[2010.01.14] SHAW VETERAN FONG YING PASSED AWAY

courtesy of takungpao.com

One of Shaw's Seven Fairies Fong Ying passed away yesterday at the age of 63. Originally named Ngai Fong Yi, she joined the film industry at age of 14 or 15, later she retreated off screen to become an art director. In recent years due to cancer she was frequently in and out of hospitals. Finally yesterday morning she tragically passed away at the hospital. Her children would like to handle the funeral in a low key manner.

Fellow Shaw veterans Cheng Pei Pei and Elliot Ngok Wa were in the first training class with Fong Ying. They both expressed sorrow upon hearing the news and expressed that they would attend the funeral. Earlier Chan Hung Lit suddenly passed away at work and now Fong Ying, all the tragedies in a few months left them sighing.

Fong Ying in 1962 participated in the Nanguo experimental drama troupe and became its second term student. After graduation she joined Shaw film company. She made her debut as an actor in training in the film THE STORY OF SUE SAN (YUK TONG CHUN). In her first film A MAID FROM HEAVEN (CHUT SIN NUI, 1963) she already was a leading actress, with performances later in THE FEMALE PRINCE (SEUNG FUNG KEI YUEN), THE WEST CHAMBER (SAI SEUNG GEI) and other films. Fong Ying wed in 1968 and retired from the screen in 1970. In the 1980s she worked as an art director, KAWASHIMA YOSHIKO (CHUEN DOH FONG JI) was among her famous work. Later with FLOWERS OF SHANGHAI (HOI SEUNG FA) she won a Golden Horse award for Best Costume Design.