use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = , burial_place = , burial_coordinates = , occupation = Actress, martial artist , years_active = 1970s–1992 , spouse = , children = , module = Angela Mao Ying (born Mao Fuching; 20 September 1950) is a Taiwanese actress and

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...

who appeared in martial arts films in the 1970s. One of the most prominent martial artist actresses of her time, she is nicknamed "Lady Whirlwind" and "Lady Kung Fu". She was positioned as a female version of

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines th ...

Biography

Mao was born as Mao Fuching in 1950. She is the daughter of Mao Yung Kang,

Peking Opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

star, who moved from China to Taiwan in 1949. Her family was originally from

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by ...

province. Angela was originally a

Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

before becoming an action film actress; at a young age she attended ballet classes before joining The Fu Shing Peking Opera in 1958. Mao trained in

hapkido Hapkido ( , , also spelled ''hap ki do'' or ''hapki-do''; from Korean language, Korean 합기도 ''hapgido'' ) is a Eclecticism#Martial arts, hybrid Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, throw (g ...

and other martial arts at an early age. This would later help her achieve success in martial arts movies. When she was 17, she was discovered by

Huang Feng Huang Feng (黃楓) (born 7 January 1919) is a Chinese-born Hong Kong-based film director, screenwriter and actor. Huang was a native of Hefei, Anhui, China. He started his career as an actor, then became a screenwriter and assistant director ...

, an action movie director known for discovering

Sammo Hung use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...

and

Carter Wong Carter Wong (born Wong Chia-ta on March 22, 1947) is a Chinese actor and martial artist, who is mainly known for roles in Kung Fu action movies. The biggest movies he was featured in are ''Big Trouble in Little China'' (1986), and ''Yong zheng ...

. Feng was looking for a young woman who knew martial arts to be the leading lady for his upcoming sword fight film, called '' The Angry River''. With her experience in acting and martial arts, Angela quickly began taking lead roles in other action films in Golden Harvest productions including ''Hapkido'' (Lady Kung-fu), ''

Lady Whirlwind ''Lady Whirlwind'' a.k.a. ''Deep Thrust'' () is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film written and directed by Huang Feng Huang Feng (黃楓) (born 7 January 1919) is a Chinese-born Hong Kong-based film director, screenwriter and actor. Huan ...

'', and ''

The Fate of Lee Khan ''The Fate of Lee Khan'' (Chinese: 迎春閣之風波) is a 1973 Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film, directed by King Hu. Plot During the waning years of the Yuan Dynasty, Mongol general Lee Khan and his sister Wan’er travel to the desolate Spring Inn i ...

'' (directed by

King Hu Hu Jinquan (29 April 1932 – 14 January 1997), better known as King Hu, was a Chinese film director and actor based in Hong Kong and Taiwan. He is best known for directing various ''wuxia'' films in the 1960s and 1970s, which brought Hong Kong ...

). She was also successful in other movies such as ''

The Association The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the ''Billboard'' charts (including " Windy", " Cherish", " Never My Love" and " Along Comes Mary") a ...

'', ''

The Himalayan ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' and many others. Internationally, she found fame for her role as the doomed sister of

's character in 1973's ''

Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly. It was Lee's final completed film appearance before his deat ...

''. Although Bruce Lee died shortly after the production of the movie, Mao was able to train and develop a friendship with him. Following the incredible success of her short-lived role in ''Enter The Dragon'', many of her films began to be released in the west. ''Hapkido'' was the first to gain a wider audience. The film also stars Carter Wong, Sammo Hung, her real life teacher Hwang In-Shik, and also Ji Han Jae. Also working on ''Hapkido'' were an uncredited 'bootmaster' Leung Siu-Lung who was helping Sammo with the fight choreography, and a stuntman named

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

. Mao continued with a string of successful movies through the seventies. She and actor Carter Wong became a bit of a kung fu duo act in a series of kung fu classic movies. One of their most popular films is ''

When Taekwondo Strikes ''When Taekwondo Strikes'' (Chinese: 跆拳震九州, also known as ''Sting of the Dragon Masters'' and ''Taekwondo Heroes'') is a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts film directed and written by Feng Huang, and produced by Raymond Chow. The film is ...

'' which is also the only film made by Jhoon Rhee. Mao spent time training with Rhee during the making of this movie. After her Golden Harvest contract expired, she returned to Taiwan and for the next five years continued to make kung fu movies. Mao married Kelly Lai Chen in 1974 and gave birth to a daughter, Hsi Pui Sze, in 1976. They divorced in 1980. She later remarried and had a son, George King, who was born in 1983. She retired from acting in 1992 to devote herself to her family. She moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

in 1993, where she and her family run three restaurants. Searching for Lady Kung Fu, ALEX VADUKUL, New York Times, NOV. 4, 2016
/ref>

Filmography

*'' The Angry River'' (1970) – Lan Feng *''Thunderbolt'' (1970) *' (1971) *''

Deadly China Doll ''Deadly China Doll'' also known as ''The Opium Trail'' is a 1972 Hong Kong action martial arts film written and directed by Huang Feng Huang Feng (黃楓) (born 7 January 1919) is a Chinese-born Hong Kong-based film director, screenwrite ...

'' (1972) – Hei Lu *''

Hapkido Hapkido ( , , also spelled ''hap ki do'' or ''hapki-do''; from Korean language, Korean 합기도 ''hapgido'' ) is a Eclecticism#Martial arts, hybrid Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, throw (g ...

'' (1972) – Yu Ying *''

'' (1972) – Miss Tien *''

'' (1973) – Su Lin *''

Back Alley Princess The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column run ...

'' (1973) – Ying *''

'' (1973) – Wan Ling-ching *''

The Two Great Cavaliers ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' (1973) *''

'' (1973) *'' Naughty! Naughty!'' (1974) *'' Stoner'' (1974) – Angela Li Shou-Hua *''

The Invincible Kung Fu Trio ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (1974) *''The Tournament'' (1974) *''

'' (1975) *''International Assassins'' (1976) – Queen of Cambodia *''Lady Karate'' (1976) *''Duel with the Devils'' (1977) – Chu *''Invincible'' (1976) *'' A Queen's Ransom'' (1976) *''The Eternal Conflict'' (1976) – Fei Fei *''Duels in the Desert'' (1977) *'' Broken Oath'' (1977) – Lotus Lin *''The Damned'' (1978) *''Iron Maiden'' (1978) – Chin Lun *''

Scorching Sun, Fierce Wind, Wild Fire ''Scorching Sun, Fierce Winds, Wild Fire'' (), also released as ''Any Which Way You Punch'' and ''Dragon Connection'', is a 1978 Taiwanese kung fu film starring Angela Mao, Dorian Tan, Chang Yi, and Lo Lieh. Plot ''Scorching Sun, Fierce Wind, W ...

'' (1978) *'' Return of the Tiger'' (1978) *''

Dance of Death The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ) (from the French language), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory of the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification o ...

'' (1979) *''Snake Deadly Act'' (1979) – Brothel Madam *''Flying Masters of Kung Fu'' (1979) *''Moonlight Sword and Jade Lion'' (1981) *''The Stunning Gambling'' (1982) *''Ninja, the Violent Sorcerer'' (1982) – Anna (uncredited) *''

Book and Sword Chronicles ''Book and Sword Chronicles'' is a Taiwanese television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel ''The Book and the Sword''. It was first broadcast on TTV in Taiwan in 1984. Cast * Yu Tien-lung as Chen Jialuo / Qianlong Emperor * Sam-Sam as Huoqing ...

'' (TV series) (1984) – Luo Bing *''

Eastern Condors ''Eastern Condors'' () is a 1987 Hong Kong action film directed by Sammo Hung, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars Yuen Biao, Joyce Godenzi, Yuen Wah, Lam Ching-ying, Yuen Woo-ping, Corey Yuen and Billy Chow. The film was re ...

'' (1987) (extra) *''Devil Dynamite'' (1987) *''Ghost Bride'' (1992)

References

*Zhiwei Xiao, Yingjin Zhang: ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Film''. Taylor & Francis, 2002, , S. 237 () *Ric Meyers: ''Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Book''. Eirini Press 2001, , S. 172–174 () *E. K. Padberg
''Angela Mao Ying: de kung fu dame''
– article in a Dutch magazine

External links

*
The Films on Video of Angela MaoHong Kong Information of Angela Mao
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mao, Angela 1950 births Taiwanese film actresses Living people Taiwanese female martial artists Hapkido practitioners