When she was 17 years old, Hsiao Yen-Chiu was sent to the Sun and Moon Garden New Theater Troupe by her foster parents to begin making money for the family.
[4] In 1956, director Guo Bailin (郭柏霖) cast Hsiao Yen-Chiu in Lady Peach Blossom Crosses the River (桃花過渡), marking her transition from theater to film.
Before moving to Hong Kong, Hsiao Yen-Chiu was cast in Bai Ke (白克)’s Mad Woman (瘋女十八年), produced by Du Yun-Zhi (杜雲之).
She co-starred with actress Jiang Fan (江帆) in Two Sisters in a Turbulent World (亂世姐妹花) and director Chen Huanwen's Xue Mei Si Jun (雪梅思君).
In 1958, Alan (阿蘭), directed by Iwasawa Yotoku (岩澤庸德), was released, with Hsiao Yen-Chiu and Shih Chun (石軍) playing the leads.
[7] After returning to Taiwan, she starred in the first Taiwanese martial arts film, Luo Xiao-Hu and Yu Jia-Long (羅小虎與玉嬌龍), directed by Liang Zhe-Fu (梁哲夫).
Her autobiography, Hsiao Yen-Chiu’s Memoirs: The Top Female Lead of Taiwanese Cinema (台語片第一女主角：小艷秋回憶錄), was published in 2021, where she reflected on her career and personal life, including her Christian faith.