She has used many names in her past. When she was a young child, she was sold to a family in Xiamen (Amoy), where she took on the name Jun Haitang () and worked as a domestic maid. After reaching preadolescence, her foster mother forced her to enter the Hong Kong movie industry to exploit her. She first acted in Amoy Hokkien films under the stage name Xiaojuan (), later in Cantonese films under the stage name Shen Yan (), before finally entering the Shaw Brothers Studio to act in Mandarin films as (Ivy) Ling Po () and rising to superstardom.