Retired screen goddess Lin Ching Hsia, who is one of the greatest beauties of Asian cinema, turned 66 yesterday (Nov 3). To mark the occasion, the Taiwanese screen icon launched her third and latest book Jing Qian Jing Hou, which can be translated as 'In Front Of and Behind the Mirror'.

Her first book, an autobiography titled Inside and Outside the Window, became an instant hit when it was published in 2011. She followed it up with Cloud to Cloud, a collection of short stories, three years later.

In her latest book, Ching Hsia talks about her friendships, sharing anecdotes about her close pals Hongkong stylist and costume designer William Chang, film producer Nansun Shi, who is also ex-wife of director Tsui Hark, and the late singer Li Ching.

One particularly amusing tale that stood out had something to do with nude photos.

Decades ago, Ching Hsia was filming in Hongkong and William had visited her at her apartment. Then, out of the blue, she took out three nude pics of herself and showed them to him. Shocked — and most likely embarrassed — William bolted and left.

30 years later, Ching Hsia brought up the incident and asked William why he left her home in a hurry. “Were you afraid that I’d seduce you?” she asked. However, he replied that he had forgotten about the incident.

Apart from William, Ching Hsia is also very close to Nansun. In fact, the producer and her ex-husband Tsui Hark were witnesses at Ching Hsia's wedding to billionaire tycoon Michael Ying in 1994.

Ching Hsia recalled that on her wedding day, Nansun sat by her bed like a mother and told her to pick up English for her husband. She also urged her to learn to use the computer for the sake of her future children. Ching Hsia has two daughters with Michael, Eileen, 24, and Melani, 19. She also has a step-daughter Claudia, 33, from Michael’s first marriage.

While Ching Hsia wasn't as close to the late Li Ching, the pair had starred in 1975 film Eight Hundred Heroes together. Ching Hsia revealed that she was always enamored with the silver screen icon and recounted how she first met Li Ching when she was 18. Li Ching was already a popular movie star then and Ching Hsia was so star struck that she didn’t dare look at her.

In her later years, Li Ching suffered from breast cancer and was in financial trouble. Before she passed away in 2018, Ching Hsia met with her and gave her a red packet, hoping that it would help tide her over her financial difficulties. However, Li Ching passed away 10 days later.