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Cheng Pei-pei
Playing Golden Swallow in Come Drink with Me and Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Come Drink with Me · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Born
- 6 January 1946
- Birthplace
- Shanghai, China
- Died
- 17 July 2024
More people
Cheng Pei-pei
Cheng Pei-pei became a landmark swordswoman in Hong Kong cinema before returning to international attention in later character roles. Dance training gave her action performances precision and grace.
Early life
Shanghai childhood
Studied ballet before moving to Hong Kong as a teenager.
Studio training
Entered the Shaw Brothers training programme in 1963.
Career
- 1960s
Shaw Brothers beginnings
Moved from dance and dramatic roles into martial-arts films.
- 1966–1971
Action stardom
Became a leading swordswoman after Come Drink with Me.
- 1970s–1980s
American chapter
Moved to the United States, taught dance and worked in television production.
- 1990s–2020
Screen return
Returned to Hong Kong roles and later appeared in international films, ending with Mulan.
Selected work
Come Drink with Me
Played Golden Swallow on a mission to rescue her brother.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Played the embittered martial artist Jade Fox.
Lilting
Portrayed a grieving mother struggling to communicate with her son’s partner.
Beyond work
Family of performers
Her daughters include actors Eugenia Yuan and Marsha Yuan.
Film preservation
Helped preserve King Hu’s cinematic archive and personal materials.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Film at Lincoln Center: Come Drink with Me ↗Golden Horse: lifetime achievement ↗Photo: See Li. CC BY 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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