From perfect wife to iron lady: Tong Yuejuan and Hong Kong nüxia films

Tong Yuejuan, the co-founder of the Hsin Hwa Motion Picture Company, was an important figure in Chinese film history, although scholars have long overlooked her achievements. In fact, when her husband, Zhang Shankun, passed away in 1957, Tong took over Hsin Hwa. Over these decades, facing immense industrial pressure, like a shrinking Mandarin-language film market, Taiwan’s restrictive tax policies, and the development of Hong Kong film studios, she never gave up and managed the company until 1984 by herself. This article focuses on Tong’s nüxia (female knight-errant) films from the mid-twentieth century and argues that she thoroughly revamped the wuxia genre through a range of artistic and financial strategies. Her films engaged with Cold War politics by promoting values aligned with Taiwan’s nationalist discourse, thus sustaining Hsin Hwa’s survival within a tough market. Drawing on a research framework of ‘gender‑industry‑genre interconstruction’, this article highlights Tong’s combined role as a cultural innovator and a pragmatic producer. Her nüxia project not merely preserved independent filmmaking in Hong Kong but additionally inspired the aesthetic and narrative of new-school wuxia films of the late 1960s. Ultimately, Tong Yuejuan’s career works as a compelling example of female agency.