Chinese Paladin (2004) and reality show Divas Hit the Road (2014).

## Career

Cheng was born Jiang Pei-pei in Shanghai, with her ancestral home in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. She was the eldest of four siblings, with a brother and two sisters. Her father, Jiang Xuecheng, was a Kuomintang member who worked for the Shanghai Municipal Police in Shanghai International Settlement. After World War II, Jiang established China’s first ink factory. In 1952, when Cheng was 6, her father was labeled a counter-revolutionary and sent to a labor camp in Inner Mongolia; she never saw him again and he died in 1963 without his family knowing. Cheng's mother, who was initially her father's secretary and later his concubine, decided to change the children’s surname to her own to protect them from their father's political consequences.
Cheng attended World Elementary School in Shanghai, where she was a schoolmate of future movie stars Grace Chang and Chen Hou. She went to the Shanghai No. 3 Girls' High School, where she was a schoolmate of Lydia Shum. Cheng studied ballet for six years in Shanghai. In the mid-1950s, Cheng's mother and siblings moved to Hong Kong, leaving Cheng in the care of a nanny in Shanghai before the nanny also left. Cheng lived independently for several years and moved to Hong Kong in 1960, during her second year of junior high, to reunite with her family. In 1963, she was admitted to the training programme at Shaw Brothers Studio, after which she joined the studio and made her film debut in The Lotus Lamp (1965), playing the male scholar Liu Yanchang opposite Lin Dai. Cheng followed this with her first female lead role in the Taiwanese drama film Lovers' Rock (1964).
Due to her Mandarin skills and dance background, she quickly worked her way up in the Hong Kong film industry at a time when the Mandarin-language productions commanded higher budgets and wider distribution than Cantonese works. Cheng gained fame for starring in the Hong Kong wuxia film Come Drink with Me (1966), directed by King Hu. Set during the Ming Dynasty, it stars Cheng as Golden Swallow, a skilled swordswoman on a mission to rescue her brother. Cheng continued to play expert swordswomen in a number of films throughout the 1960s.
In 1970, at the peak of her career, Cheng married and subsequently retired from acting, moving to the United States for her husband's business endeavors. She attended business school at the University of California, Irvine and also taught Chinese dance. In the 1980s, Cheng founded a television production company in the United States and traveled across Hawaii and Northern California at her own expense to produce a documentary series about Chinese Americans. Both Cheng's TV business and her marriage failed around the same time. In 1987, she divorced from her husband but continued to live with him for two years. In 1989, her company declared bankruptcy, and Cheng moved out of their house.
With the comedy Flirting Scholar (1993), Cheng successfully returned to acting in the 1990s Hong Kong. In 2000, she returned to international attention with her role as Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, directed by Ang Lee, whom Cheng had befriended in the 90s when she was host of KSCI's Mandarin talk show, Pei-Pei's Time.
Into the 21st century, she became active across Greater China with Chinese TV dramas such as Young Justice Bao (2000), Chinese Paladin (2004), and The Patriot Yue Fei (2012), as well as Singaporean TV dramas Spring of Life (2002) and Women of Times (2006). She gained new popularity among the younger generation with the first season of Chinese reality show Divas Hit the Road (2014). Her notable international credits included the action film Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009), the British drama Lilting (2014), the Canadian drama Meditation Park (2017), and her last film, Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan (2020).
Upon receiving an award in recognition of her acting career in Hong Kong in 2015, Cheng reflected on her acting career as follows: "I always remember that I represent the Hong Kong people. So no matter where I am in the world, I will always identify myself as a Hong Kong actress and maintain the professionalism that a Hong Kong actress should have."
In 2019, Cheng was diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration, but chose to keep the diagnosis private and spend her remaining time with her children and grandchildren. She died in the San Francisco Bay Area on 17 July 2024, at the age of 78. She was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 61st Golden Horse Awards.

## Personal life

Cheng was Buddhist. She was fluent in Shanghainese, Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
In 1964, while filming Come Drink with Me, she fell in love with Chan Hung-lit, who played the villain Jade-Faced Tiger. The two often quarreled over Chan‘s infidelity and Cheng eventually left him for Yueh Hua, the leading actor in Come Drink with Me. Their relationship lasted five years until Cheng's friend Yi Shu, then an entertainment reporter, got involved; Cheng left the love triangle and moved to the United States after marriage. When Yi Shu discovered Cheng's letter to Yueh from the US, she became so furious that she cut up Yueh's clothes and stabbed a knife into his bed. Yi Shu also made the letter public through newspapers, which put Cheng's marriage in jeopardy and made Yueh to end his own relationship with Yi Shu.
In 1970, Cheng married Taiwanese businessman Yuan Wen-Tung, whose father was the agent for Shaw Brothers in Taiwan. The couple met when Shaw Brothers' film Lover's Rock was being shot in Taiwan; Cheng's mother lost money playing mahjong at the Yuan family's home, and Cheng was sent to deliver the money to Yuan's mother, where Cheng first met Yuan. After their marriage, they moved to the United States. Considering Yuan was the only son in his family, Cheng felt obligated to bear a son for him. She experienced eight pregnancies and four miscarriages and had four children until a son was born. In 1987, with an alimony of $100,000, she divorced quietly without informing her children and continued to live with Yuan for two years before moving out.
Cheng's son Harry Yuan is a host on National Geographic, and her daughters Jennifer, Marsha, and Eugenia Yuan are all actresses.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1964 | Lovers' Rock (情人石) | Lin Qiuzi | |
| 1964 | The Last Woman of Shang (妲己) | Dancing girl | |
| 1965 | The Lotus Lamp (寶蓮燈) | Liu Yanchang | |
| 1965 | Song of Orchid Island (蘭嶼之歌) | Ya Lan | |
| 1966 | Come Drink with Me (大醉俠) | Golden Swallow | |
| 1966 | The Joy of Spring (歡樂青春) | | |
| 1966 | Princess Iron Fan (鐵扇公主) | White Bone Demoness | |
| 1967 | Blue Skies (艷陽天) | Chen Yun | |
| 1967 | The Dragon Creek (龍虎溝) | Guo Er-niu | |
| 1967 | Hong Kong Nocturne (香江花月夜) | Chia Chuan-chuan | |
| 1967 | Operation Lipstick (1967) (諜網嬌娃) | | |
| 1967 | The Thundering Sword (神劍震江湖) | So Jiau-jiau | |
| 1968 | Golden Swallow (金燕子) | Golden Swallow | |
| 1968 | The Jade Raksha (玉羅剎) | Leng Qiuhan | |
| 1968 | That Fiery Girl (紅辣椒) | Pearl | |
| 1969 | Dragon Swamp (毒龍潭) | Qing-er/Fan Ying | |
| 1969 | The Flying Dagger (飛刀手) | Yu Ying | |
| 1969 | The Golden Sword (龍門金劍) | Ngai Jin-feng | |
| 1969 | Raw Courage (虎膽) | Shangguan Xiuyi | |
| 1970 | Brothers Five (五虎屠龍) | Yen Hsing-kung | |
| 1970 | Lady of Steel (荒江女俠) | Fang Ying-qi | |
| 1971 | The Lady Hermit (鍾馗娘子) | Leng Yu-shuang | |
| 1971 | The Shadow Whip (影子神鞭) | Yang Kaiyun | |
| 1971 | The Patriotic Heroine (拼命娘子) | | |
| 1972 | The Yellow Muffler (玉女嬉春) | Singer | |
| 1973 | Attack of the Kung Fu Girls (鐵娃) | Siu Ying | |
| 1974 | Whiplash (虎辮子) | Hu Pien-tze | |
| 1982 | Lunatic Frog Women (烈日女娃人) | | |
| 1983 | All the King's Men (天下第一) | | |
| 1988 | Painted Faces (七小福) | Ching | |
| 1993 | Flirting Scholar (唐伯虎點秋香) | Madame Wah | |
| 1993 | Kidnap of Wong Chak Fai (綁架黃七輝) | Kung Tse-sam | |
| 1994 | From Zero to Hero (亂世超人) | | |
| 1994 | The Gods Must Be Funny in China (非洲超人) | Aunty | |
| 1994 | Kung Fu Mistress (神鳳苗翠琴) | | |
| 1994 | Lover's Lover (情人的情人) | | |
| 1994 | Wing Chun (詠春) | Ng Mui | Cameo |
| 1996 | How to Meet the Lucky Stars (運財五福星) | Chu Ba | |
| 1998 | The Spirit of the Dragon (老鼠龍之猛龍過港) | Yun Gee | |
| 1999 | Four Chefs and a Feast (四個廚師一圍菜) | | Cameo |
| 1999 | A Man Called Hero (中華英雄) | Hero's mother | Cameo |
| 1999 | The Truth About Jane and Sam (真心話) | Sam's mother | |
| 2000 | Fist Power (生死拳速) | Brian's mother | |
| 2000 | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (臥虎藏龍) | Jade Fox | Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 2000 | Lavender (薰衣草) | Madame Tung | Cameo |
| 2001 | Shadow Mask (武神黑俠) | Red Goddess | a.k.a. The Legend of Black Mask |
| 2002 | Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger (龍騰虎躍) | Liu Ruyan | also producer |
| 2002 | Naked Weapon (赤裸特工) | Faye Ching | |
| 2004 | Sex and the Beauties (性感都市) | Mona | |
| 2004 | The Miracle Box (天作之盒) | Joanna's mother | |
| 2005 | Insuperable Kid (無敵小子霍元甲) | Aunt San | |
| 2005 | House of Harmony | Amah | |
| 2007 | They Wait | Aunt Mei | |
| 2007 | Special Boys (功夫好男兒) | Aunt Lan | |
| 2007 | Shanghai Baby [it] | Conny | |
| 2007 | The Counting House (藏) | Lia | |
| 2008 | Kung Fu Killer | Myling | |
| 2008 | Love Under the Sign of the Dragon | Tham | |
| 2009 | Basic Love (愛情故事) | Ling's grandmother | |
| 2009 | Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li | Zhilan | |
| 2009 | Blood Ties (還魂) | Madam Lee | |
| 2009 | Taishan Kung Fu (泰山功夫) | | |
| 2010 | Flirting Scholar 2 (唐伯虎點秋香2之四大才子) | Madame Wah | |
| 2010 | Here Comes Fortune (財神到) | | |
| 2011 | Coming Back (回馬槍) | | |
| 2011 | Legendary Amazons (楊門女將之軍令如山) | She Saihua | |
| 2011 | Let Love Come Back (讓愛回家) | | |
| 2011 | Shanghai Hotel | | |
| 2011 | Double Bed Treaty (雙人床條約) | | |
| 2011 | Speed Angels (極速天使) | Auntie Fen | |
| 2011 | My Wedding and Other Secrets | Mrs. Chu | |
| 2012 | Imperial Bodyguard (御前侍衛) | | |
| 2012 | Give Me Five (五行攻略) | | |
| 2014 | Lilting | Junn | |
| 2014 | The Scroll of Wing Chun White Crane (永春白鹤拳之擎天画卷) | | |
| 2014 | The Eyes of Dawn (黎明之眼) | | |
| 2014 | Streets of Macao | | |
| 2014 | The Bat Night | | |
| 2015 | Bright Wedding(璀璨的婚禮) | | |
| 2015 | Lost in Wrestling | | |
| 2016 | Good Take Too | | |
| 2016 | Goldstone | Mrs Lao | |
| 2017 | Love Of Hope(讓愛活下去) | | |
| 2017 | Meditation Park | Maria Wang | |
| 2019 | Flirting Scholar from the Future | | |
| 2020 | Mulan | The Matchmaker | Final film role |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1980 | Chivalrous Shadow, Fragrant Footprints (俠影香蹤) | Golden Swallow | |
| 1984 | The Legend Continues (霍東閣) | Chan Shi-chiu | |
| 1996 | Wong Fei Hung Series: The Final Victory (黃飛鴻之辛亥革命) | Beggar So | |
| 1997 | The Pride of Chaozhou (我來自潮州) | Poon Yuk-lin | |
| 1998 | Master Ma (馬永貞之爭霸上海灘) | Ma Daniang | |
| 1998 | Master Ma II (馬永貞之英雄血) | Ma Daniang | |
| 1999 | Young Master of Shaolin (少年英雄方世玉) | Ng Mui | |
| 2000 | Young Justice Bao (少年包青天) | Bao's mother | |
| 2001 | Legendary Fighter: Yang's Heroine (楊門女將—女儿當自強) | She Saihua | |
| 2001 | Heroes in Black (我來也) | Feng Pobu's mother | |
| 2002 | Book and Sword, Gratitude and Revenge (書劍恩仇錄) | Empress Dowager Chongqing | |
| 2002 | Springs of Life (春到人间) | Yun Shuheng | |
| 2004 | Chinese Paladin (仙劍奇俠傳) | Granny Jiang | |
| 2004 | Water Moon, Hollow Sky (水月洞天) | Long Po | a.k.a. Paradise |
| 2005 | Li Wei Resigns from Office (李衛辭官) | Li Wei's mother | |
| 2006 | Women of Times (至尊紅顏) | She Huijun | |
| 2006 | The Yang Sisters | Honey Yang | |
| 2008 | Home with Kids 5 (家有儿女5) | | |
| 2010 | A Weaver on the Horizon (天涯織女) | Mrs. Fang | |
| 2012 | Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky (軒轅劍：天之痕) | Granny Ma | |
| 2012 | The Patriot Yue Fei (精忠岳飛) | Yue Fei's mother | |
| 2013 | Daughter's Return (千金归来) | Mother Rong | |
| 2015 | The Lost Tomb | Huo Xian Gu | |
| 2016 | Ice Fantasy (幻城) | Feng Tian | |