He was educated in art school in Beijing, left China for Hong Kong in
1949 and entered the film industry in 1951 in the art department. In
the 1950s he began acting and in 1958 joined Shaw Brothers as an actor
and writer, and later a director. In 1967 he left to start his own
studio in Taiwan, returned to Hong Kong in 1970s, working in Hong Kong,
Taiwan and China before his death.
The only director to have 2 films (Dragon Inn, 1967 and A Touch of Zen,
1971) selected among the top 10 of the Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures
selected by Homg Kong Films Award in celebration of 100 years of
movies.
Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two,
1945-1985". Pages 438-442. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company,
1988.