Ching began as an actor and martial arts instructor working in Hong Kong action cinema in the 1960s and 1970s (his father, Ching Gong, was a Shaw Brothers Studio director, and Ching Siu-tung had been trained in Peking opera as a child), but he made his directorial debut in 1982 with the ground-breaking wuxia classic Duel to the Death.
He produced the spectacular clip L"Âme-Stram-Gram the French star singer Mylène Farmer at a cost of €1 million. Ching worked with producer Tsui Hark on 1987"s A Chinese Ghost Story, which became an international sensation, although it was usually Tsui Hark who took most of the plaudits. He continued to work with Tsui Hark, directing sequels to that film in 1990 and 1991, and co-directing all three parts of the Swordsman series, starting in 1990.
Other directorial highlights included the highly successful Royal Tramp films (both 1992) which starred Stephen Chow and Brigitte Lin.
Ching continued his role as action director / choreographer throughout this period, and has continued to work in that role on high-profile international successes like Shaolin Soccer (2001), Hero (2002), and House of Flying Daggers (2004). That same year, he made his American film debut, directing Steven Seagal in the direct-to-video feature Belly of the Beast.
In 2008, Ching directed An Empress and the Warriors, in which he also served as action choreographer. The film stars Kelly Chen, Donnie Yen and Leon Lai.
