Amy Yip (born 10 July 1966) is a Hong Kong actress, model and entrepreneur. She was one of the leading sex symbols of Hong Kong Cinema in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Yip is best known for her lead roles in popular Category III films such as Erotic Ghost Story (1990), Sex and Zen (1991), and Robotrix (1991). Among these, Sex and Zen is the highest grossing Category III movie in Hong Kong box office history.
Amy Yip | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
葉子楣 | |||||||||||
 Yip in 2023 at a charity event in Hong Kong | |||||||||||
| Born | 10 July 1966 | ||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | actress, model, entrepreneur | ||||||||||
| Years active | 1984–1997 | ||||||||||
| Partner | Sammy Lui (1992–2018) | ||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 葉子楣 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 叶子楣 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Career edit
Born in Hong Kong on 10 July 1966, she has family roots in Taishan, Guangdong. Yip first came to notice by appearing in various television series in the mid-1980s. The 1990 film Erotic Ghost Story proved to be a breakthrough role and she became one of the most popular actresses in Hong Kong and many other parts of Asia in the early 1990s. She had large, full breasts which made her much in demand for nude scenes. However she refused to appear fully naked on film.[1]: 36 Her efforts to avoid fully exposing her breasts on screen through clever use of camera angles, whereby the side of her breast is seen, became known as the "Yip tease". However, in Erotic Ghost Story for example, she did show her buttocks in one scene.
She retired from acting in 1997. She expressed regret that, given the nature of her films, there were not many memorable roles during her acting career. The only exceptional movie for her was the 1991 movie Queen of the Underworld in which she portrayed Sister Har, a woman who climbed from the lowest depths of society to become the celebrated queen of nightlife in 1960s and 1970s Hong Kong.
Personal life edit
In 1990, a Hong Kong man was sent to prison and charged for stealing money. This man said he stole money in order to sustain Amy Yip's luxurious lifestyle. However, Amy Yip said she had only met the man few times and the man was not a close friend.
Yip's long term boyfriend was the orthopedics surgeon Dr. Sammy Sek Chiu Lui (呂錫照); the pair met in 1992.[2] Numerous rumours have surfaced over the years about Yip marrying Lui, and being pregnant. In an interview in early 2006 with an East Weekly reporter, who spotted Yip walking her dog at Repulse Bay, however, she said she was in a steady relationship with her boyfriend of more than 15 years and had no intention of getting married or having children. She added she had food and beverage businesses set up in Hong Kong and Macau that kept her busy and occupied.
When asked if she would consider a comeback into the film business, Yip flatly rejected the idea, saying that she was very happy with her carefree lifestyle and had no desire of returning to filming long hours and traveling intensively for movies and record publicity. She also said that she is content with not showing her breasts to make a living.
In May 2018 an English language book detailing her career in movies and television was released.[3] Her boyfriend Lui died of a heart attack while flying to the United States in November 2018.[2]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1988 | Who is The Craftiest 奸人本色 |
| 1988 | Heart to Hearts 三人世界 |
| 1988 | China Heat 霸王花之中華警花 |
| 1989 | The Inspector Wears Skirts 2 神勇飛虎霸王花 |
| 1989 | Miracles 奇蹟 |
| 1989 | Mr. Sunshine 开心巨无霸 |
| 1989 | Lost Souls 富貴開心鬼 |
| 1989 | Ghost Fever 鬼媾人 |
| 1990 | Jail House Eros 監獄不設防 |
| 1990 | Erotic Ghost Story 聊齋艷譚 |
| 1990 | Look Out, Officer! 師兄撞鬼 |
| 1990 | Doctor's Heart 救命宣言 |
| 1990 | My Neighbours are Phantoms 嘩鬼住正隔籬 |
| 1990 | Mortuary Blues 屍家重地 |
| 1990 | Raid On Royal Casino Marine 霸王花第三集皇家賭船 |
| 1990 | She Shoots Straight 皇家女將 |
| 1990 | Legend of the Dragon 龍的傳人 |
| 1990 | Ghostly Vixen 天師捉姦 |
| 1990 | To Spy with Love 小心間諜 |
| 1991 | The Blue Jean Monster 著牛仔褲的鍾馗 |
| 1991 | Queen of the Underworld 夜生活女王霞姐傳奇 |
| 1991 | Magnificent Scoundrels 情聖 |
| 1991 | Great Pretenders 千王 |
| 1991 | Robotrix 女機械人 |
| 1991 | Lethal Contact 龍貓燒鬚 |
| 1991 | Erotic Ghost Story 2 聊齋艷譚續集五通神 |
| 1991 | Easy Money 老表發錢寒 |
| 1991 | Vampire Kids 殭屍福星仔 |
| 1991 | To Be Number One 跛豪 |
| 1991 | Sex and Zen 玉蒲團之偷情寶鑑 |
| 1992 | China Dolls 妓女警察 |
| 1992 | The Prince of Temple Street 廟街十二少 |
| 1992 | Requital 五湖四海 |
| 1992 | Stooges in Hong Kong 不文騷 |
| 1994 | Underground Judgement 地下裁決 |
Cultural influence edit
One of the nicknames for her, boba (which means "champion of breasts"[dubious ]),[4] was adopted as the name of the tapioca pearls in Taiwanese bubble tea during the 1980s.[5]
Nam Kee Pau, a baozi chain in Singapore, sells a large-sized steamed bun named Amy Yip Big Pau.[6]
References edit
- ^ Dannen, Fredric; Long, Barry (1997). Hong Kong Babylon: An Insider's Guide to the Hollywood of the East. New York City: Hyperion. ISBN 0-7868-6267-X. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ a b 張哲鳴 (2 June 2020). "【幕後祕辛】葉子楣來台拍片堅上牛郎店 「波霸找鴨」真相曝光" [[Secrets from behind the scenes]: Amy Yip came to Taiwan to film Requital; the truth about "boba" is revealed]. Apple Daily. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- ^ Gower, Chaz (22 May 2018). The Movies of Amy Yip. Self. ISBN 978-1982967079. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ Hiufu Wong, Maggie (30 April 2020). "The rise of bubble tea, one of Taiwan's most beloved beverages". CNN. Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Nguyen-Okwu, Leslie (16 March 2019). "Boba Explained: A Taxonomy of Taipei's Bubble Tea". eater.com. Eater. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ Auto, Hermes (2 February 2019). "Teck Kee Tanglin Pau closes, but here are 7 other bao shops to get your fix | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.