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Richard James Havis

Taiwan-born Sylvia Chang Ai-chia has long been one of Hong Kong’s most popular filmmakers.
After launching her career as an actress in the early 1970s, she started to make a name for herself as a director and producer in the 1980s when she realised that no one else was making the kind of dramas she wanted to star in.
Chang proved very good both in front of and behind the camera. With well over 100 films under her belt – she was already giving career retrospective interviews to the Post in the late-1980s – she has too many achievements to mention here.
Her best films as director include Siao Yu (1995), Tempting Heart (1999), 20 30 40 (2004) and Love Education (2017).

Chang has often checked in with the Post during her career. Below are some of the things she has told us.
On why she did not pursue a career in Hollywood, in 1979:
“There’s nothing wrong with going to Hollywood. For some people it is right because they have the kind of looks that Westerners go for. I don’t think I am the kind who appeals to them.
“On the set of M*A*S*H [a hit American comedy series set during the Korean war that Chang briefly appeared in], they asked me to stay on as a regular but I did not want to. I mean, I don’t always want to be a Korean hooker or that kind of stereotype. A lot of the scripts that came my way were frightening in this sense. It made me ask why I should go.”

On her time at the fabled production company Cinema City in the 1980s:
“I really enjoyed the period working with Cinema City. The only aspect I did not like was that they did too many sequels and the later films eventually lost the charm.
“But when I rewatch Aces Go Places [the popular screwball comedy series Chang appeared in], it still shows me how good commercial movies can be.”

To John Dykes about her cultural identity, in 1989:
“I have been very lucky in a way because people don’t typecast me as Taiwanese, Chinese or even a Hong Kong person. I don’t think I need an identity. As long as I am playing a good character it’s all right … the reason I am a very happy actress is because I do what I like.”
On producing and starring in the late Taiwanese director Edward Yang’s influential 1983 drama That Day, on the Beach:
“Back then a lot of young directors had just returned to Taiwan from studies overseas and there was also a batch of assistant directors who worked for years without being able to make a film themselves.
“Production costs for a film can be enormous so the best start for them would be to get work on a television series. I did everything for that project: I acted, I directed, I lost money.”

On refusing to play Asian stereotypes in Western films like the 1986 Madonna/Sean Penn vehicle Shanghai Surprise:
“I remember producers of Shanghai Surprise asking me to go for an audition at the Peninsula hotel [in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong]. I saw Sean Penn and Madonna and was very excited, of course.
“But when they gave me the full script to look at, I got really angry and left. The producers ran after me, saying, ‘Can you read for us?’ I was, like, ‘No!’”
To Kevin Kwong on how she had become pigeonholed as a director of films about women, in 1995:
“People do think that ‘Sylvia likes to shoot more women’s films’. But this I agree with because I’m a woman and I know women much better. I’m more familiar with female views.
“That’s why I still consider myself not a very experienced director. If comparing my directing with my acting, it’s still very new. This [her 1995 film Siao Yu] is probably my seventh director’s film and I’m more comfortable with women’s films.”

To Winnie Chung about the problems of finding good roles as she gets older, in 2001:
“As far as acting roles are concerned, there isn’t really much choice for an actress when she gets to a certain age. If you’re not good enough for action, don’t try it, or you’ll break your bones.
“But as far as directing goes, I know where I stand. I know what I am good at and what I’m not good at. I am more interested in the dramatic characters; there are so many stories to tell.
“I’m truly ignorant when it comes to directing an action sequence. I find that men are so much better at visualising a fight scene than women. But when women handle drama, they are usually better.”

To Clarence Tsui about why she chooses to put women at the centre of her films, in 2008:
“I’ve always found women to be more interesting. The role women play in society has been changing all the while, from the time when the world was free of [male-centred] traditions, to a world bound by them, and then one which is becoming free of them.
“The conflicts arising from these changes provide great drama. But men have stayed more or less the same for generations. It might not be out of disrespect that men don’t make many films about women – it’s just that, like women, they tend to make films they think they are good at.”

To Post film editor Edmund Lee about still being regarded more as an actress than a director, in 2015:
“I’m the only film director [I know of] who still has to do her make-up and hair at every promotional event. It’s very troublesome – and my team always makes fun of me about it – but what can I do?
“It’s because when other people look at me, they still think of me as a movie actress who happens to be doing a director’s job.”

To Fionnuala McHugh about her rigorous work ethic, in 2020:
“I’m hard­-working as hell because I always think I’m not talented enough. You used the word ‘discipline’. That word is becoming very important to my life now.
“I realise a lot of things. Chinese is better at words: yishu is yi – whatever talent you have – and shu – discipline. Put them together and you have art.”
In this regular feature series on the best of Hong Kong cinema, we examine the legacy of classic films, re-evaluate the careers of its greatest stars, and revisit some of the lesser-known aspects of the beloved industry.
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook


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Quotable quotes from Sylvia Chang on Asian stereotypes, Hollywood and making women’s films

Sylvia Chang at the Golden Horse Awards in Taipei, in 2022. Photo: AP

Sylvia Chang in 2015. Over the years, the Taiwanese actress-director has talked with the Post about everything from turning down Hollywood and Asian stereotypes to finding roles as she ages. We revisit some of the conversations that stand out. Photo: SCMP

Takeshi Kaneshiro (left) and Gigi Leung in a still from Chang’s film Tempting Heart (1999).

Chang in a still from M*A*S*H in 1979.

(From left) Sam Hui, Chang and Karl Maka in a still from Aces Go Places (1982).

Chang in a still from That Day, on the Beach.

Chang at an interview with the Post in 1995. Photo: Eric Li

(From left) Rene Liu, Chang and Angelica Lee at the 2004 Berlin International Film Festival, where they presented the film 20 30 40. Photo: Reuters

Chang and Tian Zhuangzhuang in a still from Love Education (2017).

Chang holds her award for best leading actress at the 2022 Golden Horse Awards, in Taipei. Photo: AP

9 reasons Hong Kong films are loved globally, beyond stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan

Bruce Lee in a still from Enter the Dragon. Photo: Golden Harvest

Jackie Chan (left) and Sammo Hung in a still from Project A (1983). Martial arts stars like Chan, Hung and Bruce Lee helped boost the popularity of Hong Kong films abroad, but many other factors also contributed to their success. Photo: Golden Harvest

(From left) German Cheung, Terrance Lau and Tony Wu in a still from Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, by far the biggest Hong Kong blockbuster of 2024. Photo: Media Asia Films

Roy Cheung in a still from The Mission, the 1999 film directed by Johnnie To. Photo: Milkyway Image

Bruce Lee in a still from Fist of Fury (1972). Photo: Hong Kong Film Archive

Lo Lieh in a still from the 1972 film Five Fingers of Death, aka King Boxer. Photo: Shaw Brothers Studio

Bruce Lee (right) in a still from Enter the Dragon (1973). Photo: Golden Harvest

Brigitte Lin in a still from Chungking Express (1994). Photo: Jet Tone Production

Andy Lau (left) and Tony Leung in a still from Infernal Affairs (2002). Photo: Media Asia Distribution

Gordon Liu and Lily Li in a still from Executioners from Shaolin (1977). Photo: Shaw Brothers

Martial arts director King Hu’s forgotten film The Valiant Ones was his most action-packed

A still from The Valiant Ones. King Hu’s 1975 martial arts drama spent two decades “lost” before being rediscovered. A film critic tells the Post why the movie stands out among the maestro’s other films. Photo: King Hu Foundation

(From left) Lau Kong, Bai Ying and Roy Chiao in a still from The Valiant Ones. Photo: King Hu Foundation

King Hu pictured on a film set, in a still from the documentary The King of Wuxia Part 1: The Prophet Was Once Here.

Sammo Hung in a still from The Valiant Ones. Photo: King Hu Foundation

Hsu Feng (left) and Bai Ying in a still from The Valiant Ones. Photo: King Hu Foundation

Ng Ming-choi (left) and Lau Kong in a still from The Valiant Ones. Photo: King Hu Foundation

(From left) Hsu Feng, Bai Ying, Yiu Wai, Roy Chiao, Lau Kong and Lee Man-tai in a still from The Valiant Ones. Photo: King Hu Foundation

Is Simon Yam Hong Kong’s most fearless actor? Triads, gigolos, killers, he played them all

Simon Yam at the 2017 Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony. Photo: Edward Wong

Hong Kong actor Simon Yam at an interview with the Post in 2013. Yam is known for his work ethic, his roles in 1990s adults-only films, and for playing triad criminals. Photo: Antony Dickson

Simon Yam pictured in 1988. Photo: SCMP

Simon Yam (left) and Sandra Ng in a still from Echoes of the Rainbow (2010).

Chou Han-ning (left) and Simon Yam in a still from A Light Never Goes Out (2022).

Simon Yam in a still from Dr Lamb (1992).

Simon Yam (front) in a still from The Mission (1999).

Who is Gordon Liu? Hong Kong martial artist played a bald monk and had two Kill Bill roles

Gordon Liu and Uma Thurman in a still from Kill Bill: Volume 2. Photo: AP

Gordon Liu in a still from The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter. Liu has had an illustrious film career that has spanned decades. Photo: Shaw Brothers

Liu in a still from The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. Photo: Shaw Brothers Studio

Lau Kar-leung (left) and Liu in a still from Challenge of the Masters (1976).

Liu (left) and Lau Kar-leung (centre) pictured in 2003. Photo: SCMP

Liu in a still from The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.

Liu (left) and Hsiao Ho in a still from Legendary Weapons of China.

Liu and Uma Thurman in a still from Kill Bill: Volume 2. Photo: AP

In Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, Tsui Hark mixes martial arts and Sherlock Holmes-style sleuthing

Andy Lau as Di Renjie in a still from Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.

Andy Lau as Di Renjie in a still from Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. Tsui Hark’s 2010 fantasy wuxia film was a box-office hit and spawned two sequels.

(From left) Director Tsui Hark, Andy Lau and Li Bingbing on the set of Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.

Tsui Hark at an interview with the Post in 2010. Photo: SCMP

Carina Lau as Wu Zetian in a still from Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.

Sammo Hung on the set of Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.

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Taiwanese actress and director Sylvia Chang has often spoken to the Post during her film career. We recall some of her most quotable quotes


Taiwanese actress-director Sylvia Chang has spoken to the Post on many subjects, from saying no to Hollywood and Asian stereotypes to making films on women. We recall her most quotable quotes.
