Why 1970s Hong Kong film legend Angela Mao was a better martial artist than Michelle Yeoh

A screen legend in the early 1970s, martial arts performer Angela Mao Ying, 75, is remembered for big hits such as the 1972 films Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind, and a small role in Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon (1973).

Beyond these, the Taiwan-born highly skilled fighter made several other excellent martial arts films. Here, we discuss Mao’s The Invincible Eight (1971), The Angry River (1971), The Tournament (1974), Stoner (1974) and The Himalayan (1976) with film historian Frank Djeng, who provided the commentary for the 88 Films Blu-ray releases of the movies.

Yes, and she deserves more recognition for that. She retired early, so she was out of the limelight for around 30 years. It was not until the New York Asian Film Festival (invited her to present Sammo Hung Kam-bo with) a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010, that people started to talk about her again.

I respect Michelle Yeoh, of course, but in terms of martial arts, Mao is the best. She learned martial arts at a Peking opera school in Taiwan – she did not come from a dance background (like Yeoh and Cheng Pei-pei). You could say Mao is a female version of Sammo Hung.