Sex and Zen set box-office record

In the history of Hong Kong film, erotic movies have enjoyed waves of popularity. The last came in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when one of the most memorable films in the genre was Sex and Zen.

Produced by media veteran Stephen Shiu Yeuk-yuen and directed by Michael Mak, it was based loosely on a piece of Chinese erotic classical literature, The Carnal Prayer Mat. It starred bombshell Amy Yip Chi-mei and took more than HK$18 million at the box office, a record for a category III film in Hong Kong. Its success spawned two sequels, one of which made a name for actress Shu Qi.