Quantum Leap Breaker Yang Ja-kyung: "Women, Don't Believe the Saying That Your Prime Is Over"

The 95th Academy Awards
Yang Zichong, First Asian Woman to Win Best Actress
3.8kg Oscar Trophy Lifted with One Hand
Shared Hope for Asia and Women in Acceptance Speech
"Greatest Achievement in History," Praised by Foreign Media

"Ladies, never believe that your prime is over."

"Tonight, this award will be a beacon of hope and possibility for all girls and boys like me."

Actress Yang Zichong (61, Yang Ziqing) raised the 3.8kg Oscar Best Actress trophy with one hand and shouted these words. It was the moment when the once unbreakable glass ceiling of Hollywood in the United States for Asia and women shattered.

[Photo by REUTERS·Yonhap News]

On the 13th (Korean time), at the 95th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, USA, Yang Zichong won the Best Actress award, beating Kate Blanchett for "T?r," Michelle Williams for "The Fabelmans," Ana de Armas for "Blonde," and Andrea Riseborough for "To Leslie."

Born in Malaysia, Yang Zichong is the first Asian actor in the 95-year history of the Academy Awards to win Best Actress. This is the second acting award after Youn Yuh-jung (Best Supporting Actress), and it is the first time in 21 years since Halle Berry in 2001 that a non-white female actor has won Best Actress.

Local media covered this as the biggest event of the year, highlighting "Yang Zichong is the star of this year's Oscars," and "the greatest achievement in the 95-year history of the Academy."

Everything Everywhere All at Once (hereafter "EEAAO") is a film about an Asian American family traveling through multiple universes, winning seven awards at this year’s Academy Awards, including Best Actress, Best Picture, and Best Director.

Yang Zichong, a first-generation American immigrant, played Evelyn, who runs a laundromat. Evelyn has conflicts with her lesbian daughter (played by Stephanie Hsu) in the real world and fights against a destructive villain in the multiverse. At 60, Yang Zichong skillfully performed dazzling action scenes.

She swept over 40 Best Actress awards at ceremonies including the Golden Globe Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG), culminating in the Oscar, achieving a perfect result.

Her acceptance speech made her win even more special. Yang Zichong encouraged, "I hope to be a spark of hope and possibility for the girls and boys watching me. Dream big and show that those dreams can come true."

[Photo by REUTERS·Yonhap News]

"Ladies, never believe that your golden age is over. I dedicate this award to my mother. To all mothers around the world. Because they are the real 'heroes.' My mother is 84 years old. I will take this trophy to my home in Malaysia. This is making history."

It was a speech that moved the world to tears. Until now, the Oscars have been particularly heavy for Asians and women. Yang Zichong’s win carries many meanings. Thanks to her meaningful speech, the value of the award shone even brighter.

Born in Malaysia in 1962, Yang Zichong studied at the Royal Academy in London, UK. She gained recognition by appearing in the film Yes, Madam (1986) and retired after marrying a businessman in 1987. After divorcing in 1990, she returned to acting and appeared in Police Story 3 (1992) and Project S (1993).

She moved to Hollywood and appeared in 007: Tomorrow Never Dies (1998), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2006), but was far from winning awards. After a period of sparse work, Yang Zichong took her first Hollywood leading role in 24 years with EEAAO, and made new history by lifting her first Oscar trophy. As she said in her speech, she rewrote her prime and erased limits once again.