Taiwanese screen goddess Lin Ching Hsia, 69, one of Asian cinema’s most accomplished and beautiful actresses, creates a buzz wherever she goes.
It was no different when she showed up at Taiwan’s National Tsing Hua University last Saturday (Jun 15) to deliver the commencement speech to graduates.
However, it wasn’t the students, but their parents who were going gaga over the superstar.
According to reports, many parents were very excited when they learned that Ching Hsia would be speaking and came just to see their idol… as opposed to witnessing their kid graduate.
Some even brought copies of her books to get autographed and rushed forward to take photos with her when she appeared.
Fans also gathered outside the venue to catch a glimpse of the star.
Ching Hsia, who holds an honorary doctorate from The University of Hong Kong, was personally invited by the president of National Tsing Hua University to deliver the commencement speech.
He believes her illustrious career and life experiences could inspire young graduates.
However, many of the students revealed they were not familiar with Ching Hsia’s body of work despite her having starred in over 100 movies in a two decade-long career.
When polled, they shared that they had “heard of her” but “didn’t know who Lin Ching Hsia is”.
If given a choice, they would have preferred the speaker to be Jay Chou or Taylor Swift.
During her speech, Ching Hsia shared she didn’t attend university as she had failed her entrance exams.
She was later talent scouted and rose to fame at the age of 19 with her debut film Outside the Window.
“I originally planned to go to university after filming Outside the Window and Gone with the Cloud, but the movies kept coming,” she said.
She felt that she became famous too early and struggled to cope with life as an actor.
In her closing remarks, Ching Hsia encouraged graduates to not be discouraged if they fail as every setback is a turning point in life.
“I hope you can be the best version of yourselves, shine brightly, and illuminate both yourselves and others,” she said.