Born in China in 1947, Ann Hui moved to Hong Kong when whe was still in her youth. After graduating in English and Comparative Litereature from Hong Kong University, whe spent two years at London Film School. Returning to Hong Kong, she worked as an assistant to director King Hu before joining TVB to direct drama series and short documentaries. In 1977, she produced and directed six films for the ICAC and in 1978, she made three episodes for the RTHK series, Below the Lion Rock. Shen the made her debut feature file, The Secret, in 1979.