On 25 April, Chung Chi College held its third talk of the 75th anniversary Excellence Talk Series with the theme “Inspiring Minds”. The College was honored to invite renowned actress and writer Dr. Brigitte Lin Ching Hsia to recount her experiences and profound insights drawn from her life. The talk was moderated by Dr. Lin’s longtime friend, Professor Serena Jin Sheng Hwa, who is the Emeritus Professor of Translation at CUHK and President Emeritus of The Hong Kong Translation Society. Nearly 3,000 attendees were attracted by this meaningful talk.

Intellectual Charisma

Dr. Brigitte Lin is one of the most iconic actresses of Chinese movies, having received numerous honors, including Best Actress at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival, and Best Actress as well as Lifetime Achievement Award at the Golden Horse Awards. After retiring from acting, she reinvented herself as a writer and has published four essay collections.

Professor Serena Jin is an even more distinguished literary figure. She graduated from Chung Chi’s English Department and then joined CUHK in 1965, devoting herself to the teaching and research of translation and becoming one of the founding members of CUHK’s Department of Translation.

These two elegant and intellectually refined women made the talk highly popular. Even at the early registration stage, the response was unprecedentedly overwhelming. To provide a better experience, the College changed the venue from the originally planned Lee Hysan Concert Hall to Chung Chi College Chapel to offer more seating. The College also arranged live broadcasts at different locations on campus.

The Chapel was fully occupied on the day of the talk. Dr. Lin and Professor Jin appeared together and received a warm ovation. The talk, entitled “Wonders in Every Step; Splendors at Every Turn”, featured a dialogue with Professor Jin in which Dr. Lin shared her experiences and development through different stages of life.

Dr. Brigitte Lin in conversation with Professor Serena Jin, featuring the topic “Wonders in Every Step; Splendors at Every Turn”.

From Shy Girl to Tireless Go-Getter

The first part of the talk began with Dr. Lin’s acting career. She was discovered by a scout in Taipei at the age of 17 and entered the entertainment industry while still in high school. Dr. Lin admitted that even in the three days leading up to her first shoot, she was still so nervous that she had stomach cramps. To cultivate a calm mind, she could only keep mentally preparing herself. She also mentioned that although she was shy and lacked confidence in her early years, she genuinely loved film and acting and would express her personal emotions through the roles she played. She joked that she was more likely to feel stage fright when facing the public as “Brigitte Lin” in those days.

In the 22 years from the ages of 17 to 39, Dr. Lin was the lead in one hundred films across a wide range of genres. Her legendary status gradually took shape after she began acting in martial arts (wuxia) films. She said many of her works were unforgettable, including her first film, the literary romance Outside the Window, as well as Peking Opera Blues, Red Dust, and The Legend of the Swordsman, in which her role as “Dongfang Bubai” (Invincible East) won her lasting fame.

Hardships always lie behind the honors. Dr. Lin shared some painful experiences, such as the difficulties of being hung on wires during the filming of Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain and while playing Dongfang Bubai. But the two injuries to her eyes were most dangerous: she was first hit by blank bullet while filming Peking Opera Blues, which caused a retinal break; and when filming Dragon Inn, she was struck again by a bamboo arrow, resulting in a torn cornea. Recalling these events in an understated tone, Dr. Lin said that actors are required to have the spirit of “take the bull by the horns” and Professor Jin praised her professionalism by calling her a tireless go-getter.

From Legendany Star to Literary Writer

At her career peak at the age of 39, Dr. Lin chose to retire and start a family, entering the second phase of her life. She admitted that during the ten years away from the spotlight, while she could focus on caring for her daughter, she also worried about becoming disconnected from society. After being introduced to Professor Jin in 2003, Dr. Lin shared her interest in literature and, with Professor Jin’s encouragement, she stepped into another new chapter in her life.

Speaking about the reason for enjoying writing, Dr. Lin mentioned that she had tried writing before but would put her works away in a drawer afterwards, sharing them with no one. After the passing of James Wong Jim, she wrote a memorial essay A Laugh at the World, and this “debut work” was warmly praised by the public, which ignited her passion for writing. Starting with her third piece, Little Flower, Professor Jin became the first reader of all her works, and guided her onto the path of becoming a writer.

From 2003 to the present, another 22 years have passed, and Dr. Lin has published four essay collections: Inside and Outside the Window, Cloud Goes, Cloud Comes, In Front of the Lens, Behind the Lens, and Ching-hsia Sketches. Their themes revolve around her personal experiences, friendships in film and literary circles, daily life, and reflections on life. Her third book, In Front of the Lens, Behind the Lens was even selected for the Recommended Prize in the essay category at the 16th Hong Kong Biennial Awards for Chinese Literature. Dr. Lin is also preparing to release her fifth book this year.

Professor Jin often visited literary masters with Dr. Lin. One of the most interesting visits she recalled was a 2007 trip to Beijing to meet Professor Chi Hsien Lin. At that time, Dr. Lin, introduced by Professor Jin, had already read many of Professor Chi’s works and admired his talent greatly. So, at parting, she asked to hold his hand “to gain some literary aura”. Later, Dr. Lin wrote about this experience in an article The Perfect Hand and, upon Professor Jin's recommendation, submitted it to Ming Pao Monthly, where it attracted great attention. She then became a columnist for the journal, marking her transformation from an actress to a literary writer.

Dr. Chan Tak Lam Norman, Chair of the Chung Chi College Board of Trustees, presented souvenirs to Dr. Lin to thank her for being the keynote speaker at the talk.

Beyond Writing

Dr. Lin said that writing made her more curious and observant, allowing her to discover beauty and meaning in life. This also extended to another of her interests: painting. Sanyu and Henri Matisse, great masters of the School of Paris and Fauvism, are Dr. Lin’s favorite painters, while she often copied and imitated their works and once gifted Professor Jin a copy of Matisse’s painting Dance that she had spent ten hours copying.

Dr. Lin also stayed at Fudan University and was guided by Professor Pan Gongkai for a week. During her stay, she was asked to paint and eventually created a work inspired by Eileen Chang’s famous line, “Life is a beautiful robe”: a girl in a red robe walking toward a sunny grassland, symbolising a life full of hope. Professor Pan praised it as “the youngest and most romantic painting in the class,” and it won first place.

Before ending the talk, she introduced a fan club, “AiLinQuan”, that has supported her for many years. To encourage her supporters during the pandemic, Dr. Lin surprisingly joined the club’s group chat in 2020, and since then she has continued chatting with and encouraging fans, hoping everyone can become the best version of themselves. Through her exchanges with the fan club, Dr. Lin came to understand the true meaning of love: “the more you give, the more it grows”, and it does not simply disappear.

The Secret to Elegance

How can a person achieve success and elegance? In her closing remarks, Dr. Lin said that in life, choices constantly need to be made, and she has managed to make what to her is the best choice at each turning point of her life. Her key principle is that once she has firmly chosen a path, she will persevere and work tirelessly to see it through, making it the best fit for herself. At the same time, people should be like “Rapeseed” able to take root wherever they go, do their best to live and work well so that they can grow in every environment.

Pursuing beauty and love are also important. To become an artist of life, people should cultivate the eye for beauty, remain sincere with others, and keep love in their heart. Dr. Lin concluded the talk with the closing lines from her essay Present Continuous Tense: “The happiest time is always the present, and there are always challenges in the future.”

This Excellence Talk Series received an enthusiastic response, attracting nearly 3,000 students, staff, alumni and members of the public.