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MULTIMEDIA

Remembering Hong Kong’s ‘Queen of Swords’

Cheng Pei Pei, a trailblazer in the male-dominated world of “wuxia” martial arts films, died Wednesday at the age of 78.
Jul 19, 20242-min read #TV & film

Cheng Pei Pei, a pioneering actress and star of movies like “Come Drink With Me” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” died July 17. She was 78.

One of the foremost stars of Hong Kong’s wuxia martial arts boom in the 1960s, Cheng returned to acting in the 1990s and 2000s with a series of high-profile roles. Her representatives confirmed her death Friday.

Born in Shanghai on Jan. 6, 1946, Cheng relocated to Hong Kong in the early 1960s and quickly found work with the prestigious Shaw Brothers Studio. Her first leading role came in 1964, in “Lovers’ Rock,” but it was her performance in King Hu’s 1966 epic “Come Drink With Me” that proved to be her big break — earning her the nickname “The Queen of Swords” and making her a star in the Chinese-language film world. Over the next few years, she helped create the wuxia swordswoman archetype, highlighting the strength and complexity of female martial artists in a previously male-dominated genre.

In the 1970s, Cheng paused her acting career and moved to the United States to build a family. She returned to the silver screen over a decade later, with roles in films like the 1993 comedy “Flirting Scholar,” which saw her acting opposite Stephen Chow. She later found a global audience as the scheming “Jade Fox” in 2000’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which made multiple homages to early wuxia films.

Cheng continued to work regularly over the next two decades, with her last feature role coming in 2020’s live-action “Mulan.”

Cheng was diagnosed with a degenerative brain disease in 2019. Before her death, she agreed to donate her brain to the Brain Support Network, which conducts research on neurodegenerative disorders.

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A headshot included in Cheng’s Shaw Brothers Studio booklet. From Douban
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A still from the 1964 film “Lovers’ Rock.” The film was Cheng’s first starring role. From Douban
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Stills from the 1966 film “Come Drink With Me.” From the Harvard Film Archive

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King Hu and Cheng on the set of “Come Drink With Me,” 1966. From Celestial Pictures Limited via Hong Kong Memory

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Promotional photos from the 1968 film “The Golden Swallow.” Cheng’s work earned her the moniker “The Queen of Swords.” From @天映娱乐有限公司 on Weibo

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Cheng on the set of the 1969 film “Dragon Swamp.” From Douban

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From left to right, Cheng on the covers of The Milky Way Pictorial, Hong Kong Movie News, and Southern Screen.

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A magazine feature on Cheng, who was trained in ballet, from the 1960s.

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Cheng and Stephen Chow in the 1993 film “Flirting Scholar.”

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Stills from the 2000 film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” From Douban

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Cheng (first from left) attends the premiere of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” 2000. Liu Kaixuan/VCG
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Cheng and her daughter Marsha Yuen pose for photos on the red carpet at Cannes, May 22, 2002. Vincent Kessler/Reuters/IC

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Cheng Pei Pei attends a re-enactment of the first movie ever made at the Institut Lumiere during the 10th Lumiere Festival in Lyon, France, Oct. 20, 2018. Julien Reynaud/APS-Medias via VCG

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A still shows Cheng (center) performing in the 2020 film “Mulan.” From @郑佩佩 on Weibo

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Cheng on set in Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 2011. Qing Wu/VCG