[2013.09.29] LIU XIAOQING ONCE STOLE TONY LEUNG KA FAI'S MEAL TICKET

Liu Xiaoqing is a legend who went from 50 yuan a month actress to a multimillionaire

TELLING MARIA interviews Liu Xiaoqing
courtesy of mingpao.com

Luisa Lai Chi San's TELLING MARIA on Monday (Septeber 30) will premiere. The first guest would be the legendary Liu Xiaoqing. In the interview, she not only talked about plastic surgery, marriage and tax evasion prison sentence but also the unfair treatment of Mainland and Hong Kong actors back then. She revealed that when she made BURNING OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE she once stole Tony Leung Ka Fai's meal ticket!

When Liu Xiaoqing first started acting she received 50 yuan monthly. Now she is a multimillionaire. When she made movies she suffered a lot. In the early 80s when she and Leung ka Fai made BURNING OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE, she was already a star but Ka Fai was just making his film debut. At the time they even had communication problems. Because Ka Fai did not know Putonghua, she taught him to make some small gestures as hints for her to follow with her lines. Liu Xiaoqing pointed out that back then Hong Kong and Mainland actors were treated unfairly. Every meal she only had a bun while Hong Kong's Leung Ka Fai had catering. Once she finally broke down and cried, since she was still little. Everyone was frightened and asked her what happened; she said that she wanted meat and rice. Sh also said that Leung Ka Fai stayed at a hotel. He had an endless amount of meal tickets, so many that some were ripped up and tossed into the toilet. Once, she stole some meal tickets while Leung Ka Fai did not notice and shared them with three other actors. Leung Ka Fai never found out until she told him later.

Liu Xiaoqing played Wu Zetian in a television series from age 16 to her 80s, a classic performance for her. She said, to her playing young and middle age had no difficulty, but for the aging Wu Zetian she needed a lot of help from make up. She has played many historical figures but did not feel who she resembled the most. Many have suggested publishing a biography for her. Her life seemed to have followed China's development tracks. She too was often played in danger.