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Television host Cao Kefan revealed on his Weibo account that Hsia Meng has passed away in Hong Kong at the age of 83. Heralded as a Great Beauty of Chinese cinema in the Fifties, Hsia Meng starred in many films such as The Peerless Beauty, A Widow’s Tears and A Torn Lily.

Born Yang Meng in Shanghai, Hsia Meng began her career at the age of 18 in 1951 in her first film A Nighttime Wife and that led to instant stardom for the beautiful starlet.

She was the longtime muse for acclaimed martial arts novelist Jin Yong (aka Louis Cha) and it was widely rumored that he was also in love with her for a long time. However, his love was unrequited as she married businessman Lin Baocheng when she was 21 years old. They remained friends and Cha even attended the funeral for Hsia’s husband when he passed away in...

Orlando Bloom has signed up to lead Shanghai-set actioner Smart Chase: Fire & Earth, the first movie from BlissBloom Productions, a venture co-financed by both Bloom and Chinese outfit Bliss Media. As well as taking his first leading action role in a while, Bloom’s also set to produce the pic, which has got quite the international assembly both in front and behind the camera.

Bloom stars as Danny Stratton, described as “a washed-up private security agent,” who is given a chance to turn around his bad luck by “escorting a valuable Chinese antique out of Shanghai, but is ambushed en route. With the safety of the women he loves in jeopardy, Danny has to work with his team of security experts, the S.M.A.R.T., to save her, as a dreadful conspiracy begins to unravel.”

That sounds like it has potential to reinvigorate the actor’s career and...

Orlando Bloom and Bliss Media are teaming to form BlissBloom Productions with the first project of the venture to be the thriller "S.M.A.R.T. Chase: Fire & Earth".

Kevin Bernhardt penned the script about a washed-up private security agent given the rare opportunity to escort a valuable Chinese antique out of Shanghai, but is ambushed en route.

With the safety of the women he loves in jeopardy, he has to work with his team of security experts to save her. Bloom is attached to star alongside Jing Tian, Leo Wu, Cao Kefan and Liu Enyou.

Julien Seri will direct the project which will film in Shanghai.

Source: Bliss Media...

Even though Orlando Bloom has appeared in blockbuster spectacle trilogies like The Lord of The Rings, The Hobbit, and Pirates of the Caribbean, I've never really considered him a leading man action star. But this is Hollywood, so perception be damned: he's taking the lead role in a Chinese action thriller that has to have one of the most ridiculous titles of whatever year this ends up coming out: S.M.A.R.T. Chase: Fire & Earth.

ComingSoon has the synopsis:

S.M.A.R.T. Chase: Fire & Earth, which will film in Shanghai, follows Danny Stratton, a washed-up private security agent, who is given the rare opportunity to escort a valuable Chinese antique out of Shanghai, but is ambushed en route. With the safety of the women he loves in jeopardy, Danny has to work with his team of security experts, the S.M.A.R.T., to save her,...

Actor Orlando Bloom is partnering with China’s Bliss Media to form a joint production company, BlissBloom Productions, and will star in the venture’s first production S.M.A.R.T. Chase: Fire & Earth.

Directed by Julien Seri (Night Fare), S.M.A.R.T. Chase will also star Jing Tian (Great Wall), Leo Wu (The Wonder), Cao Kefan (The Flowers Of War) and rising talent Liu Enyou.

Bliss Media will finance, produce and oversee Chinese distribution for the project, which is written by Kevin Bernhardt (The Immortals) and co-produced with Jerome Salle (The Tourist). CAA packaged the film and reps Us rights.

The story follows a private security agent who is ambushed while escorting a valuable Chinese antique out of Shanghai.

Bloom will next be seen in Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Michael Apted’s Unlocked.

Bliss, which launched the $150m Bliss-codi Film & TV Investment Fund at Cannes last month...