Yu So-chow facts for kids

Yu So-chow (Chinese: 于素秋; pinyin: Yú Sù Qiū; Cantonese Yale: yū sou chāu; born July 9, 1930 – died May 12, 2017) was a famous Chinese actress from Hong Kong. She was known for her many roles in action and martial arts movies. Yu So-chow has a special star on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong, honoring her amazing career.

Early Life and Training

Yu So-chow was born in Beijing, China. She grew up in a family deeply involved in Peking opera, which is a traditional Chinese art form combining music, singing, dance, and acrobatics. Her father, Yu Jim Yuen, was a very important person in Peking opera. He ran a famous school in Hong Kong called the China Drama Academy.

Yu So-chow started learning Peking opera when she was only eight years old. She performed on stage for the first time at the age of nine. She became very good at playing female warrior roles. In these roles, she showed off her amazing footwork and could even juggle and kick many spears at once. One of her most famous performances was in the Peking opera The White Snake.

A Star on Screen

Yu So-chow began her movie career in 1948. She starred in over 240 films! These movies included exciting wuxia (martial arts heroes), kung fu (fighting skills), action, and detective stories. She also acted in Cantonese opera films. Her movies were very popular and made a lot of money. She was one of the biggest stars in Asia and Hong Kong during the 1960s.

Mastering Martial Arts

Yu So-chow was one of the few actresses in the 1950s who truly knew martial arts. She was so skilled that she was like a real-life hero. When she was sixteen, she even managed to fight off a group of bad guys by herself on the streets of Shanghai.

Many of her early wuxia films were based on popular kung fu novels. These movies often showed different styles of martial arts working together. Some famous examples include Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery (from 1950) and Buddha’s Palm (a four-part film from 1964).

Diverse Roles

Yu So-chow also brought her unique Peking opera skills to Cantonese opera films. She often included lots of fancy footwork in her performances. Sometimes, she even played male characters, which was very unusual for an actress! For example, she played a male lead in movies like Execution of Lui Po (1961).

Besides action and opera, she also acted in a few modern-day movies and dramas. Her busiest time in movies was between 1963 and 1966. During these years, she made at least thirty movies every year! Even when she took on surprising roles in films like The big revenge (1963), her fans still loved her. Her last main movie was filmed in Taiwan in 1968.

In 2004, Yu So-chow was honored with a star on the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong. She still holds the record for making the most wuxia movies as an actress, with over 170 films!

Personal Life

Yu So-chow stopped acting in 1966 after she married Mak Bing-wing. He was also a famous Chinese actor who worked in Cantonese opera. Mak Bing-wing had started his acting career in the 1930s.

Yu So-chow was Mak Bing-wing's second wife. They had three children together. Later, the family moved to the United States.

Yu So-chow passed away on May 12, 2017, in San Francisco, California. She was 86 years old and died from pneumonia.

Filmography

Selected Films

Here are some of the movies Yu So-chow starred in:

• 1949 The revenge of the great swordsman Assassin Zhang Wenxiang
• 1951 The five heroes' deadly spears
• 1952 A heroine from Mount Emei
• 1957 The dragon-phoenix swordsmen
• 1960 The strange hero conquered the dragon
• 1961 Conqueress
• 1962 The blonde hair monster
• 1962 The birth of the Monkey King
• 1963 Burning of the Red Lotus Monastery pt 1 & 2
• 1963 The tiger in hunting
• 1964 The Flying Fox
• 1965 The invincible kid Fang Shiyu
• 1966 Hero of midland
• 1966 Fire dragon and the mythical pearl
• 1967 The Three Swordsmen

Awards

• Star on the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.