Peter Yung

Biography

Peter Yung was born in Hong Kong in 1949 as the sixth of eight siblings. His father was a plastics businessman and president of the Teochew Plastics Traders Association. Yung was not fond of studying and attended several schools before discovering his passion for photography at age 14 during a trip to Taiwan. He traveled to the United States to study photography and film at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, where he apprenticed under renowned cinematographer James Wong Howe. He worked as a war correspondent in Vietnam in 1970-1971 before returning to Hong Kong in 1972. Yung is considered one of the pioneers of the Hong Kong New Wave cinema alongside prominent directors such as Choi Kai-kwong, Tsui Hark, and Ann Hui. His films combined documentary style with drama. He taught at several universities and held photography exhibitions, and served in advisory roles for various arts and film organizations in Hong Kong.