Taipei — On Aug 19, legendary Taiwanese filmmaker Li Hsing passed away due to heart failure.
Li Hsing, who is known as the godfather of Taiwanese cinema, died at the age of 91. Jaycee Chan, the 38-year-old son of martial art superstar Jackie Chan, and ’70s screen goddess Lin Fengjiao are among the many celebrities and industry insiders who paid their final respects at the director’s funeral.
According to 8days.sg, Jackie and Fengjiao were unable to travel to Taiwan from Hong Kong because of COVID-19 restrictions, so Jaycee went for the funeral on their behalf. On Aug 20, Jackie paid tribute to Li Hsing on Weibo.
“Director Li Hsing is gone… I was reminded of many past events, grateful for the help and support you gave your juniors, your contribution towards the exchange of Chinese films. As your juniors, we’ll continue to work hard, and make Chinese cinema even better. Missing you,” he wrote.
Speaking to the media, Jaycee revealed that Fengjiao was very affected by the news of Li Hsing’s passing.
“I rarely see my mum so sad and hurt, this is the first time I’ve felt that there was someone that’s more important than I am [to her]. To my mum, director Li Hsing was just like a teacher, and a loving father,” he said.
The director was responsible for shaping Fengjiao’s career as an actress. He directed her in the 1979 film The Story Of A Small Town, which won Fengjiao Best Actress at Golden Horse Awards. The duo also worked together on films like He Never Gives Up, Good Morning, Taipei, and Love Rings a Bell.
Jaycee also revealed that Fengjiao was devastated after she found out about Li Hsing’s passing, and she couldn’t bear to read reports about his death.
“I’ve always wanted to do something for my mum, so I decided to come and pay my respects, and offer some incense to [Li Hsing],” Jaycee added. He also shared that Fengjiao, who retired from acting after marrying Jackie in the early 80s, rarely talked about her illustrious film career.
“When I return home, I would want to rewatch the movies my mum and director Li Hsing worked together on, so as to better experience the love director Li Hsing had for filmmaking, as well as his contributions to the industry,” Jaycee said. /TISG