Together with famous classmate Pei-Pei Cheng, teenage thespian Wu Ching-li was selected by the Shaw studio to train in Japan to advance their modern dance skills for performing in the elaborate Shaw musical extravaganzas that were popular with moviegoers during the early 1960s. As the musical genre began to fall out of favor with audiences, Cheng adapted her dance skills to perform in the martial arts genre while Wu continued with supporting roles before establishing herself behind-the-scenes as a contemporary dance choreographer and arranger for the Hong Kong film studios well into the 1970s.