Decorated Hong Kong movie veteran Li Lihua dies at 93

Movie veteran Li Lihua passed away in Hong Kong on Sunday (Mar 19) at dawn.

She was 93 years old. 

In the recent years, Li Lihua has remained in Hong Kong, and various actors who had collaborated with the actress before, such as Wu Woon took to social media to express their condolences to her family. 

Li Lihue’s family, through the Golden Horse Awards commission, has expressed that, as per her will, her funeral will be handled discreetly and the public would not be invited. 

Born in Hebei, China, to parents who were opera actors, Li Lihua grew up learning the tricks of the trade from them.

She made her debut while she was 16 years old in the show, ‘Three Smiles’ and was an instant hit.

During the span of 40 years, she has appeared in over 140 films and was awarded best actress twice at the Golden Horse Awards. 

Known for her good looks and immense talent, she has portrayed many rules, including Wu Zetian and Yang Guifei. 

Her portrayal of the shop keeper in ‘The Fate of Lee Khan’, also served as an inspiration for Maggie Cheung’s role in the ‘New Dragon Gate Inn’.

She was awarded the Lifetime Accomplishment Award in 2015.

Jackie Chan, who played her son in the 1963 movie ‘Qin Xianglian’ said on stage:

“I called her mother once.

“But since then, that that title had stuck for more than 50 years.”

The action superstar also had nothing but praises for her, saying that she was an ‘eternal star’ and ‘eternal goddess’. 

When she was awarded a Lifetime Accomplishment Award at the Hong Kong Film Award ceremony last year (2016), her daughter accepted the award on her behalf, as she could not attend due to her being unwell.