Chen Peipei, a renowned Chinese martial arts actress with a career spanning six decades, has passed away at the age of 78.
Messages of condolence began pouring in after Chen’s family announced on Friday that the “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Mulan” star died on Wednesday after a battle with a neurodegenerative disease similar to Parkinson’s.
“Our mother, Cheng Pei-pei, passed away peacefully at home on July 17, surrounded by her loved ones,” the statement said.
Chen’s location has not been disclosed, but media reports said she died in San Francisco.
His family revealed that Chen was diagnosed with corticobasal degeneration (a neurodegenerative atypical Parkinson’s syndrome) in 2019. Chen’s brain will be donated for medical research.
“This is a rare disorder with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease, but current treatments do not slow its progression,” the researchers added.
Chen has chosen not to make the news public in order to deal with his illness privately and spend the rest of his time with his children and grandchildren.
The family has urged the public to donate to the Brain Support Network, a US-based non-profit organisation to which Cheng’s brain has been donated for research into corticobasal degeneration and other rare neurological disorders.
Chen’s agent also expressed gratitude on Friday for the love shown by the actress’ friends, colleagues and well-wishers.
“Everyone at Supreme Art Entertainment is deeply saddened by this news. We, along with her children, would like to thank all of Chen’s friends, colleagues and supporters for the love they have always shown in her life,” her rep said in a Facebook post.
“We will always miss you,” the post concluded.
Chan began her silver screen career at Shaw Brothers Studios in Hong Kong and is often regarded as the first female action hero, earning her the nickname “Queen of Swords” for her sword-wielding period drama roles.
Her first hit as a martial arts actress was in the 1966 film Drinks for Me, and she is also remembered for her role as Lady Hua in the 1993 Hong Kong film Pimp.
She won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2001, and went on to star in international productions such as Mulan, Lilting and Meditation Park.
Mainland Chinese star Tamia Liutao posted her condolences on China’s Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo, saying she was saddened to hear of Chen’s death and grateful to have met him.
“I will always remember how you lovingly called me ‘Tao, Tao…’ and how you shared your life experience, wisdom and strength with me,” said Liu, who was her co-star on the Chinese reality show “Diva Hit the Road.”
“No matter where we meet again in the future, we will embrace each other as we used to.”
In a Weibo post, TV presenter Cao Kefan recalled Zheng’s “stunning” roles as Jade Fox and Lady Hua and the friendship the pair shared.
“Whenever I saw Ms Chen, I was touched by her laughter. Even when thinking back on hard times in the past, she never complained or lamented. We spoke in Shanghainese and she said it reminded her of her childhood,” he said.
