The Road to Invincible Asia: Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia's Taiwanese Films

Whenever the name of Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia emerges in any discussion of Hong Kong stardom, the image of Invincible Asia immediately appears. It indelibly associated the actress with a particular image in Hong Kong cinema. Lin's usually neglected Taiwanese films need some exploration and, hopefully, this study may spur further investigation. The nature of this study is archaeological. I have no knowledge of Chinese, have seen only some 11 films from this period, and can only engage in guesswork as to their more serious implications. But, despite the vast differences these films exhibit from Lin's later achievements, they are crucial towards understanding the particular way her star image developed over the years.