Fans of Taiwanese dramas will be familiar with the name Chou Yu, 84. The actress and producer is better known by her nickname Ah Gu and is one of Taiwan's most beloved and respected veteran stars.

She started acting in the '50s and has starred in over 300 films. She would go on to become a producer and is responsible for many hit dramas such as '90’s classics Flying Dragon In The Sky and Princess Huai Yu.

Recently, Chou Yu and her husband, director Li Chaoyang, 74, donated 118 boxes containing some 3,500 master tapes of her TV dramas to the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute.

Chou Yu and her husband with her prized tapes

In an interview with the press, Chou Yu talked about the ups and downs of her six decade-long showbiz career.

She made her showbiz debut at the age of 25 with the movie The Debt and became a household name with the San Ba Ah Hua series.

She said they did not have stunt doubles back then so the stars had to perform all the scenes themselves. "No one should endure that kind of suffering,” she said, choking up.

Recalling the ups and downs of her showbiz journey

But perhaps what was most distressing for Chou Yu was the time she was almost molested by a director.

She was cast as the lead in a movie and the director had asked to meet her in private.

Chou Yu sensed something was amiss, so she deliberately wore a very tight cheongsam to the meeting.

When she arrived, he locked the room door and told his staff to lock the main entrance.

Chou Yu said the director got handsy with her and even attempted to remove her cheongsam but gave up because it was too tight.

He ended up having to chase her around the room, only stopping because he was out of breath and started having an asthma attack.

Chou Yu said she was not afraid to tell the director off.

"I warned him, saying you have a daughter too, and your daughter is a good friend of mine. What would you do if she was treated this way?” she recalled saying to the pervy director.

However, that did not deter him and he even told her, "You let me catch my breath first, then I will talk to you about your role, you will surely like it."

Thankfully, the director eventually gave up hounding Chou Yu, but she was later relegated to a supporting role.

She added that the director constantly made things difficult for her on set, which made her very miserable.

Chou Yu has starred in more than 300 films 

Photos: China Times