Li Ching (actress)

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Not to be confused with Ching Li, surnamed Ching, an actress who appeared in some of the same Shaw Brothers films.
In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.
Li Ching
File:19650428李菁.jpg
Portrait of Li Ching
Born(1948-11-08)November 8, 1948
Shanghai, File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
DiedFebruary 22, 2018(2018-02-22) (aged 69)
File:Flag of Hong Kong.svg Hong Kong
EducationPrecious Blood Secondary School
OccupationsActress and Producer

Li Ching, also spelled Lee Ching (Chinese: 李菁; pinyin: Lǐ Jīng); (8 November 1948 – 22 February 2018), was a prominent Hong Kong actress and producer from the early 1960s to the late 1970s.

Early life

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Li Ching was born in Shanghai as Li Guo-ying (Chinese: 李國瑛). Her parents moved to British Hong Kong in 1949. She was the youngest in her family, with 5 older brothers and 2 older sisters.[1] From a young age, she was interested in movies. While attending Precious Blood Girls' School, she learnt that Shaw Brothers Southern Experimental Drama Troupe was openly recruiting for its second group of trainees. Despite her parents' opposition, she was determined to audition. Over 2,000 people applied, but Li Ching's fresh appearance and natural acting talent earned her a spot. She was selected along with Fang Ying, Chiang Ching, Cheng Pei-pei, and Chin Pin, becoming classmates. During this period, she made cameo appearances in The Love Eterne and The Female Prince.

Career

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After graduating from the training class, she signed an 8-year contract with Shaw Brothers. Initially, she was cast in costume roles, playing supporting characters in films such as The Crimson Palm, The Lotus Lamp, and Inside the Forbidden City; but her big break came when she was finally offered her first starring role as the Carp Spirit / Peong in The Mermaid alongside Ivy Ling Po.

File:魚美人 ( 1965 ).jpg
Li Ching and Ivy Ling Po in The Mermaid (1965)

In May 1965, Li Ching won Best Actress at the 12th Asian Film Festival for her performance in The Mermaid. Since she was not yet 17 at the time, she was dubbed the "Baby Queen of Asian Cinema".

In 1967, her performance in Susanna, her first modern romantic drama, received critical acclaim which further solidified her reputation. Following that, Shaw Brothers carefully planned her rise to stardom, producing a series of new films for her that consistently broke box office records.

In the early 1970s, Li Ching's film Have Sword, Will Travel - besides the actors Ti Lung and David Chiang - ranked as the 6th highest grossing film of the year; and by 1969, she had appeared in more than 20 films. Except for a 6-month break in 1969 due to a fractured left leg. Li Ching was almost constantly filming, completing numerous Huangmei opera movies. During her time at Shaw Brothers, she appeared in around 50 films, including Chang Cheh's Dead End, King Eagle, and The New One-Armed Swordsman. She was also considered one of the "Top 10 Actress in Hong Kong Cinema", and became one of the most sought-after actresses in both Hong Kong and Taiwan.

At the end of 1976, Li Ching ended her 13-year relationship with Shaw Brothers and began working as a freelance actress, travelling between Hong Kong and Taiwan. She also co-founded the Changtian Company with director Lo Ma and starred in their debut film, The Chase. Li eventually announced her retirement as an actress in 1983, after appearing in more than 60 films.[2]

Personal life and death

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At the peak of her career, she was described to be a compassionate soul, and quite energetic. Giving out advice to those who just debuted and invited her friends to her home frequently after a long day of work. But tragedy striked in 1979, her long-time boyfriend, Lui Kok-Wah, the eldest son of the Lui family and an heir to the Kowloon Motor Bus company, died after a 10-year relationship. This deeply affected her, leading to a gradual reduction in her film work. Followed by her mother in 1983, who had been by her side for many years, died. This impacted Li Ching immensely, and so she completely withdrew herself from the entertainment industry.

It is said that after leaving the film industry, Li Ching began a second career in the stock market. However, not long after, news spread that she had suffered significant investment losses, it may have also been her gambling addiction — a way to cope with the two significant losses in her life. In the end, she had to liquidate her assets to repay debts, some of these problems ended up leading to court. This took a severe toll on her health both physically and mentally.

In the 1990s, Li Ching disappeared from the public eye. Even when Shaw Brothers digitally remastered and released their films in 2013, she did not make an appearance.

On February 22, 2018, she was found dead at her home. Apparently, her neighbours smelt a rotten stench coming from her apartment, and called the firefighters to investigate. It turned out that her body had been decomposing for several days. She was 69 years old. Fortunately, her co-stars had not forgotten her, and paid for her funeral expenses and memorials. [3][4]

Filmography

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Films

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References

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