Chang, Sylvia

(née Zhang Aijia/Cheung Ngai-kar)

b. 1953, Chiayi, Taiwan

Actress, producer, director, screenwriter

A well-known star and multi-talented filmmaker, Chang has worked in Taiwan, Hong Kong and, briefly, in the United States (for television) and England (Mike Newell’s Soursweet, 1988). In Taiwan, Chang was a teenage TV actress, won two Golden Horse awards (1976 and 1981) and contributed to the genesis of the New Cinema by producing the TV series Eleven Women (Shi yige nüren, 1981), which triggered Edward Yang’s directing career. She also starred in Yang’s first feature, That Day on the Beach (Haitan de yitian, 1993), as well as in several major films, including Ang Lee’s US co-production Eat Drink Man Woman (Yin shi nan nü, 1994).

In Hong Kong she was cast in action comedies, especially the popular series Aces Go Places (Zuijia paidang, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986). She produced and starred in Ann Hui’s first feature, The Secret (Feng Jie, 1979), and worked with Li Hanxiang, King Hu/Hu Jinquan, Tsui Hark, Johnny To Kei-fung, Clifton Ko Chi-sum, Mabel Cheung Yuen-ting, Stanley Kwan, Lawrence Ah Mon/ Lau Kwok-cheong, and so forth. In 1981, she started writing screenplays and directing films focusing on female protagonists. She appears in some of her films—Passion (Zui Hai, 1986), Tempting Heart (Xin Dong, 1999)—while gracefully yielding centrestage in others—Mary from Beijing (Mengxing shifen, 1992), Siao Yu (XiaoNü Xiao Yu, 1994), Nobody Wants to Go Home (Jintian bu huijia, 1996), Princess D (Xiang Fei, 2002).

See also: cinema in Taiwan

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