Hsiao Yan Hsiu

Hsiao Yen-Chiu (Chinese: 小艷秋; born 19 August 1933) is a Taiwanese theater and film actress. Her career began when she was 17 with the Riyue Yuan Theatre Troupe, and she later moved into the film industry. Her first film, Lady Peach Blossom Crosses the River, was released in 1956. In 1957, she appeared in the Taiwanese film, The Mad Woman's 18 Years. She received the Silver Award in the Audience's Choice category for the Top Ten Film Stars.

Hsiao retired from acting in 1959 after marrying Dr. Zhu Bao-Lou.

Early life Hsiao Yen-Chiu was born 19 August 1933 in Taoyuan City, Taiwan. She was adopted as a newborn by the Jian family and given the name Jian Xiuchou.

Before relocating to Hong Kong, Hsiao Yen-Chiu was cast in Bai Ke's The Mad Woman's 18 Years, produced by Du Yun-Zhi. The film was based on a China Times report about a woman with a mental illness who had been confined in a temple for 18 years.

In 1957, Hsiao Yen-Chiu went to Hong Kong and signed a contract with Minsheng Film Company. She co-starred with actress Jiang Fan in Two Sisters in a Turbulent World and in director Chen Huanwen's Xue Mei Si Jun. Before Ling Bo became well-known, she played Hsiao Yen-Chiu's son in the latter film. Upon returning to Taiwan later that year, Hsiao Yen-Chiu starred in two Taiwanese films: Strange Story of Crematory, directed by Liang Zhefu, and Seaside Breeze, directed by Tian Chen.

Awards In 1957, Hsiao Yen-Chiu won the fan-voted "Top Ten Silver Star Award" at the inaugural Taiyu Pian Film Festival for her performance in The Mad Woman. The same year, she was voted the most popular actress in a Cinema Weekly readers' poll.

In 1958, she starred alongside Shih Chun in Alan, directed by Iwasawa Yotoku. She later made her Mandarin-language film debut in He Huan Shan Shan under director Pan Lei. Hsiao subsequently returned to Hong Kong to work with the Hong Kong Overseas Chinese Film Industry Company, where she appeared in three Amoy-dialect films: Love and Money, Love's Temptation, and The Love Between a Human and a Ghost.

Upon returning to Taiwan, she took on a leading role in the country's first martial arts film, Luo Xiao-Hu and Yu Jia-Long, directed by Liang Zhe-Fu.

Personal life Hsiao Yen-Chiu met her husband, Dr. Zhu Bao-Luo, while filming in Taichung in 1959. Following their marriage, she retired from acting. Her autobiography, Hsiao Yen-Chiu’s Memoirs: The Top Female Lead of Taiwanese Cinema, was published in 2021.

Filmography +YearChinese titleEnglish titleNotesRef.1956《桃花過渡》Lady Peach Blossom Crosses the River

Career honors +YearTitleAwardsRef.1957Mad Woman"Audience Voted Top Ten Movie Stars Silver Star Award" at the first "Taiwanese Film and Film Festival" — but was unable to attend the award ceremony due to working on the Xiamen-language film "Xue Mei Si Jun" directed by Chen Huanwen in Hong Kong. Voted first place for the Ten Most Beloved Taiwanese Film Stars, Cinema Weekly.