She used to be famous, her courage and boldness was controversial, that eventually led to notoriety, and at last she faded away so quickly and dramatically, as no one would forgive her audacious rebel, that has gone too far beyond the norms of chinese society of that moment.
Passed away so hushly in Los Angeles in 2004 a the young age of 57, it was quite hard to imagine that she was once the most controversial and notable figure in chinese cinema scene of mid 1960s to early 1970s.
Ai Li's surname was Wang, her father was a high-rank KMT general while her mother was the Taipei Council member.
Ai Li first appeared as supporting cast in Li Han Hsiang's Dodder flower (1965), and her captivating performance in The Monument of Virtue 1966 (dir: Li Xing) gained her a promising New Actors award in 14th Asian Film Festival.
A bright rising star, she further rocketed to stardom in her most memorable role in The Unforgettable 1967, it was said to be a massive hit at that time, that making Ai Li among the most well known Taiwanese star.
However, an unusual decision, changed Ai Li's entire life.
In late 60s, Ai Li posted for the Playboy Magazine in the US, and soon this has become a highly publicized scandal. No one would accept the jade girl of Taiwan cinema suddenly turned into the sexy nude model of the Playboy magazine.
The condemmn and intolerable critics from mass media and public are so immense that it finally led to a disastrous consequence, especially to her established film career.
As a result, her celebrated fame ruined among the chinese moviegoers, and she later turned to a sexy actress in early 70s of Hong Kong, but the playboy incident has overshadowed her so profoundly she no longer enjoyed the popularity she used to be.
In mid 1970s, Ai Li married and eventually migrated to the US which marked her retirement from the cinema.
Before I ended this entry, just in case you might be interested, why I'm writing about her?
I never really watch any of her films, nor I was really fascinated by her appearence.
Well, It all started with the long-running celebrated Taiwanese Dialect TV drama, that share the same name with Ai Li's most memorable feature the unforgettable, which reminded my mother of her, and told me what she knew about Ai Li, and thus, this entry is born.
Just wondering, Was she the first major chinese star to post for Playboy magazine?
Well, I wouldn't know for the moment, but I do respected her incomparable courage though.
Whatever negative impact later was just because an avant garde decision made in wrong era.
May she rest in peace.
4 comments:
Thanks Dev! I've long been curious about Ai Li. Unlike you, I was very captivated by the few photos of her that I'd seen. And, of course, when I can't find any information about an actress, that always makes me more interested.
I'll try to track down that issue of Playboy and report back to you!
Dev,
I read that she had too much plastic surgery in the 70's and she looked horrible. That might be one of the reasons she was no longer popular in the 70's. I did see her movies in the 60's.
Yes, she certainly has done too much plastic surgery, to the extent that she looked "disfigured".I read somewhere that in the 80s, she worked at Shaw for a while, this time no longer as a star but a tealady cum helper in the costume department.
I feel sorry for her if the news is true.
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