Wei Ching-lai

Wei Ching-lai was Ho Fong's wife, an attractive, Western-educated, and politically-minded actress, as well as a poster-child for the revolution. She often used her fame to champion opposition to the corrupt Qing Dynasty. A blooming romance saw Ho Fong and Wei Ching-lai marry in 1911 (just months before the collapse of the Qing Dynasty), with their daughter Tzu-hsi following a year later. Ching-lai and her husband soon became popular attendees at Shanghai’s swank high society functions. Unfortunately, she soon slipped into drug abuse and public tantrums, which hit a high point by 1919. It was also during this time that she had several affairs, including with her personal driver, Pao Wu-kung.

Wei Ching-lai tragically died of a drug overdose on December 31, 1923.