Cheng Pei-pei

Acting

Cheng Pei-pei

Born 1946-12-04 · Shanghai, China

Cheng Pei-pei (Chinese: 鄭佩佩, December 4, 1946–July 17, 2024) was an actress best known for her performance in the seminal 1966 King Hu wuxia film Come Drink with Me. It made her a contender for one of the first female action star. She continued to play expert swordswomen in a number of films throughout the 1960s. In 2000, she returned to international attention with her role as Jade Fox in Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. She followed this up with her portrayal of Long Po in the 2004 television miniseries Watery Moon, Hollow Sky, which was shown on Asian-American television as Paradise. She worked for Zhouyi Media in mainland China.

Acting credits

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon poster
7.4

Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

2000

Mulan poster
6.8

When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Chinese Army to defend the country from Huns, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. She is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. Disguised as a man by the name of Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her innermost strength and embrace her true potential.

Mulan

2020

Flirting Scholar poster
7.5

A scholar in search of true love. Disguising himself as a houseboy, he indentures himself to a rich family in order to pursue the ravishing servant girl who has stolen his heart.

Flirting Scholar

1993

A Man Called Hero poster
6.0

After Hero Hua marries Jade and leaves her in China, he goes to America to work as a servant and rebels against cruel labour conditions. Jade soon joins him in New York, where they build a family.

A Man Called Hero

1999

In a New York Minute poster
4.3

In A New York Minute follows three Asian women, each at a different stage in their life as they deal with their own personal struggles. Amy is haunted by a past breakup that has manifested into an eating disorder. Angel is caught between a loveless marriage with an older American businessman and a passionate affair with Chinese filmmaker. Nina moonlights as an escort as a way of supporting herself financially. As the story unfolds, the film reveals each character’s wants and desires is reflected in the other.

In a New York Minute

2019

Dragon Girls! poster
6.8

Yves Montmayeur takes Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as the starting point for his study of the new female warrior in Asian pop culture. From Beijing to Tokyo and Taiwan, he went to meet with the most iconic muses of this new trend, including Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Shu Qi and Asami.

Dragon Girls!

2016

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li poster
4.3

When a teenager, Chun-Li witnesses the kidnapping of her father by wealthy crime lord M. Bison. When she grows up, she goes on a quest for vengeance and becomes the famous crime-fighter of the Street Fighter universe.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

2009

Wing Chun poster
6.9

Martial arts expert Wing Chun battles bandits in this magical film that provides as many laughs as it does wallops. Besides horse thieves, Wing Chun must deal with the men around her who simply can't handle a strong, independent woman. Ultimately, she must dish out "lessons" again and again and again until the respect for her remarkable skills is finally won.

Wing Chun

1994

The Last Woman of Shang poster
7.0

In order to exact revenge upon him, a young woman (Lin Dai) marries the Emperor Chou (Shin Young-kyun), who killed her father.

The Last Woman of Shang

1964

Lilting poster
6.9

A young man of Chinese-Cambodian descent dies, leaving behind his isolated mother and his lover of four years. Though the two don't share a language, they grow close through their grief.

Lilting

2014

Come Drink with Me poster
6.7

Golden Sparrow is a fighter-for-hire who has been contracted by the local government to retrieve the governor's kidnapped son. Holding him is a group of rebels who are demanding that their leader be released from prison in return for the captured son. After a brief encounter with the gang at a local restaurant, Golden Sparrow is joined by an inebriated wanderer Drunken Cat who aids her in her mission.

Come Drink with Me

1966

Legendary Amazons poster
5.8

In 11th century China, the Emperor Renzong reigns his country poorly, neglecting state affairs while the government sinks into corruption and war rages at his borders, whose only protection left is the famous Yang clan. However, when the last man of the family falls, leaving the country open to its invaders, the clan’s formidable women take up arms to lead the army to victory and seek vengeance against corrupt officials.

Legendary Amazons

2011

Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks poster
6.8

The fantastic story of how an ancient martial art, Chinese kung fu, conquered the world through the hundreds of films that were produced in Hong Kong over the decades, transformed Western action cinema and inspired the birth of cultural movements such as blaxploitation, hip hop music, parkour and Wakaliwood cinema.

Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks

2019

The Golden Sword poster
6.2

Bai Yu Lung's father mysteriously disappears one night, and for 10 years Bai searches for him in vain. Finally, he decides to head to the far northern part of the country with the hope that he can find a clue in that region. There, he falls in love with a beggar (Cheng Pei-pei) and they continue the search together.

The Golden Sword

1969

Bell Chamber poster
NR

Based on a Thai ghost story of Kuman Thong, the film revolves around a woman who has caused the death of her young brother a long time ago. When she returns to the old house where they lived before, she finds herself haunted by the spirit of her young brother wanting to take revenge for his death.

Bell Chamber

2019

The Gods Must Be Funny in China poster
5.5

Hijinks ensue when N!xau the Bushman travels to Beijing, where he's recruited to accompany a track team on a week-long survival race through the Chinese wilderness.

The Gods Must Be Funny in China

1994

Flirting Scholar 2 poster
4.3

Tang Bohu's mother sends him to study at Qingfeng Monastery, but he can't bear the austere and monotonous life at the monastery. So, his three good friends secretly take Tang Bohu out for an excursion, where they run into Qian Qian/Qiu Xiang. Tang Bo Hu immediately falls for her, but later, she gets accused as being a spider spirit and is about to be burned to death by a priest...

Flirting Scholar 2

2010

Goldstone poster
6.0

Indigenous Detective Jay Swan arrives in the frontier town of Goldstone on a missing persons inquiry. What seems like a simple investigation unearths an intricate web of crime, corruption, human trafficking, and coordinated exploitation of indigenous people’s land. Jay must bury his differences with young local cop Josh, so together they can bring justice to Goldstone.

Goldstone

2016

The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies poster
5.9

Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, this in-depth documentary offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the history of the martial arts film -- from the genre's rebellious beginnings to high-flying modern epics. Jackson takes you through the best moments of 100 movies, including Charlie's Angels and Oscar winner Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Interviews with martial arts film veterans Sammo Hung, John Woo and Ang Lee round out the video.

The Art of Action: Martial Arts in the Movies

2002

The Yellow Muffler poster
7.0

Two sisters, Ching-ping (Irene Chen I-ling) and Pai-hung (Betty Ting Pei) struggle to find a workable act after their magician father and younger sister leave to try their luck in Taiwan. A good friend gets them cast in a new movie, and the rest is history....

The Yellow Muffler

1972

Lady Piranha poster
6.3

Six female POWs lead an escape from a North Vietnamese prison camp, then join the local rebel forces to plan an attack to wipe out the camp and free the rest of the prisoners.

Lady Piranha

1982

Grit & Polish: Heroines from Hong Kong poster
NR

Female characters in martial arts films from Hong Kong: the women who played them and the directors who wrote the scenarios and directed the films.

Grit & Polish: Heroines from Hong Kong

2001

All the King's Men poster
7.3

It's the 10th century BC, the emperor is not well, and the medicines he is receiving from con artist "Immortal Li" are in reality only making him worse.

All the King's Men

1983

They Wait poster
5.3

Jason and his wife, Sarah, leave their adopted home of Shanghai and travel to Vancouver, British Columbia, for his uncle's funeral, staying with his Aunt Mei. Already disoriented, Jason and Sarah are unnerved when their son, Sam, begins seeing ghosts and violent deaths. After Sam is hospitalized, Sarah consults with a pharmacist who's well-informed about Chinese mythology and who tells her that supernatural forces threaten her son.

They Wait

2007