Jane Ma Ching Yee

Biography

Ma Ching Yee was born in 1952 into a wealthy family in Hong Kong; her father was Ma Jin Chan, founder of Dah Sing Bank and former chairman of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. She studied at Canossa Sacred Heart Private School and Canossa Sacred Heart College, then earned a bachelor's and master's degree in business administration from the University of New Haven in West Haven. After returning to Hong Kong in 1976, she worked as a trainee solicitor and served as a Po Leung Kuk director, as well as holding directorships in several family companies. In 1985, she participated in the first Miss Fitness Contest organized by TVB and won the title at age 32, sparking controversy due to her wealthy background. In 1987 she married American long-distance runner David Griffiths, and together they ran a natural health food business and a karaoke lounge. In 1990 she changed her stage name to Ma Ching Yi and signed a new contract with TVB, appearing in numerous TV dramas during the 1980s and 1990s, often playing wealthy or arrogant women. In late 2000 she accompanied TVB's production resources director to Canada for medical treatment, but after their breakup she returned to Hong Kong around 2003. In 2017 she was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in September of that year at the age of 64.