Queen Of Swords
She should have been crowned the 1st Lady Of Martial Arts. Even though actress Fan Xue-Peng starred in the 1929 film Red Heroine, the genre of the female martial-artist, seemed to begin with Pei-Pei. And rightly so, because she set the standard, that all female leads (in kung-fu films) would follow. Originally, a Ballerina from Shanghai, she forged a name for herself (and Shaw Bros') in the late 60's, as the premiere female superstar in Swordplay Films. She became the one, that other studios sought to pattern their female martial-arts stars, after.
Though, she received her start from director King Hu, she would go on to make any director that she worked with, proud of her talents and her professionalism. Beauty, elegance, and grace were her real weapons during the time that she worked for Shaw Brothers -- filming movies that would later, become some of the most sought-after classics, around. She was a friend of the legendary Bruce Lee, who introduced her to one of her future martial-arts trainers - Chuck Norris.
This was, during her short time at Golden Harvest studios, where she would (again) work with famed director Lo Wei -- with whom she made such films as The Shadow Whip, Dragon Swamp, Raw Courage, and Brothers 5. What she has contributed this film genre cannot be overlooked, because if it weren't for her, there'd probably be no Angela Mao. Studios had to see it, before they would believe in a woman as a hero and she lead the way.
It was because of her achievements, that Golden Harvest needed a strong female lead to help rival Shaw Brothers. Though, Angela Mao would go on to surpass her (kung-fu wise), her films are a living testament, of a very talented woman, who helped forged a name for herself and Shaw studios. With the release of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, a new generation will (hopefully) seek out her earlier works and see what fans around the globe have known for years -- this lady is in a class, all by herself.