Shi Qi

Lin Li-hui (Chinese: 林立慧; pinyin: Lín Lìhuì, born 16 April 1976), better known by her stage name Shu Qi (Chinese: 舒淇; pinyin: Shū Qí), is a Taiwanese-Hong Kong actress and model. As of 2014, she was among the highest paid actresses in Taiwan.

Shu ranked 18th on Forbes China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, 23rd in 2014, 32nd in 2015, 48th in 2017, and 90th in 2019.

Early life

Born in Xindian township, Taipei County (now New Taipei City), Shu Qi went to Hong Kong at the age of 17 to seek a film career. She eventually came under the management of Hong Kong film producer Manfred Wong, who signed her to several Hong Kong Category III films such as Sex & Zen II (1996).

Career

Shu Qi at the premiere of Three Times in Taipei in 2005.

Shu Qi starred in Derek Yee's 1996 film, Viva Erotica, which was about the erotic film industry in Hong Kong, together with Karen Mok and Leslie Cheung. She received the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in Viva Erotica at the 16th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1997. Thereafter, she has appeared in Hong Kong films such as Portland Street Blues (1998), City of Glass (1998), the box office hit Gorgeous (1999), Stanley Kwan's The Island Tales (1999) and Hou Hsiao-hsien's film Millennium Mambo (2001), making her transition into mainstream acting.

In 2002, Shu starred in the French film The Transporter, the first installment of the Transporter franchise. This marked her first foray into the American market. Later, Shu would go on to star in a small but very memorable role in the American romantic comedy New York, I Love You (2008).

Among Shu's earlier notable works were The Foliage (2004), a romance film set in Yunnan during the Cultural Revolution. She won the Best Actress award at the 13th Shanghai Film Critics Awards for her performance. Shu again worked with Hou Hsiao-hsien in Three Times (2005), which competed at the Cannes Film Festival and won Shu the Best Actress award at the Golden Horse Awards.

In 2006, Shu starred in the third installment of the gangster film, My Wife Is a Gangster alongside Korean actor Lee Beom-soo. She also starred alongside Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro in the crime drama Confession of Pain.

Shu was a member of the jury of the Berlin International Film Festival in 2008 and the Cannes Film Festival in 2009. The same year, she was honored at the Huabiao Awards as Best Actress for the Taiwan and Hong Kong region for her performance in the romantic comedy film, If You Are the One, directed by Feng Xiaogang. The romantic comedy was a hit and became the highest grossing Chinese film of the year.

Shu starred in Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013), directed by Stephen Chow and loosely based on the Chinese literary classic Journey to the West. The film overtook Lost in Thailand to become the highest grossing Chinese movie.

Shu reunited with director Hou Hsiao-hsien in his first wuxia film The Assassin (2015), where she starred as the titular character. The film received overwhelming positive reviews at the Cannes Film Festival, and Shu won the Best Actress award at the Asian Film Festival. The same year, she starred in the blockbuster film Mojin: The Lost Legend, adapted from popular adventure novel series Ghost Blows Out the Light.

In 2016, Shu starred alongside Feng Shaofeng and Victoria Song in the Chinese remake of My Best Friend's Wedding. She was also cast in fantasy comedy The Village of No Return, which premiered at the first day of Spring Festival in 2017. In 2017, Shu starred in Stephen Fung's The Adventurers alongside Jean Reno and Andy Lau.

Shu has been cast in the upcoming science fiction film Shanghai Fortress, adapted from the 2006 novel Once Upon a Time in Shanghai and will be released in 2019.

Other activities

Shu Qi at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

From 2006 to 2009, Shu Qi was selected by Kenzo Takada to be part of the third advertising campaign for its successful fragrance Flower by Kenzo. She also worked as a spokesperson for Shiatzy Chen.

Shu Qi has been representing Frederique Constant in Asia as a brand ambassador since 2008. In 2009, she, along with Frederique Constant and Paint-a-Smile Foundation, repainted the murals on the walls of the cardiology department at the Beijing Children's Hospital.

Shu Qi has also been Emporio Armani's Asian ambassador for its Fall/Winter 2010 collection. Shu is also the brand Ambassador for Bulgari.

Personal life

Shu married Hong Kong actor-director Stephen Fung in 2016. The two had met on the set of the romance drama Bishonen in 1997, and dated for four years.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Discography

Awards and nominations