A regal presence

Chen Shu's upcoming role is that of a queen in a lavish costume drama.

Woman in the dress

Chen did not realize she would later become the pre-eminent interpreter of the woman in cheongsam. She was ready to tackle any role that would come her way and regard it as a new challenge.

It was not until sometime around 2005, after her graduation from the academy, when it dawned upon her that stories set in the Republic of China era (1911-49) and usually in Shanghai would be particularly fit for her. That means women in elegant attire, often socialites or upper-class ladies.

Cheongsam is the Cantonese pronunciation for the body-hugging one-piece gown that has its origin in the Manchu tradition. It is now staging a comeback as a formal wear of retro style. This spelling is more accepted in English than the standard pinyin for qipao.

Chen spent half a year doing research. She would talk to experts who specialize in the subject, linger among architecture of the period, or otherwise immerse herself in the atmosphere. She brushes aside the compliment that she is the most beautiful woman in this fashion, saying that she would rather interpret it as an acknowledgment of her essaying such roles and bringing out the full-fleshed persons behind the traditional dress.

"Cheongsam is just a sartorial expression of women during that time, and even though it was barely one century old, we as actors need to represent the grace and character beyond the facade," she says. "I'm proud I can be associated with such roles."

Chen has appeared in many hit drama series, usually as the female lead. She would not name one as her signature, but rather find the unique importance in each role. "I was lucky to get the right roles at the right time of my career and my age so that I was able to give the best possible performance I could," she says.

For the 2005 Plotting (Ansuan), which blazed a trail for the spy thriller genre on Chinese television, she says her role, Huang Yiyi, was "unprecedented" and it fit her age and mentality perfectly. The TV adaptation of Eileen Chang's Love in a Fallen City and the stage production of Cao Yu's classic play Sunrise both provided fertile literary ground for her to shape her characters. And her title character in Tie Lihua has won her legions of fans.

She received many accolades for these roles, including the most highly regarded awards in the profession.