Xia Meng

Xia Meng (Chinese: 夏夢; a.k.a. Hsia Moon and Miranda Yang; born Yang Meng (楊濛) on 16 February 1932 in Shanghai) is a Hong Kong actress and film producer. She was a key figure of Hong Kong's Left Wing film scene.

Debut on stage

Xia Meng was first exposed to drama and stage play at McTyeire School, an elite girls' school established by Methodist missionaries in Shanghai. In 1947, she moved with her family to Hong Kong, where she attended Maryknoll Convent School. In 1949, In conjunction with school's event, She was chosen to play the leading role in school's English language production of Saint Joan.

Film career

In 1950, Yang Meng and her friends visited a film set of the Great Wall Movie Enterprises Ltd, and this was where she was first spotted by the crews, as well as studio manager Yuan Yang'an.

Through the help of his daughter Mao Mei (later an actress and ballerina), Yang Meng accepted Yuan's invitation and joined the studio in the age of 17. Inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the new actress now renamed Xia Meng (literally "summer dream") by Yuan, which Yuan metaphorically wished her dream come true as she joined the studio in summer.