‘Lust, Caution’ China actress Tang Wei takes UK study break, makes award-winning comeback in South Korea

Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Tang Wei in Lust, Caution (2007). Photo: Focus Features

• Temporarily banned in China after acting in movie featuring steamy love scenes, she studied acting in UK, found immense success in South Korea

At 44 years old, Chinese actress Tang Wei has already experienced the peaks and valleys of being a famous actress in mainland China.

Now, she is basking in the glory of her big comeback.

Born to a family of artists in Hangzhou, the capital of eastern China's Zhejiang province, her acting career began in 2000 when she was accepted into the prestigious Central Academy of Drama.

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Seven years later, she became internationally famous overnight when she starred in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, an erotic spy thriller in which she co-starred alongside Tony Leung Chiu-wai, one of the most iconic actors to come out of Hong Kong.

It was Tang's debut film, and she won multiple prestigious awards, including the Best New Performer title at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards.

But that movie ended up being a poisoned chalice, as both she and the film were banned in mainland China because of its steamy love scenes.

Tang faced it with elegant determination, saying: "Actresses 'live' on stage, and I look forward to new acting opportunities."

During her hiatus from mainland China, Tang attended the University of Reading in Britain to study drama. She would often perform in part-time street performance gigs for extra income.

Tang was able to return to the big screen in 2008 when she moved to Hong Kong as part of its Quality Migrant Admission Scheme.

In 2010, Tang made a major comeback with the film Late Autumn. Her performance as a prisoner granted a 72-hour parole visit to Seattle won her the award for Best Actress at South Korea's Baeksang Arts Awards, making her the first foreign winner in that award's history.

While filming the movie, she fell in love with its director, Kim Tae-yong. The couple married in 2014, and Tang gave birth to their daughter, Summer, in 2016.

Tang's ban in mainland China was also lifted around the same time. In 2013, she appeared in the successful Chinese romance comedy Finding Mr Right and its 2016 sequel.

In 2022, she was the lead actress in Decision to Leave, Park Chan-wook's romance murder mystery that received international critical acclaim.

Tang won her second Baeksang Best Actress for playing the mysterious wife of a man found dead on a mountainside. She also won the Best Actress category at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, another of the top film awards in South Korea.

Tang's experience has inspired many fans, showing them how to navigate difficult moments while remaining humble and down-to-earth. Her fans say they admire her for never giving up on her dreams and continuing to do the work required to achieve them.

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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