Ng See Yuen

Mr Ng See Yuen, BBS, JP

Honorary University Fellow (2012)

Mr Ng See Yuen is a persona extraordinaire of the Hong Kong film industry, a globally-renowned movie producer, and a well-known presence among the friends, teachers and students of HKBU.  Mr Ng was born in Shanghai.  He joined Shaw Brothers Studio in 1967 as assistant director to the film director Luo Zhen.  In 1970, Mr Ng made his directorial debut with the movie The Mad Killer.  In 1973, he founded Seasonal Film Corporation and in 1975 directed Anti-Corruption, which was both critically acclaimed and a box office hit, and which won him recognition in the industry as a master director.  From then on, Mr Ng’s movie career blossomed. With extraordinary creative flair and a fine artistic sense, Mr Ng directed and produced a series of films along the genres of martial arts, law and justice, for example Drunken Master, Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow, The Unwritten Law and All for the Winner. These highly successful masterpieces catapulted Mr Ng to the summit of his career and a mogul of the film industry in Hong Kong.
 
Mr Ng was among the first filmmakers to bring Hong Kong’s films to the international stage.  As early as 1986, Mr. Ng has made his name in the U.S. by working with Corey Yuen on No Retreat, No Surrender, which successfully demonstrated the Hong Kong style of action to the western world and kick-started the trend of kung fu films in Hollywood.  Mr Ng is also one of the pioneers in co-producing with the Mainland.  The movies Dragon Inn, Green Snake, The Soong Sisters, and Once Upon a Time in China III, which he produced are all prime examples of successful Mainland-Hong Kong co-productions.
 
Over the years, Mr Ng has produced over 50 local films and seven international martial arts movies.  Ten years ago, he was the first to introduce state-of-the-art UME theatres to the Mainland; now, there are 16 UME theatres in Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Nantong and Jiaqing, supporting a total of over 200 screens.  Apart from directing and producing, Mr Ng is also applauded for his foresight in discovering new talents.  Famous names that have worked with him in the early stages of their career include Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Jean-Claude van Damme, Cynthia Rothrock, Billy Blanks, Corey Yuen, Yuen Woo-ping, Hark Tsui and Stephen Chow.

While being an exemplar of success in the film industry, Mr Ng has never hesitated to give latecomers to the industry a boost in their career.  His efforts in grooming talented people, as well as his willingness to help and approachable character, have earned him high reputation and wide respect in the local film industry.  Mr Ng is the Founding President of the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild, Chairman of Hong Kong Film Awards Association from 1995 to 2000, and current Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers.  To recognize his contributions and achievements in the film industry, Mr Ng was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star in 1998 by the Government of the HKSAR and was appointed Justice of the Peace in 2001.
 
Mr Ng is a long-time friend of the School of Communication of HKBU. He is a regular face at the various events and conferences of the Academy of Film, including the “Global Chinese University Student Film and TV Festival”, “Global Chinese Film Finance, Marketing & Management Forum”, and others.  Mr. Ng has also given invaluable advice and guidance to the Academy when it planned for the six higher diploma programmes that aim to train rank-and-file workers for the film and TV industry.
 
By building his career from the ground up through sheer effort and perseverance, Mr Ng has set a laudable example for the youths of today.  Mr Chairman, in view of Mr Ng’s many contributions to Mainland-Hong Kong collaborations on filmmaking, and of his invaluable support to programme developments at the Academy of Film of the University, it is my privilege to present Mr Ng See Yuen to you for the award of an Honorary University Fellowship.