The Peerless Beauty
Dir: Li Pingqian
Scr: Lin Huan (alias Jin Yong)
Prod Co: Great Wall
Cast: Hsia Moon, Ping Fan, Jiang Ming, Li Ciyu, Betty Loh Ti
1953 | B&W | D Beta | Mandarin | Eng subtitles (In Part) | 107min
The ageless tale of ‘Theft of Tiger Tally to Save the State of Zhao' was often told in male perspectives from those of Lord Xinling, Hou Ying, Zhu Hai or Jin Bi. Instead of lauding Xinling's bravery, the film focuses on Yu the concubine of the Wei Emperor. Married to a foreign Emperor, the patriotic Yu eventually sacrifices herself for the home country. Hsia Moon, dubbed Great Wall's ‘Crown Princess', fleshes out the role of Yu with conviction, thanks to the tailor-made screenplay by Jin Yong, the film was awarded Honourable Film by the Chinese Ministry of Culture.