The Three Smiles (San xiao) (1969)

The "Huangmei Opera" folk opera once constituted the most popular trend in Mandarin musicals, and this is not only the last great one, but perhaps the most memorable retelling of one of China's most popular romances. In a gender-bending turn, Shaw's supreme star, Ivy Ling Po, plays the scholar who tries to seduce the sprite-like servant, played by "Baby Movie Queen" Li Ching, the youngest star ever to be named Best Actress. The result was the number four hit of 1969.