[2026.08.05] "MAMBO GIRL" GRACE CHANG PASSED AWAY AT AGE 93

Grace Chang excelled in acting, singing and dancing, leaving many classic films
courtesy of on.cc

Grace Chang excelled in acting, singing and dancing, leaving many classic films
courtesy of mingpao.com

Film star Grace Chang (Got Lan) passed away at the age of 93. The day before yesterday (3rd), cultural professional Peter Dunn Siu Yue announced the news on social media. "Got Lan passed away peacefully this afternoon. Grace, your fans will always miss you."

Originally named Cheung Yuk Fong, Got Lan was active in the film industry in the 1950s and 1960s and was an important representative of Chinese musical films. She combined acting, singing and dancing into one, with stage presence and professional strength. Representative works include "MAMBO GRIL" (MAN BO NUI LONG), "SPRING SONG" (CHING CHUN YI NUI) and "THE WILD, WILD ROSE" (YEH MUI GWAI JI LUEN), and her movive SUN, MOON AND STAR (SING SING YUET LEUNG TAI YEUNG) was regarded as a classic that became the collective memory of a generation of viewers. She joined the Tai Shan Film Company and made her silver screen debut with SEVEN SISTERS (CHUT JI MUI) in 1952. In 1957 Got Lan in MAMBO GIRL played Lee Hoi LIng. Because she excelled in acting, singing and dancing, she started a "Mambo Fever". In 1961 Got Lan starred in the Evan Yang (Yik Man) directed SUN, MOON AND STAR and played "Moon" Ma Chau Ming, collaborating with Lucille Yu Ming and Julie Yeh Feng in the classic. She also sang popular songs such as "Unspeakable Joy", "Carmen" and "I Want Your Love".

Received Western vocal training since childhood, Got Lan also studied Kunqu from Kun Opera master Yu Zhenfei and laid a deep foundation. Whether it was Western opera, Cha Cha, Mambo, or traditional Chinese opera, she was more than capable of mastering them and showed the cross-cultural artistic charm. After joining Motion Picture and General Investment Co. Ltd. in the 1950s, her career rapidly rose. She starred in a number of musical films that consolidated her position in the Chinese film industry. After marrying wealthy businessman Ko Fok Chuen in London in 1964 and an over 7 month honeymoon around the world, Got Lan returned to Hong Kong to make movies like BECAUSE OF HER (GAU NGOR YU HOR BUT SEUNG TA) and THE MAGIC LAMP (BO LIN DUN). She officially bid farewell to the film and the music scene in the 1960s after making A STORY OF THREE LOVES (TAI SIU YUN YUEN). In 1966 her son was born, and she focused on her family life since.

After retirement Got Lan picked up her passion for Beijing Opera from her early years. Contributing money and effort to cultivate talented young students, she found the "Ko Tung Beijing Opera art society" to spread the Beijing Opera culture and development in Hong Kong. In 2015 the society held the event "Grace Chang presents: the Best of Beijing Opera Night" at the Academy of Performing Arts. In 2018, the Hollywood hit film CRAZY RICH ASIANS included her song on its soundtrack.