[1] In addition to training in stagecraft, Mao took lessons in martial arts and this led both to her discovery in the late 1960s by director Huang Feng and a contract with the famous Golden Harvest company.
Following the wuxia pian swordplay picture The Angry River (1971), Mao was teamed in 1972 with Carter Wong and Sammo Hung in Hapkido, after which she became known as "Lady Kung Fu."
Mao also collaborated with Australian actor George Lazenby on The Shrine of Ultimate Bliss (1974) and reunited with Wong on When Taekwondo Strikes (1973) and The Association (1974) and Hung on Broken Oath (1977).
[6] Mao would eventually go on to earn a second-dan black belt in Hapkido, an expertise which set her apart from many other Hong Kong actors who merely acted out choreographed fight scenes.
[9] Lady Whirlwind was released first in Hong Kong but its performance was underwhelming, running for one week at the box office instead of the standard two,[10] but Hapkido turned out to be a hit[11] and established her onscreen.
[15] Mao's other movies were picked up by American distributors in rapid succession and became seen across the country under different titles, Hapkido became Lady Kung Fu[16] and The Opium Trail became Deadly China Doll.
Her final film for Golden Harvest was Broken Oath,[19] a remake of Japan's Lady Snowblood[20] from Korean director, Chung Chang-Hwa, and after her contract expired she returned to Taiwan and for the next five years continued to make kung fu movies.