Remembering Hong Kong’s ‘Queen of Swords’

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Cheng Pei Pei, a trailblazer in the male-dominated world of “wuxia” martial arts films, died Wednesday at the age of 78. By Zhou Zhijian and Ding Yining Cheng Pei Pei, a pioneering actress and star of movies like “Come Drink With Me” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” died July 17. She was 78. One of the foremost stars of Hong Kong’s wuxia martial arts boom in the 1960s, Cheng returned to acting in the 1990s and 2000s with a series of high-profile roles. Her representatives confirmed her death Friday. Born in Shanghai on Jan. 6, 1946, Cheng relocated to Hong Kong in the early 1960s and quickly found work with the prestigious Shaw Brothers Studio. Her first leading role came in 1964, in “Lovers’ Rock,” but it was her performance in King Hu’s 1966 epic “Come Drink With Me” that proved to be her big break — earning her the nickname “The Queen of Swords” and making her a star in the Chinese-language film world. Over the next few years, she helped create ………………………………