Sylvia Chang

Chang was born in Chiayi, Taiwan. She dropped out of school when she was 16 and started her career as a radio DJ. When she was 18 years old she acted in her first film. Chang acted in her first film, The Tattooed Dragon (龍虎金剛) (1973), at the age of 18. Chang often attempted to do her own stunts in the four-part film series Aces Go Places.

She stated in an interview with film editor Clarence Tsui, "I still think Hong Kong's film industry is male-dominated". She also believes that "There aren't many male filmmakers who would write scripts for women". She helped write the script for Run Papa Run, based on the novel by Benny Li Shuan Yan, that follows a man who belongs to the Triad and the relationships he has with his mother, wife, and daughter. Chang said, "I thought why don't I explore the gentler side of men".

Chang first began performing in theatre productions more than 30 years ago. She returned to the stage in the production of Design For Living (華麗上班族之生活與生存) that premiered in November 2008 and went on into 2009. Chang stated in an interview, "The reason for me to take on a stage play again after 20 years is because I was lured by the director, he has invited handsome guys like Zheng Yuan Chang [sic] and David Huang into the play". Critics have remarked on the versatility in her roles along with her willingness to always try for something new.

Chang is also a singer and her music has become popular in karaoke, where her song "The Cost of Love" is commonly sung.

In the 1980s, the second film Chang directed, Passion, which she wrote and also starred in, won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress. She has stated, "I never went to any school as a director or a filmmaker, so all my film education actually was from the set".

For a time, Chang was the head producer of New Cinema City in Taiwan, but she left a few years after joining. For 20 30 40, she not only played the 40-year-old woman protagonist but also wrote and directed it.

In August 2010, Chang joined the board of the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society as its vice-chair.