When child actors are mentioned, stories come to mind of children falling prey to the greed of adults, losing themselves in the media spotlight, or even succumbing to addiction. Josephine Siao Fong-fong avoided such pitfalls.

Born Xiao Liang in Shanghai in 1947, she moved to Hong Kong with her parents when she was two years old. Her father died the following year, and Siao began acting at the age of six to support her family.

“It wasn’t enough to make a living – plus my father left us with a lot of debt. One of my mother’s friends told her that they needed children to act in some movies, so she took me to the studios. That’s how it all started.”