Yueh Hua – More Than A Silver Screen Hero
Yueh Hua (cant. Ngok Wah) aka Yo Hua aka Yuen Hua aka Yao Hua aka Yuei Hwa aka Yueh Hwa aka Elliot Yueh Hua aka Leung Hok Hwa aka Elly aka Elly Leung
Yueh Hua is an excellent and versatile actor. Being among the first wuxia heroes, he perfectly personifies the melancholic chivalrous knight. These roles are different from the type of hero established by Chang Cheh, and as a matter of fact, Yueh Hua is one of few early Martial Arts Stars neither discovered nor patronized by Chang Cheh. Prior to his training with the Shaw Brothers, he has no experience with Martial Arts. Nevertheless, his stormy yet elegant style is always convincing, and - contrary to other Shaw Stars - he also cuts a good figure on horseback. In the course of his career he plays all kinds of roles in many different genres, from drama to comedy, from musical to horror. He is also an excellent screen villain, nevertheless he is seldom cast as one.
Yueh Hua is born in Shanghai as Liang Le Hua on November 14, 1942. His parents stem from the Southern Chinese province Guangdong. He attends the Music Academy Of Shanghai, majors in wind instruments, and minors in music and drama. 1962, at the age of 20, he follows his family to Hong Kong as member of an acting troupe – and stays. After jobbing as construction worker, or at the Nan Guo Experimental Film Institute, he successfully applies to the Shaw Studios in 1963, and attends the usual courses at the Southern Drama Group. His experience as dancer, and general enthusiasm for all sorts of sports, especially Baseball and Soccer, offer an excellent basis for his Martial Arts training. He becomes contract actor with the Shaw Studios, and adopts the stage name Yueh Hua.
He debuts in 1964 with THE WARLORD AND THE ACTRESS, followed by THE LARK, a 1965 musical. His first lead role is that of Monkey King Sun Wu K’ung in Ho Meng Hua’s 1966 MONKEY GOES WEST, an adaptation of the classical JOURNEY TO THE WEST. He also plays this role in the second part PRINCESS IRON FAN. Monkey is one of the most popular characters in Chinese literature – a great honor and challenge for a young, unknown actor.
Yueh Hua as Monkey King Sun Wu K’ung
King Hu’s wuxia milestone COME DRINK WITH ME is also released in 1966. Yueh Hua plays Fan Ta Pei/ Drunken Cat who efficaciously helps Golden Swallow played by Cheng Pei Pei. Although Golden Swallow is often regarded as the movie’s main character, the original title DA ZUI XIA translates as Great Drunken Hero. COME DRINK WITH ME is King Hu’s tribute to the Peking Opera, and to the drunken beggar character who is a martial arts master in disguise – a common figure in Chinese folklore. When Yueh Hua who has no experience with alcohol and its effects on the human body doubts whether he is able to act as Drunken Cat, King Hu applies “learning by doing” by ordering the young actor’s beverage to be exchanged for wine from time to time. The movie is partly shot at the same time as MONKEY GOES WEST. Playing Monkey in the morning, and Fan Ta Pei in the evening, Yueh Hua sometimes mixes up the characters, resulting in Fan Ta Pei scratching his ears like a monkey. Fan Ta Pei is Yueh Hua’s most famous role. On the occasion of the Celestial release in 2002, he reveals that some fans in Hong Kong still call him Drunken Knight.
and as Fan Ta Pei
1967 he plays in six movies including the musical HONG KONG NOCTURNE and the more action packed titles THE SWORD AND THE LUTE and SWEET IS REVENGE. 1968 thru 1971 he plays wuxia roles only, with the one dramatic exception being MIST OVER DREAM LAKE. He is in three to four movies per year, mostly co-starring with female stars like Ching Ping, but especially Cheng Pei Pei. Some titles: KILLER DARTS, DRAGON SWAMP, VENGEANCE IS A GOLDEN BLADE, TWELVE GOLD MEDALLIONS, LADY OF STEEL, SHADOW SHIP, THE LONG CHASE.
In 1972 Yueh Hua proves his versatility in nine movies. The audience demands a new sort of action, and another sort of hero, thus an increasing number of movies is set outside the Martial Arts World. He is in the early gambler movie THE CASINO, performs in the musical THE YELLOW MUFFLER, fights alongside Shih Szu in THE YOUNG AVENGER, and plays the role of Lin Chong (Leopard Head) in the Liang Shan Po adaptations PURSUIT and THE WATER MARGIN, his first movie for Chang Cheh. PURSUIT explains why the loyal Lin Chong becomes a rebel – a real star part for Yueh Hua, and one of few movies in which he acts without (male or female) co-star. 1972’s output also includes Chu Yuan’s 14 AMAZONS and INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN. The many-sided director casts Yueh Hua for many of his future movies, contemporary or wuxia, dramatic or comical. His HOUSE OF 72 TENNANTS is released in 1973 and becomes a huge success, even topping Bruce Lee’s ENTER THE DRAGON at Hong Kong’s cinemas. Yueh Hua fights alongside Chen Kuan Tai in Chang Cheh’s IRON BODYGUARD, and retakes the role of Lin Chong in ALL MEN ARE BROTHERS. Li Han Hsiang who returns to the Shaw Studios in 1972 also casts Yueh Hua for many of his movies. 1973’s erotic period picture ILLICIT DESIRE makes it to the year’s Top Five. One of the female leads is played by Taiwanese actress Tanny Tien Ni who becomes Yueh Hua’s wife in 1975. In 1974, he is exploited in the international co production VIRGINS OF THE SEVEN SEAS but also plays in Chu Yuan’s contemporary, successful movies SEX, LOVE AND HATE and HONG KONG 73 as well as the Martial Arts production VILLAGE OF TIGERS.
Trilogy Of Swordmanship: The Iron Bow (1972)
From 1975 onwards, Yueh Hua works under new terms: His first non-Shaw movie is Ulysses Au Yeung Jun’s Martial Arts movie BORN OF FIRE for IFD Films and Arts Ltd. Later on, Yueh Hua is also in his movies THE GREATEST PLOT (TW, 1977), and BRUCE TUAN’S SEVEN PROMISES (HK, 1980). Further 1975 releases are MUTINY ON HIGH SEA, SUPERMEN AGAINST THE AMAZONS (another Shaw co production) as well as six Shaw movies including BLACK MAGIC (with his wife Tanny Tien Ni), Chu Yuan’s THE BIG HOLD UP, Li Han Hsiang’s THAT’S ADULTERY, and Cheng Kang’s all star cast TEMPERAMENT OF LIFE which still awaits its DVD release.
1976 he plays in Chang Cheh’s SHAOLIN TEMPLE, and has lead roles in Chu Yuan’s wuxia movies KILLER CLANS, and WEB OF DEATH. KILLER CLANS is the first of Chu Yuan’s highly praised Gu Long adaptations, most of them include Yueh Hua. Apart from contemporary crime movies (THE CRIMINALS, DRUG CONNECTION), Yueh Hua plays in some Li Han Hsiang movies and in Tyrone Hsu Tin Wing’s FIERCE FIST – his first Taiwanese movie not considering SHAOLIN TEMPLE. Later on, he acts in another four of his movies, for example, 1978 in THE FILTHY GUY, a Taiwanese production with Sammo Hung and Carter Wong, and 1979 in the Hong Kong production RED PHOENIX which also includes David Chiang, Polly Shan Kuang, and Lo Lieh. Between 1976 and 1980, Yueh Hua plays in more than 20 Taiwanese Martial Arts movies. Some are shot at the same time, forcing him to fly from shooting site to shooting site overnight.
Caught in a web of intrigues: Killer Clans
1977 he acts in a record number of 14 movies including nine Shaw productions, most notably Li Han Hsiang’s THE DREAM OF THE RED CHAMBER adaptation as well as Chu Yuan’s CLANS OF INTRIGUE, JADE TIGER, and SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN. 1978 results in 13 movies including Ho Meng Hua’s VENGEFUL BEAUTY aka BLOODY HIBISCUS, Li Han Hsiang’s VOYAGES OF EMPEROR CHIEN LUNG, and Chu Yuan’s LEGEND OF THE BAT and CLAN OF AMAZONS. He also plays in Poon Lui’s Taiwanese SNAKE IN THE CRANE’S SHADOW, and, alongside Chi Kuan Chun and Lo Lieh, in Wu Ma’s Hong Kong production MURDER OF MURDERS aka THE MASSIVE. In 1979 he is in eleven movies including three Shaw titles, GHOST STORY, RETURN OF THE DEAD and FULL MOON SCIMITAR, another wuxia movie.
From the late 70’s onwards, he works a lot for television, especially for the Shaw-owned channel TVB. He plays, for example, alongside Leslie Cheung in the 70part series SIX DISASTERS GONE WITH THE WIND (1980), or in the wuxia series LUK SIU FUNG (PART II) – presumably an adaptation of one of Gu Long’s Liu Xia Feng novels - or in FATHERLAND. 1980 he acts in four movies, especially the Shaw movies DEADLY SECRET and HEROES SHED NO TEARS. In 1981 he is in five movies, three of them Chu Yuan directed Shaw movies: DUEL OF THE CENTURY, RETURN OF THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN, and BLACK LIZARD. 1982 he is credited for six titles: The actioner COOLIE KILLER as well as the Shaw productions SPIRIT OF THE SWORD, MAHJONG HEROES, and HELL HAS NO BOUNDARIES. 1983 he plays in THE ENCHANTRESS, the action drama ON THE WRONG TRACK with Andy Lau, and the non-Shaw production 18 BRONZE GIRLS OF SHAOLIN. His last Shaw movie is unfortunately not wuxia but horror: THE SIAMESE TWINS of 1984.
Heroes Shed No Tears, Return Of The Sentimental Swordsman
1985 already he works again with Chu Yuan, for a movie named FASCINATING AFFAIRS. In 1988 he plays a Japanese villain beaten up by Cynthia Khan in IN THE LINE OF DUTY 3. 1989 he is in John Woos JUST HEROES, and in PRINCESS MADAM, another action movie.
In 1990 Yueh Hua and his family (they have a daughter) emigrate to Vancouver, Canada, like many other former Hong Kong citizens. According to Yueh Hua, the first weeks are anything but easy. After some months TVB send a script and want him to work in Hong Kong for three months. Yueh Hua, however, declines and instead plays in the then controversial Canadian production BEING CANADIAN which calls upon immigrants to burn their bridges and “fully embrace their new society” instead of hiding in segregated communities. He becomes programme director with Cathay International TV, and hosts an interview show. In 1992 he acts in the Hong Kong comedy NEVER ENDING SUMMER, 1995 he has a cameo in Jackie Chan’s RUMBLE IN THE BRONX. FAITHFULLY YOURS and MIGRATORY BIRD of 2001 deal with the immigration topic. 2006 he is in the triad movie CROUCHING TIGER, and in CONFESSIONS OF PAIN, a thriller with Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, and Shu Qi. 2007 he plays in the TVB production BRINK OF LAW, a 25part series.
Yueh Hua, now Elly Leung, is very committed and busy within Vancouver’s artistic circles as well as in its large Chinese immigrant community – a matter that is near to his heart. The federal government honors his outstanding community service by Citation of Citizenship in 1994. Among other duties, he is constant community representative at Chinese cultural affairs, founding president of the Vancouver Film and Television Artists’ Society VFTAS (an association of fellow immigrated artists from Hong Kong), and PR ambassador for the Canadian artist association ISSA International Shoushan Stone Association. He is also programme director Mandarin at radio station CHMB AM1320, and hosts a weekly radio show.
Hosting a Health Symposium organized by the Association of Chinese Canadian Professionals ACCP in 1999, inaugurating an ISSA exhibition in 2006
Please note the props! Elly Leung as guest speaker on a 2002 seminar on Hong Kong action film production organized by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Canada) HKETO
Yueh Hua succeeded in establishing himself beyond his Shaw Brothers career. He trains regularly, and plays soccer in order to keep fit, though states that his swordfighting days are over. "There is no story in so many action movies these days”, he says, “action should help the story, not be the story." His most recent role is that of Liu Bei (Xuande) in Daniel Lee’s 2008 THREE KINGDOMS: RESSURECTION OF THE DRAGON. This movie is also of special interest for Shaw fans since it also includes Ti Lung as Guan Yu.
Yueh Hua and Ti Lung in Three Kingdoms: Resurrection Of The Dragon (on the right with Chen Zhi Hui as Zhang Fei)
To this day, Yueh Hua plays in more than 130 movies, including 91 (!) Shaw productions. Some sources name him as co-scriptwriter for Li Han Hsiang’s 1988 SNUFF BOTTLE, and co-director for PURSUIT and PAYMENT IN BLOOD. He is also in the British 1980 documentary CITIZEN SHAW featuring Sir Run Run Shaw, Liu Chi Liang, and others. Anyone willing to emigrate should ask for Yueh Hua’s advise. Yueh Hua aka Elly Leung: A real hero - on the silver screen as well as in real life.
Personal statements are taken from several interviews.
As of October 2008
