Taiwanese Actress Shu Qi Famously Rose From Nude Pictorials to Mainstream Success.
The success stories of celebrities are always a delight to hear or read but these stories of climbing up the ladder of fame and wealth are not only heard about those in Hollywood. There are also the rags to riches stories and one of such is Shu Qi.
Shu Qi might not be a big name in the western film scene, but she has definitely established her place and earned her much-deserved respect in Asia, especially in Hong Kong.
Born April 16, 1976 in Taipei in Taiwan, Lin Li-hui, better known by her stage name Shu Qi is a Taiwanese-Hong Kong actress and model. Shu Qi went to Hong Kong at the age of 17 to seek a film career. She eventually came under the management of Hong Kong film producer Manfred Wong, who signed her to several Hong Kong Category III films such as Sex & Zen II (1996)
Her rise to fame is no piece of cake. The Taiwanese actress first appeared in an adult movie or movies that are considered “Category 3” in Hong Kong. She famously rose from nude pictorials and soft-core sex films to mainstream success.
In 1996, she appeared in Viva Erotica, which earned her Best Supporting Actress award in the 16th Hong Kong Film Awards. This triggered her popularity, appearing in films such as The Island Tales, The Eye 2, Three Times, the French film The Transporter, the much celebrated Millenium Mambo.
She has won the prestigious Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan (regarded as the East Asian Oscars) for Best Supporting Actress. She has also received a nomination for Best Actress from the Golden Horse Awards. She appeared with Jackie Chan in the romantic comedy Gorgeous (1999) (“Gorgeous”). Her name is spelled in a variety of ways, including Hsu Qi, Hsu Chi, Qi Shu, and Shu Kei, and there are quite a few other variations on her name on foreign V.C.D.s, D.V.D.s, and internet sites.
Shu was a member of the jury of the Berlin International Film Festival in 2008 and the Cannes Film Festival in 2009. The same year, she was honored at the Huabiao Awards as Best Actress for the Taiwan and Hong Kong region for her performance in the romantic comedy film, If You Are the One, directed by Feng Xiaogang. The romantic comedy was a hit and became the highest grossing Chinese film of the year
Shu Qi turned 42 last April. The actress has already appeared in over 5 television dramas and over 80 movies. Having won prestigious acting awards, she is among those who proved that “sexy” actresses can contribute serious depth and talent in films and TV.
From 2006 to 2009, Shu Qi was selected by Kenzo Takada to be part of the third advertising campaign for its successful fragrance Flower by Kenzo. She also worked as a spokesperson for Shiatzy Chen.
Shu Qi has been representing Frederique Constant in Asia as a brand ambassador since 2008. In 2009, she, along with Frederique Constant and Paint-a-Smile Foundation, repainted the murals on the walls of the cardiology department at the Beijing Children’s Hospital.[22][23]
Shu Qi has also been Emporio Armani’s Asian ambassador for its Fall/Winter 2010 collection.[24] Shu is also the brand Ambassador for Bulgari.
Shu married Hong Kong actor-director Stephen Fung in 2016. The two had met on the set of the romance drama Bishonen in 1997, and dated for four years.
