Qi Shu

Qi Shu stands apart from most actresses because she crossed over from erotic films to mainstream prestige cinema and then to international fame. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, she moved to Hong Kong at 17 where producer Manfred Wong signed her for films like Sex & Zen II and the Chinese edition of Playboy. Her breakout role came in Derek Yee's Viva Erotica (1996), a film about the erotic industry, which earned her the Best Supporting Actress award at the 1997 Hong Kong Film Awards.

She soon transitioned to mainstream and art house projects, including Gorgeous (1998), The Island Tales (1999), and Hou Hsiao-Hsien's acclaimed Millennium Mambo (2000). In 2002 she appeared in The Transporter, and in 2005 she won the Best Actress at the Golden Horse Awards for her triple role in Three Times. She has served on juries at Berlin (2008) and Cannes (2009), and starred in the 2008 Chinese blockbuster If You Are the One, directed by Feng Xiaogang, which grossed over ¥364 million (US$53.7 million).

Beyond acting, Qi Shu has also been a director, writer, model, and influencer. She represented Kenzo's Flower fragrance from 2006 to 2009, has been Frederique Constant's Asian brand ambassador since 2008, and Emporio Armani's Asian ambassador since 2010. She also participated in charity work, repainting murals at Beijing Children's Hospital with Frederique Constant and Paint-a-Smile Foundation. She and Stephen Fung have been married since 2016.