Lin Ching Hsia Says The Land Her Mansion Sits On Was Where They Filmed Swordsman II, In Which She Played Dongfang Bubai
In July this year, it was reported that a huge fire had raged through Taiwanese actress Lin Ching Hsia’s S$690mil mansion in Hong Kong. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and now, it seems like the screen icon’s most beloved possessions were unscathed as well.
A few days after the fire, the 67-year-old updated everyone on her condition, confirming that no one sustained injuries. She also revealed that her first thought was to worry about the condition of a certain painting that was hung on a wall.
According to reports, the piece of calligraphy was done by the former vice-chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Ambrose King, who based it on Chinese poet Li Bai’s classic poem, Invitation to Wine.
It looked like quite a big fire.
Ching Hsia is said to be a fan of Ambrose’s works, and received the calligraphy from him years ago as a gift.
She expressed her relief that the art work escaped unharmed, and even shared that the opposite side of the wall it was hung on was actually charred.
However, for some reason, the side where the calligraphy was hung, was left perfectly pristine.
“The fire didn’t spread to my room, my books, paintings, and clothes are still there,” she said.
Ambrose, who was glad to hear that his calligraphy was still intact, also joked: “I also knew that Lin Ching Hsia is invincible, and unable to be defeated by both water and fire. Lin Ching Hsia is indeed Lin Ching Hsia.”
Ching Hsia then continued, attributing the calligraphy’s survival to Ambrose’s magic skills, before revealing that the land her mansion sits on was actually where they filmed the 1992 classic wuxia film, Swordsman II.
In that movie, which was directed by Tsui Hark, Ching Hsia played the highly-skilled and undefeated pugilist Dongfang Bubai.
“This is Dongfang Bubai’s headquarters [after all],” she said.
Ching Hsia with Ambrose, and the calligraphy
Ching Hsia also revealed why Invitation To Wine holds such special meaning to her.
It turns out that in the ‘80s, Ching Hsia travelled to Paris, where she shopped, wined, and dined to her heart’s content, which left her feeling both excited, and guilty.
During that trip, she had dinner with famed Chinese painter Fan Zeng, who comforted her with a line from the poem, which translates to "a thousand gold coins spent, more will turn up again”.
“At that moment, I resolved to earn back all of the money that I’d spent, once I returned to Hong Kong. And the minute I touched down, I received an invitation to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony, where I earned twice of what I spent [in Paris]. Li Bai, who lived over a thousand years ago, was full of foresight, and wise to the ways of the world. It’s no wonder that his words have endured the test of time,”Ching Hsia said.
Photos: PBE Media
