# Joey Wong

Joey Wong Cho-Yee (AKA Joey Wang, Wang Tsu Hsien) (Chinese: 王祖賢, born 31 January 1967) is a Taiwanese former actress and singer who rose to pan-Asian fame for her roles in Hong Kong films, particularly the A Chinese Ghost Story series (1987–1991). After the Chinese film Shanghai Story (2004), she retired to Canada.

## Biography

Wong was born on 31 January 1967 and raised in Taipei, where she completed her secondary school. She has an older brother, a younger brother and a sister. Her father was a basketball player who encouraged her to become a professional basketball player. At 14, she shot a TV commercial for sport shoes which drew the attention of a film producer, who cast her in a leading role of the film It'll Be Very Cold by the Lakeside This Year. Her film debut attracted the attention of producer Mona Fong of Shaw Brothers who invited her to Hong Kong, where Wong appeared in the film Let's Make Laugh II, opposite Derek Yee Tung Sing.
Wong's breakthrough came with her role of Nie Xiaoqian in Tsui Hark's A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), which established her as a film icon across East Asia, including China, Japan and South Korea. In the following years, she starred in numerous films, often playing supernatural or mythical characters such as ghosts or vixens. In 1989, Wong starred in the Japanese television series A Woman From Hong Kong. She made her singing debut in 1992 with the release of a single, Hold You in My Arms Forever, in both Japanese and Mandarin. The following year, she played the White Snake opposite Maggie Cheung's Green Snake in Tsui Hark’s Green Snake (1993), a reimagining of the Legend of the White Snake.
In 1994, following controversy over her involvement in the marriage of businessman Peter Lam, Wong announced her intention to retire from acting and largely withdrew from the public eye. She made a brief return in 1997, starring in the Japanese film Peking Genjin (Peking Man) and releasing a companion CD single, Who Are You?. In 1998, she released the extended Japanese CD Angelus and her first and only full-length Mandarin album, Isolation (also known as Isolated From the World). Following the album’s release, she entered semi-retirement but returned to film in 2001 with Peony Pavilion. Shortly after, she announced her retirement again in 2002 after ending her long-term relationship with Taiwanese singer Chyi Chin. In 2004, Wong made her final film appearance in Shanghai Story. However, the unexpected suicide of her close friend and A Chinese Ghost Story co-star Leslie Cheung led her to withdraw from the entertainment industry entirely. She subsequently announced her retirement again and emigrated to Vancouver, Canada, where she has lived as a Buddhist. Since 2025, she has also been the owner of a moxibustion center.

### Personal life

Wong had a long-term on-and-off relationship with Taiwanese singer Chyi Chin that began in 1985 and ended in 2002. During a period of separation from Chin in the early 1990s, Wong was in a relationship with Hong Kong businessman Peter Lam, who at the time was married to Tse Ling-ling. The affair received significant media attention and was a major contributing factor to Wong's distancing and eventual retirement from the entertainment industry.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Chinese | Role | Notes |
| 1984 | Lake Spirit | 今年湖畔會很冷 | Gong Yu Ping | |
| 1985 | How to Choose a Royal Bride | 天官賜福 | Nalan Qiong Yao | |
| 1985 | Working Class | 打工皇帝 | Amy | |
| 1985 | Let's Make a Laugh II | 再見七日情 | Joey | |
| 1986 | The Ghost Snatchers | 俾鬼捉 | Hsueh | |
| 1986 | Last Song in Paris | 偶然 | Julia | |
| 1986 | Walking Beside Me | 心動 | Joey Ling | |
| 1986 | A Hearty Response | 義蓋雲天 | Kwong Sun | |
| 1986 | 100 Ways to Murder Your Wife | 殺妻二人組 | Wang Hsiao Hsien | |
| 1986 | Where's Officer Tuba? | 霹靂大喇叭 | Joanne | |
| 1987 | To Err Is Humane | 標錯參 | Jo Chou | |
| 1987 | Private Life | 香港小姐寫真 | Sam Lee Shing-Pui | a.k.a. Miss Hong Kong |
| 1987 | Pretty Girl | 紅粉情佳人 | Lin Yun Fung | |
| 1987 | A Chinese Ghost Story | 倩女幽魂 | Lip Siu Sin | Nominated Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress |
| 1987 | The Legend of Wisely | 衛斯理傳奇 | Sue Pak | a.k.a. Legend of the Golden Pearl |
| 1988 | Law or Justice? | 法中情 | Joey Ling | |
| 1988 | My Dream Is Yours | 夢過界 | Yik Man Sing | |
| 1988 | The Big Heat | 城巿特警 | Nurse Ada | |
| 1988 | The Diary of a Big Man | 大丈夫日記 | Joey | |
| 1988 | Fractured Follies | 長短腳之戀 | May Yau | |
| 1988 | Carry On Hotel | 金裝大酒店 | Sunflower | |
| 1988 | Picture of a Nymph | 畫中仙 | Mo Chiu | |
| 1989 | Deception | 驚魂記 | Queenie / Catherine | a.k.a. Web of Deception |
| 1989 | God of Gamblers | 賭神 | Jane | |
| 1989 | Mr. Coconut | 合家歡 | Ling | |
| 1989 | My Heart is That Eternal Rose | 殺手蝴蝶夢 | Lap | |
| 1989 | Spirit Love | 飛越陰陽界 | Ginny / Ah Fun | |
| 1989 | The Reincarnation of Golden Lotus | 潘金蓮之前世今生 | Lotus | |
| 1989 | Missing Man | 都市獵人 | Rebecca / Yat | |
| 1989 | Gift from Heaven | 打工狂想曲 | Angie | |
| 1990 | Spy Games | 中日南北和 | Inspector Wong | |
| 1990 | Demoness from Thousand Years | 千年女妖 | Yun Yuk Yi | |
| 1990 | An Eye for an Eye | 唯我獨尊 | Wong Fung Yee | |
| 1990 | Ming Ghost | 阿嬰 | Ying | |
| 1990 | Kung Fu VS Acrobatic | 摩登如來神掌 | Princess Yun Lo | a.k.a. Modern Buddha's Palm |
| 1990 | A Tale from the East | 漫畫奇俠 | Chu Kor Yee | |
| 1990 | The Big Score | 絕橋智多星 | Penny Shang | |
| 1990 | Family Honor | 無名家族 | Hor Yee | |
| 1990 | Point of No Return | 都市煞星 | Julie Kao | |
| 1990 | Killer's Romance | 浪漫殺手自由人 | Paula | |
| 1990 | The Cyprus Tigers | 東方老虎 | Joey | |
| 1990 | A Chinese Ghost Story II | 倩女幽魂II人間道 | Windy Fu Ching Fung | |
| 1991 | Hong Kong Godfather | 衝擊天子門生 | Mrs Leung Chun Bong | |
| 1991 | A Chinese Ghost Story III | 倩女幽魂III 道道道 | Lotus | Won Catalonian International Film Festival for Best Actress |
| 1991 | Lady Wolf | 狼女 | | |
| 1991 | Fox Legend | 靈狐 | Suet Gei | a.k.a. Foxy Spirits |
| 1991 | Fantasy Romance | 魔畫情 | Ching | |
| 1991 | The Banquet | 豪門夜宴 | Jacky's wife | |
| 1991 | Red and Black | 鬼幹部 | Shan | |
| 1991 | A Chinese Legend | 追日 | Ku Moon Cher | |
| 1991 | An Eternal Combat | 天地玄門 | Gigi Wong Yi San | |
| 1992 | Casino Tycoon | 賭城大亨之新哥傳奇 | Vivian Cheng Le Erh | |
| 1992 | Casino Tycoon II | 賭城大亨II之至尊無敵 | Vivian Cheng Le Erh | Guest star |
| 1992 | Painted Skin | 畫皮之陰陽法王 | Yau Fung | |
| 1992 | The Prince of Temple Street | 廟街十二少 | Teresa | |
| 1993 | Butterfly and Sword | 新流星蝴蝶劍 | Butterfly | |
| 1993 | The Beheaded 1000 | 千人斬 | Blood Lotus | |
| 1993 | The Eagle Shooting Heroes | 射鵰英雄傳之東成西就 | Suqiu | |
| 1993 | City Hunter | 城市獵人 | Carrie / Kaori | |
| 1993 | Green Snake | 青蛇 | White Snake | |
| 1993 | Chez N'Ham Story | 芝士火腿 | Joey Chan | |
| 1993 | The East Is Red | 東方不敗─風雲再起 | Cici / Snow | |
| 1993 | All Men Are Brothers | 水滸傳之英雄本色 | Lin Chung's wife | |
| 1997 | Peking Man | 北京猿人 | Hao Yan | |
| 2001 | Peony Pavilion | 遊園驚夢 | Rong Lan | Nominated Golden Bauhinia Awards for Best Actress |
| 2004 | Shanghai Story | 美麗上海 | May | |
| Sources: |||||

### Television

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1998 | 世纪末之诗 | Japanese television series |

## Discography
### Singles

| Title | Release Date |
| 永遠に抱きしめて | 11 March 1992 |
| Who are you? | 3 December 1997 |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Nominated work | Category | Result |
| 1987 | Hong Kong Film Awards | A Chinese Ghost Story | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 1992 | Catalonian International Film Festival | A Chinese Ghost Story III | Best Actress | Won |
| 2002 | Golden Bauhinia Awards | Peony Pavilion | Best Actress | Nominated |