While attending Precious Blood Girls' School, she learned that Shaw Brothers " Southern Experimental Drama Troupe " was openly recruiting for its second group of trainees.

Over 2,000 people applied, but Li Ching's fresh appearance and natural acting talent earned her a spot.

She was selected along with Fang Ying, Chiang Ching, Cheng Pei-pei, and Chin Pin, becoming classmates.

Initially, she was cast in costume roles, playing supporting characters in films such as The Crimson Palm, The Lotus Lamp, and Inside the Forbidden City; but her big break came when she was finally offered her first starring role as the Carp Spirit / Peong in The Mermaid alongside Ivy Ling Po.

Since she was not yet 17 at the time, she was dubbed the “Baby Queen of Asian Cinema” In 1967, her performance in Susanna, her first modern romantic drama, received critical acclaim which further solidified her reputation.

Following that, Shaw Brothers carefully planned her rise to stardom, producing a series of new films for her that consistently broke box office records.

During her time at Shaw Brothers, she appeared in around 50 films, including Chang Cheh’s Dead End, King Eagle, and The New One-Armed Swordsman.

Apparently, her neighbours smelt a rotten stench coming from her apartment, and called the firefighters to investigate.