American actress Lucy (Alexis) Liu is one of the most famous Hollywood actresses with Chinese roots. She played in many popular and successful movies and television series such as the Charlie's Angels (2000, 2002), Chicago (20029, Ally McBeal (1998-2002) and Kill Bill (2003: directed by Quentin Tarantino). She was born December 2, 1968 in New York (Queens). She didn't know to speak English until she was 5 because her family speaks only Mandarin. Although, their parents had a good careers in China and Taiwan (father Tom as civil engineer and mother Cecilla as a biochemist), they decided to live in the United States. They wanted her daughter Lucy to educate as she did. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan. During her studying, she worked as a waitress.

She can be considered as a very interesting and versatile person. She speaks Italian, Spanish, English, mother tongue Chinese and a bit Japanese. She likes to rock climbing, practicing martial arts, skiing, playing the accordion. She is very active and always do 10 things at the same time, she indicated the possibility of being bisexual. She is an artist, not only in film, but in visual arts too such as painting and photography. She has a will to participate in charity events and to donate her money in charity purposes. It was no surprise when she was appointed as the UNICEF Ambassador by the U.S. Fund. As she was one of the most popular Asian American in American media, she was allowed to host Saturday Night Live as a first Asian-American woman. Today she lives with her brother and his wife in new York, and she is very aware of her Asian roots, but American environment.

The Cinema of Hong Kong has a long history within the Chinese language cinema, and a continuous independent film production. Because it enjoyed a greater degree of political and economic freedom than Taiwan or the rest of China, it soon became the third largest film industry in the world, beside Hollywood and Indian Cinema. It still plays a significant role as part of the world film industry and retains its unique identity. This refers especially to its action film production, which has acquired a world-wide audience, and has become one of the cultural trademarks of China.

While other film industries have received various forms of government support, financial and otherwise, Hong Kong film has received almost none. It is a predominantly commercial cinema, depending on revenues earned by catering to the public's needs. This means producing mostly audience-pleasing comedies and action movies, and keeping the interest alive by making sequels and remakes of the most successful films. The philosophy of Hong Kong film is often described as "thrill-a-minute" philosophy, relying on fast pacing and attractive visuals. It is noted for its high energy and surreal imagination.

Its philosophy also includes a highly developed star system. This is really the backbone of the commercial film as such, and secures popularity and continuous attendance. The stars of Hong Kong films usually have previously established careers in other media, such as Chinese opera, television and even the music industry. This is one of the purported strategies of the marketing industry, based on the Western model, and it obliges stars to be active in other mediums, to be accessible to a wider range of audience.

Early years of Hong Kong film

The early films were closely related to Chinese opera. The first movies made in Hong Kong had origins in some of the more exemplary opera scenes of the time. Short films were made as early as 1909, notably two short comedies entitled Stealing a Roasted Duck and Right a Wrong with Earthernware Dish, by Liang Shaobo. The first full length feature film is Zhuangzi Tests His Wife (1913) by Lai Man-Wai, who is now known as the Father of Hong Kong Cinema. This film also featured the first acting performance by a woman - Shanshan Yan, Li Minwei's wife, as the servant girl.

Lai Man-Wai also established one of the earliest film studios in the history of Chinese cinema, the Minxin Film Company, in 1922. It later moved to Shanghai due to financial pressures, and was finally expanded into the Lianhua Studios in 1930. Some of the leading genres also developed during these years - the immensely popular wuxia genre of martial arts, as well as Cantonese film, which had a strong base in Hong Kong. Perhaps the most prominent genre of the 1930s were filmed Cantonese operas, more successful than even martial arts fantasy films. The genres somewhat expanded with the advent of the Sino-Japanese War. Patriotic, "national defence" films were made that portrayed brave Chinese under Japanese invasion. This became a prominent genre in 1930s, and is represented by Kwan Man Ching's Lifeline (1935), Situ Huimin's March of the Partisans (1938) and Chiu Shu Sun's Hand to Hand Combat (1937).

When the Japanese took over Hong Kong in 1941, they tried to promote their own film in a sort of collaboration with Chinese film. This was mostly unsuccessful, except for one propaganda movie which they produced, entitled The Attack on Hong Kong (1942). The period between 1940 and 1960 for Hong Kong film was marked by the incoming of resources and talents from continental China. It expanded even more with Chinese Civil War. Chinese language films became more established in Hong Kong, and films were exported to other Southeast Asian countries. The dominant genres were again Cantonese opera on film, and martial arts films. One of the biggest stars of this era were the female duo Yam Kim Fai and Pak Suet Sin, who made more than fifty films together, with The Purple Hairpin (1959) being one of the most popular. Kung fu films flourished, with about 100 being made which starred Kwan Tak Hing, and wuxia (swordplay) fantasies with special effects were also popular. The Six-Fingered Lord of the Lute (1965) was one one of the more popular at the time. Films were also made in Mandarin, with the musical genre called Huangmeidiao, which was derived from Chinese opera, becoming very popular. A big hit was The Love Eterne (1963) which is still considered a classic musical film, often described as the Romeo and Juliet of the Far East. Romantic melodramas also flourished - Red Bloom in the Snow (1956), The Blue and the Black (1964) and Love Without End (1961). Some musicals were made in Hollywood fashion. Examples include Mambo Girl (1957) and The Wild, Wild Rose (1960).

Under influence of Japanese samurai movies, Chinese wuxia films became more intense and violent. This was a response to a diminishing interest in film brought about by the growing popularity of television. Films that were made in this genre would establish the tradition of Hong Kong action films, which later became one of the most fruitful in the world. Some of the key films in this trend are: Come Drink With Me (1966) by King Hu, Temple of the Red Lotus (1965) by Xu Zenghong, Dragon Inn (1967), Tiger Boy (1966), Golden Swallow (1968) and The One-Armed Swordsman (1967). The real boom of the martial art film came with the explosion of kung fu films in the 1970s, under the production of the Shaw brothers' studio. It would launch the biggest name of all martial arts films, and the most influential martial artist of the 20th century, Bruce Lee, into superstardom. The most popular releases of the time are: The Big Boss (1971, Us title: Fists of Fury), Way of the Dragon (1972), Fist of Fury (1972, US title: The Chinese Connection), Enter the Dragon (1973) and Game of Death (1978).Films in Cantonese again became popular, particularly comedies starring the Hui Brothers. Michael Hui, director, actor and screenwriter, and his two brothers Sam Hui (actor and singer) and Ricky Hui, found great success with their 1974 film Games Gamblers Play. This film made $1.4 million at the Hong Kong box office, even beating some of Bruce Lee's films in the race.

Jackie Chan has reserved his place in the Hollywood Boulevard. Photo by hankoss.

Golden Harvest, a Hong Kong based film company, reigned during the 1970s and 1980s. It was the first Chinese film company to enter the Western market and leave a mark. One of its best moves was signing a contract with the rising comedy-action actor Jackie Chan, who for the next twenty years was the best earning movie star.There appeared a greater flexibility in film production in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with such genres as softcore erotica, or fengyue, and extremely violent films, coming to the front. Respectable directors even tried their hand in such novel forms, often blending social dramas with eroticism, in such films as Teddy Girls (1969) and The Call Girls, a serious film on the subject of prostitution. The seminal works of Hong Kong film were created in the 1970s, but the real international recognition of this production came in 1980s and early 1990s. The new and modern cinema was established, with a more sophisticated production, and an adoption of special effects technology. Genres became mixed, often within a single film. Strong accent was placed on exciting, sensationalistic images, which often involved a blend of action, comedy and sex. Directors which became representative of the era are Wong Jing and Tsui Hark, and John Woo, who produced the famous gangster action movies with star Chow Yun Fat. Taiwanese actress Brigitte Lin starred in romantic melodramas and martial arts fantasies. Comedy film was dominated by Cherie Chung and Stephen Chow, and kung fu action by Jackie Chan.

Contemporary cinema of Hong Kong

The 19902 also saw the rise of pulp film, with soft pornography coming to the front. They were called Category lll films, represented by Michael Mak's Sex and Zen (1991). Exploitation and horror films were produced, such as Dr. Lamb (1992), The Untold Story (1993) and Ebola Syndrome (1996). In response to this trend of decadent artwork, there appeared alternative cinema, or art cinema, mostly influenced by the New Wave filmmakers like Ann Hui and Yim Ho. They wanted to produce non-commercial types of film that would elevate the taste of the Chinese audiences. The best representatives of this school are Stanley Kwan, Clara Law, Mabel Cheung, Wong Kar-wai and Lawrence Ah Mon. These directors gained international acclaim and reputation, winning awards at festivals, and breaking new territory for Chinese film industry.

The Hong Kong film industry experienced a crisis however, in the 1990s, from which it has not recovered. Ticket sales dropped considerably, and audiences were practically cut in half. Various cause were given for this turnaround: the Asian financial crisis, video piracy, infiltration of Hollywood studios into the Asian market and so on. In 2003 the film industry had one of its toughest years - the SARS virus closing most theaters and paralyzed film production for four moths. Some commercially successful films were produced in recent years, but the overall effect has been that of a steady decline, especially when compared with mainland China's cinema. It is difficult to determine what the Hong Kong film industry will look like in coming years, as many factors influence the Asian market, and some critics suggest that it had a limited life span which is nearing its end.