Hong Kong veteran martial arts actress Cheng Pei-pei passed away on July 17 in the United States at the age of 78 due to atypical Parkinson’s disease, with her children and friends by her side. The news was revealed two days later, shocking the film industry. Director Ang Lee, who worked with her on “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” expressed on July 20 that it is hard to imagine the heroine passing away like this, as she will always be the “queen of martial arts films” in everyone’s hearts.
Cheng Pei-pei, known for her numerous works, established herself as an iconic martial arts actress with a career spanning over 60 years. After securing her position as a “female swordsman” on the silver screen with her role as “Golden Swallow” in the martial arts film “Come Drink with Me,” she went on to star in Ang Lee’s film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” The movie won the Best Foreign Language Film at the 73rd Academy Awards and Best Drama Film at the 37th Golden Horse Awards, as well as being nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 73rd Academy Awards.
In the 2000 film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” Cheng Pei-pei portrayed the role of “Jade Fox,” the martial arts master of Zhang Ziyi’s character, Jiao Long, playing the character of a wise but cynical older female swordsman, creating a classic character in film history. She won the Best Supporting Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards for this role. Zhang Ziyi paid tribute to Cheng Pei-pei on July 19, saying, “There will never be another Jade Fox, forever remembering Teacher Cheng!” Fellow actress Michelle Yeoh also mourned, saying, “Heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Pei-pei, we will miss your kindness and dazzling talent!”
Regarding Cheng Pei-pei’s passing, Ang Lee expressed early on July 20 through his assistant to Central News Agency, finding it hard to imagine the heroine of his childhood passing away, “Remembering Pei-pei sister, reminiscing an era, and cherishing the memories of our time filming ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.’ She will always be the ‘queen of martial arts films’ in our hearts, and a truly rare gem of a person.”