Queen of Disco, Donna Summer's death reminds me of Chang Mei-Yao, 張美瑤, the Taiwanese star who won the Best Newcomer Award in the Asian Film Festival through a 1967 Hong Kong movie, The White Rose of Hong Kong. The actress had actually been active prior to that, having appeared first in the 1962 movie, No Greater Love. Chang Mei-Yao passed away recently, in April. Not long after her death, I was having breakfast with friends in the market in Simpang when I overheard some elderly women at the next table talking about Chang Mei-Yao. The younger woman in the group did not have any idea who the actress was and an older woman proceeded to point out to her that the actress had appeared in a Hokkien TV series, Goodbye Ah Long. currently aired in Astro. Chang Mei-Yao had appeared in many Mandarin movies since 1962; the last probably was in 1979, with movie queen, Chen Chen in the movie, A Teacher of Great Soldier (inset). She probably dissapeared from the entertainment scene after that, having just married her Fallen Petals co-star Ko Chun-Hsiung in 1970. The duo however, had divorced in 2004 and according to the older lady in the next table, Chang Mei-Yao had to go out and work again because her ex did not give her money. Chang Mei-Yao passed away at 71. It seems she had to work hard for her money.
Chang Mei-Yao through the ages...
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