Timeline

Shaw and his empire

Key moments in the life of Run Run Shaw, including the top 10 films, in terms of artistic achievement, produced or funded by Shaw's companies.

1907: Born into wealthy merchant family in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, the sixth of eight children

1925: The Shaw brothers found Tianyi Film Co in Shanghai

1926: Sent to Southeast Asia to help his brothers build a film distribution network

1937: Marries Wong Mei Chun in Singapore

1958: Sets up Shaw Brothers Productions and Movietown in Hong Kong

1963: The Love Eterne: a musical based on a folk tale, one of the best-selling and most-acclaimed films in Chinese cinematic history

1966: Come Drink With Me: a martial arts masterpiece. Directed by King Hu, it elevated the genre to new heights

1969: Mona Fong joins Shaw Brothers, starting in the procurement department before becoming Run Run's right-hand woman in his business and personal life

1973: Launches Television Broadcasts Ltd, which becomes Hong Kong's premier TV station and one of the world's biggest producers of Chinese-language programming

1973: The House of 72 Tenants: An ensemble piece that took advantage of TVB's roster of television stars and served to revive Cantonese cinema in Hong Kong

1975: The Empress Dowager: Directed by Li Han-hsiang, it's one of several historical tales set in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and carries strong political undertones

1977: Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II

1978: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin: A regular martial arts flick with an emphasis on the training regimen. An unexpected hit overseas

1982: Blade Runner: US sci-fi movie. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, it lost money on its initial release, but eventually gained status as a classic

1984: An Amorous Woman of the Tang Dynasty: a slightly erotic art film with psychological depth

1986: Shaw Brothers leases Movietown production facilities to TVB

1997: Marries Mona Fong in Las Vegas

1998: Awarded Grand Bauhinia Medal by Hong Kong government

2000: Sells film library comprising 760 titles to Celestial Pictures for $84 million

2002: Launches the Shaw Prize, an international award, for astronomy, math and life sciences, with individual prizes worth as much as $1 million

(China Daily Africa Weekly 01/10/2014 page25)