The martial arts movie world has lost a legend in the past few months. Here at Hai!Karate, we're paying homage to the "Baby Queen" of Shaw Brothers Studios, Li Ching. She was born as Li Guo-Ying in Shanghai, China in 1948. She moved to Hong Kong at the age of five, and when she turned 15 she entered into the acting school at Shaw. Her first five roles were minor ones, but her striking beauty made sure audiences took notice. This led to a breakthrough role in the fantasy operatic film The Mermaid in 1965 opposite established Shaw actress Ivy Ling Po. Li would wind up winning the Best Actress award at that year's Asian Film Festival in Kyoto, Japan and earned her nickname as a result. She even got the attention of Western press, seen here in this article in LOOK Magazine below. (Credit to ShaolinChamber36.com)
Of course that meant more prominent roles, and Li Ching would wind up being one of the most versatile leading actresses the studio had. That meant fantasy pictures. That meant horror flicks. And, of course, wu xia movies galore! Some of the more classic titles are staples of the genre, such as King Eagle, The 14 Amazons and The New One-Armed Swordsman.
Li Ching also found herself poised as a romantic lead on more than one occasion. Sometimes, her expressiveness stole the show in films like The Invincible Fist, where she played the blind daughter of a crafty villain. There were also times where she could display some sheer ferocity, like with her turn in Vengeance of A Snow Girl. Her career would ultimately cover 68 films in total. As the 1970's arrived, Li would find that some roles were short in coming with regards to action films, so she wound up as key player in some of the studio's more "adult" films and comedies. She ended her career in 1983.
Li Ching would retreat to a fairly private life, having lost her longtime love who was part of the family who owned the Kowloon Motor Bus Company in 1979. The sadness continued as she would pop up here and there in the news in Hong Kong due to financial issues, reportedly over bad investments in the stock market and some heavy gambling losses. Unfortunately, her story came to an end on February 23rd of this year, as police were summoned to a flat that she was renting in the Quarry Bay district after reports of a foul odor coming from the place had been sent in. Her body was found and it was determined that she passed away from natural causes. Li Ching was 69. May she always live on as one of the shining stars not only of cinema in Hong Kong, but across the world especially in the 1960's and 1970's.
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