From Cheng Pei-pei to Michelle Yeoh, Hong Kong cinema’s history of action heroines

For decades, Hong Kong’s film industry has cultivated an extraordinary roster of female screen warriors, defying the city’s historically conservative gender roles. From 1960s icon Cheng Pei-pei – known as the “Queen of Swords” – to the globally recognised Michelle Yeoh, the city’s male-dominated studios have consistently given women the chance to fight just as hard as the men in their fabled martial arts films. This offers an interesting comparison to Hollywood. The United States has produced...