Taiwanese "Lady Kung Fu"

China ’s been putting kung fu women heroes on screens since 1930 when the country’s first major movie star, Chin Tsi-ang, starred in a series of swordswoman flicks. Famous for doing all her own action scenes, she went on to produce Hong Kong’s first kung fu film The Adventures of” Fong Sai-yuk”. While there were several well known woman  actresses in kung fu movie history only one is known as ‘’ Lady Kung Fu”.

Angela Mao Ying was born in Taiwan in September 20, 1950, as the third of eight children to a family of entertainers for the Peking Opera House. Her father Mao Yung Kang, was  Beijing  Opera star, who escaped China to Taiwan in 1949. At the age of 5, Angela Mao was enrolled into an Opera School in Taiwan. Some of her classmates were Judy Lee, Charlie Chin and James Tien (all future actors) and she trained for the next 14 years. She was trained rigorously in both voice and martial arts, developing astonishing facility in both and had a successful career as a Chinese Opera actress, where her flexibility and martial arts first developed.

When she was 17, Huang Feng an action movie discovered her. Feng was looking for a young woman who knew martial arts to be the leading lady for his upcoming sword fight film, called "Angry River". She signed the contract for Golden Harvest movie company and made her best movies working for them. With her experience in acting and martial arts, Angela quickly began taking leading roles other action movies in Golden Harvest productions, including "Hapkido", "Lady Whirlwind", and "The Fate of Lee Khan" She was also successful in other movies such as "The Association", "The Himalayans", and a number of others.

Her career, if not long, was impressive, as she was one of the rare women to make that sort of break-through in the film industry. She played Bruce Lee's sister in Enter the Dragon (1973) which gained her planetary popularity , and she also worked with Jackie Chan several times. In 1974, she fell in love and married Kelly Lai Chen . At the peak of her fame in the 1970s, martial arts star Angela Mao was marketed as the female equivalent of Bruce Lee.

She retired from films in 1983, when her son George King was born. She moved to Queens, New York in 1993 and eventually opened several Chinese restaurants that she runs with her son and daughter-in-law: Mama King, Nan Bei Ho, New Mei Hua, Guo Ba Inc.

Unlike Bruce Lee, who actively sought and needed stardom, she was never obsessed with pursuing fame or her career. She worked to support her family, and movies were simply the best-paying assignments she could get in those days. Then, she had a baby, her husband’s job in construction took him to New York, and that was pretty much that for her movie career. She left everything behind and dedicated herself completely to her family and family business.