Born Li Meng-lan in Shanghai to a Nanhai family, Mona Fong moved to Hong Kong in the late 1940s and began singing in nightclubs, later recording Mandarin and English pop under the name Mona Fong and building a reputation as the magnetic voice, with songs for Shaw Brothers films such as The Blue and the Black (1966) and When the Clouds Roll By (1968). She met Run Run Shaw while performing in Singapore in 1952, beginning a relationship of more than half a century. In 1969 Shaw invited her to join the studio to take charge of procurement after a relative left the department, and her diligence earned her promotion. After Raymond Chow left to found Golden Harvest in 1970 she became Shaw's right hand. She took charge of Shaw Brothers' production division from 1973, tightening costs and returning the studio to profit, and helped bring back Lee Han-hsiang and engage Ann Hui. She joined the board in 1981, became a TVB director in October 1988, a Shaw executive director in 1990, TVB vice-chairman in October 2000 and managing director from May 2006, retiring in March 2012. She married Run Run Shaw in Las Vegas on 6 May 1997 and died on 22 November 2017.
Mona Fong went from singer to a core executive of Shaw Brothers and TVB, helping Run Run Shaw run his film and television empire for more than four decades. In charge of Shaw's production division she tightened costs and returned it to profit, and she recruited or retained many directors and film workers. Her retirement was widely seen as marking the end of TVB's Run Run Shaw era.
Achievements
- 1969 · Joined Shaw Brothers at Run Run Shaw's invitation to head its purchasing department.
- 1973 · Took charge of Shaw's production division, tightening costs and returning it to profit.
- 2006 · Became managing director of TVB, serving until her retirement at the end of March 2012.