Cheng Pei-pei
Cheng Pei-pei in 2014
December 2014 Cheng at Old Billingsgate, London
Born (1946-01-06) 6 January 1946
Years active1964–present
Spouse
Yuan Wen-tung
(m. 1970; div. 1987)
Children4, including Eugenia Yuan
AwardsHong Kong Film AwardsBest Supporting Actress
2000 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Chinese name
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Musical career
Also known asThe Queen of Swords
OriginShaoxing, Zhejiang, China

Cheng Pei-pei (born 6 January 1946) is a Chinese actress, who is considered cinema's first female action hero.[1] She is known for her performance in the 1966 King Hu wuxia film Come Drink with Me, as well as her portrayal of Jade Fox in the award-winning 2000 wuxia film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.[2]

Career

Cheng moved to Hong Kong in 1962. In 1963, she began training at Shaw Brothers Studio through a recommendation by a family friend. Due to her Mandarin and dance background, she quickly worked her way up in the industry. In 1964, she made her feature film debut as Liu Qiuzi in the 1964 Taiwanese drama film Lovers' Rock.[2][3]

Cheng is perhaps best known for starring in the 1966 Hong Kong wuxia film Come Drink with Me, 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.[4]

Cheng moved to Southern California in the 1970s to raise her children. She attended business school at the University of California, Irvine.[3] During this period, she also taught Chinese dance.[5]

In 2000, she returned to international attention with her role as Jade Fox in Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.[6] Cheng had befriended director Ang Lee when she was host of the Mandarin talk show, Pei-Pei's Time, on the Los Angeles–based TV station KSCI.[2][3]

She followed this up with her portrayal of Long Po in the 2004 television miniseries Watery Moon, Hollow Sky, which was shown on Asian-American television as Paradise. She continues to work for Zhouyi Media in mainland China.

Cheng is the president of the King Hu Foundation.[3]

Personal life

Cheng has four children. Her son Harry Yuan is a host on National Geographic, and her daughters Jennifer, Marsha, and Eugenia Yuan are all actresses.[7] Cheng is Buddhist.[3] She is fluent in Shanghainese,[8] Cantonese,[9] Mandarin and English.[10]

Filmography

Films

Year Title Role Notes
1964Lovers' Rock (情人石)Lin Qiuzi
1964The Last Woman of Shang (妲己)Dancing girl
1965The Lotus Lamp (寶蓮燈)Liu Yanchang
1965Song of Orchid Island (蘭嶼之歌)Ya Lan
1966Come Drink with Me (大醉俠)Golden Swallow
1966The Joy of Spring (歡樂青春)
1966Princess Iron Fan (鐵扇公主)White Bone Demoness
1967Blue Skies (艷陽天)Chen Yun
1967The Dragon Creek (龍虎溝)Guo Er-niu
1967Hong Kong Nocturne (香江花月夜)Chia Chuan-chuan
1967Operation Lipstick (1967) (諜網嬌娃)
1967The Thundering Sword (神劍震江湖)So Jiau-jiau
1968Golden Swallow (金燕子)Golden Swallow
1968The Jade Raksha (玉羅剎)Leng Qiuhan
1968That Fiery Girl (紅辣椒)Pearl
1969Dragon Swamp (毒龍潭)Qing-er/Fan Ying
1969The Flying Dagger (飛刀手)Yu Ying
1969The Golden Sword (龍門金劍)Ngai Jin-feng
1969Raw Courage (虎膽)Shangguan Xiuyi
1970Brothers Five (五虎屠龍)Yen Hsing-kung
1970Lady of Steel (荒江女俠)Fang Ying-qi
1971The Lady Hermit (鍾馗娘子)Leng Yu-shuang
1971The Shadow Whip (影子神鞭)Yang Kaiyun
1971The Patriotic Heroine (拼命娘子)
1972The Yellow Muffler (玉女嬉春)Singer
1973Attack of the Kung Fu Girls (鐵娃)Siu Ying
1974Whiplash (虎辮子)Hu Pien-tze
1982Lunatic Frog Women (烈日女娃人)
1983All the King's Men (天下第一)
1988Painted Faces (七小福)Ching
1993Flirting Scholar (唐伯虎點秋香)Madame Wah
1993Kidnap of Wong Chak Fai (綁架黃七輝)Kung Tse-sam
1994From Zero to Hero (亂世超人)
1994The Gods Must Be Funny in China (非洲超人)Aunty
1994Kung Fu Mistress (神鳳苗翠琴)
1994Lover's Lover (情人的情人)
1994Wing Chun (詠春)Ng MuiCameo
1996How to Meet the Lucky Stars (運財五福星)Chu Ba
1997The Spirit of the Dragon (老鼠龍之猛龍過港)Yun Gee
1999Four Chefs and a Feast (四個廚師一圍菜)Cameo
1999A Man Called Hero (中華英雄)Hero's motherCameo
1999The Truth About Jane and Sam (真心話)Sam's mother
2000Fist Power (生死拳速)Brian's mother
2000Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (臥虎藏龍)Jade FoxHong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
2000Lavender (薰衣草)Madame TungCameo
2001Shadow Mask (武神黑俠)Red Goddessa.k.a. The Legend of Black Mask
2002Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger (龍騰虎躍)Liu Ruyanalso producer
2002Naked Weapon (赤裸特工)Faye Ching
2004Sex and the Beauties (性感都市)Mona
2004The Miracle Box (天作之盒)Joanna's mother
2005Insuperable Kid (無敵小子霍元甲)Aunt San
2005House of HarmonyAmah
2007They WaitAunt Mei
2007Special Boys (功夫好男兒)Aunt Lan
2007Shanghai BabyConny
2007The Counting House (藏)Lia
2008Kung Fu KillerMyling
2008Love Under the Sign of the DragonTham
2009Basic Love (愛情故事)Ling's grandmother
2009Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-LiZhilan
2009Blood Ties (還魂)Madam Lee
2009Taishan Kung Fu (泰山功夫)
2010Flirting Scholar 2 (唐伯虎點秋香2之四大才子)Madame Wah
2010Here Comes Fortune (財神到)
2011Coming Back (回馬槍)
2011Legendary Amazons (楊門女將之軍令如山)She Saihua
2011Let Love Come Back (讓愛回家)
2011Shanghai Hotel
2011Double Bed Treaty (雙人床條約)
2011Speed Angels (極速天使)Auntie Fen
2011My Wedding and Other SecretsMrs. Chu
2012Imperial Bodyguard (御前侍衛)
2012Give Me Five (五行攻略)
2014LiltingJunn
2014The Scroll of Wing Chun White Crane (永春白鹤拳之擎天画卷)
2014The Eyes of Dawn (黎明之眼)
2014Streets of Macao
2014The Bat Night
2015Bright Wedding(璀璨的婚禮)
2015Lost in Wrestling
2016Good Take Too
2016GoldstoneMrs Lao
2017Love Of Hope(讓愛活下去)
2017Meditation ParkMaria Wang
2019Flirting Scholar from the Future
2020MulanThe Matchmaker

Television

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

References

  1. "The First Female Action Hero (Cheng Pei-pei's Movies Explained)". Screen Rant. 24 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Tam, Arthur (31 March 2015). "Cheng Pei-pei (鄭佩佩) on Ang Lee and her iconic roles with Shaw Studios". Time Out Hong Kong. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Reid, Craig. "Cheng Pei-Pei". Kung Fu Magazine. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  4. "Cheng Pei-pei". Chinesemov.com. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
  5. Blanco, Oliver (29 March 2012). "Former L.A. Laker Girl teaches dance". East Los Angeles College Campus News. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  6. "Cheng Pei-pei". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015.
  7. Johnson, G. Allen (3 May 2018). "First major female martial arts star, Cheng Pei-Pei to be honored at CAAMFest". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  8. "原来郑佩佩是上海人,现场用上海话聊家常,以前以为她是香港人".
  9. "鄭佩佩、岳華、陳鴻烈大談邵氏昔日點滴 | 星星同學會 #25 | 鄭佩佩、岳華、陳鴻烈、吳君如、錢嘉樂 | 粵語中字 | TVB 2009". YouTube.
  10. "《金星秀》第20160504期: "武侠影后"郑佩佩浓墨重彩的七十年人生 the Jinxing Show EP.20160504【东方卫视官方超清】". YouTube.
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