Chu Yuan

Chor Yuen (English: Chor Yuen, October 8, 1934 - February 21, 2022), formerly known as Cheung Po-kin (English: Cheung Po-kin), was born in Meixian, Guangdong, and is a Hong Kong male director, screenwriter and actor. Chor Yuen entered the industry in the 1950s. In the early days, he mainly shot Cantonese films. His film output was numerous and the themes were rich and diverse. In addition to literary films based on popular dramas, he also shot comedies, suspense films, musicals, detective films, and even family ethics films that focused on realism. At the end of the 1960s, Cantonese films were in decline. Chu Yuan then devoted himself to making Mandarin films in the 1970s, and began to dabble in martial arts films. He was especially good at adapting Gu Long's martial arts novels. Together with three other famous directors of the Shaw Brothers Film Company, Li Hanxiang, Hu Jinquan and Chang Cheh, who were also good at shooting costume or martial arts films, they were collectively known as the "Four Great Directors" or "Shaw Brothers Four Directors". In 1973, Chu Yuan directed the Cantonese-language Hong Kong film "Tenants" and revived the production of Cantonese-language films in Hong Kong. From the 1980s to the 1990s, Chu Yuan also directed Hong Kong films with different themes and participated in film and television performances. Since the 2000s, Chu Yuan has gradually faded out of the film and television industry. Chu Yuan directed nearly 130 films throughout his life, making significant contributions and far-reaching influence to the development of Hong Kong films. In 1998 and 2018, Chu Yuan was awarded the Professional Spirit Award at the 17th Hong Kong Film Awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 37th Hong Kong Film Awards respectively as a mark of recognition and tribute. His father is Cantonese film and television actor Cheung Wo-yau, and Chor Yuan's wife is Cantonese opera and film and television actress Nan Hong.