12 Facts About Chin Tsi-ang

Chin Tsi-ang debuted in South China Dream in 1925 at the age of 17 and played a leading role in Southern Heroine in 1930.

Chin Tsi-ang began martial arts training at the age of eight, later going on to perform all her own stunts as well as choreograph scenes.

Chin Tsi-ang's father showed initial enthusiasm until his friend suggested Chin's athletic and attractive daughter would be perfect for a role in it.

The elder Chin Tsi-ang held a low opinion of actors, but was eventually convinced his daughter might be essential to the new venture's success.

Chin Tsi-ang's supporting roles in Langhua's successful first three movies launched what would become a long movie career.

Chin Tsi-ang went on to make nine more action films for Great Wall and other studios, and since some of these were multi-parters, the actual number totaled about twice that.

The last of these was released in 1931, by which time the fervor for martial arts movies had cooled, so Chin Tsi-ang moved into other genres, including sound films.

Chin Tsi-ang married director Hung Chung-Ho, with whom she had seven children, and having become a star in Shanghai, they moved to Hong Kong, where they formed the Sanxing Film Company, which specialized in wuxia and produced the first Fong Sai-Yuk film in 1938.

Chin Tsi-ang continued in business until 1963, when the Hong Kong government requisitioned its properties.

Chin Tsi-ang's husband died not long afterwards, following which she felt the urge to resume making movies, but when the matter of her age came up, she replied that she just wanted to make movies again, and would be happy to take "green leaf" roles.

Chin Tsi-ang specialized in playing women her own age, often the mother or grandmother of a lead character.

Chin Tsi-ang died in Hong Kong on October15,2007 at the age of 99.