Li Ming Hu

Li Ming Hu is a New Zealand born actress who is of Chinese descent. Since 2003, She has become known for her role as Li Mei Chen in New Zealand's popular TV show, "Shortland Street", in which she portrays a young, beautiful and intelligent doctor who strives to be the best there is in Shortland Street's medical facility. Her character, however, seems to be somewhat disliked (in the show, that is) as she has a tendency to be rude to those who she doesn't consider to be important, which hasn't won her many friends. In the real life however, she is perhaps one of the most liked by fans, despite being depicted as "cruel and mean".

Apart from her significant role on "Shortland Street", she has also appeared in other New Zealand TV shows such as "Spin Doctors", "Max TV" and even "". These roles, however, didn't last for very long. However, it wouldn't take long for her to be cast into Shortland Street.

Acting has always been her longtime passion and she has on many occasions participated in school plays. However, Li Ming also found success in other areas of life - in addition to being a talented actress, she is also a talented musician and has her own band named The Tokey Tones (which has found success in New Zealand, with the release of the album "Caterpillar and Butterfly" being met with much critical acclaim). She also graduated with honours from the University of Auckland, from which she has a Masters degree in History. While completing her masters, Li Ming was also a tutor in the history department of the university.

After a 3 year run on Shortland Street as one of the show's popular and well known characters, Li Ming's character Li Mei Chen died after a deadly virus she had contracted.

Currently, she lives in Auckland New Zealand

Trivia

*The Character of Li Mei Chen recently joined Shortland Street after graduating from University. Li Ming (the woman who plays as Li Mei) recently graduated from the University of Auckland when she joined the show full-time in 2003.
*Despite the character of Li Mei Chen being based on the many wealthy Chinese international students studying in Auckland, her character is also meant to have grown up in poverty in a village in China.
*In accordance with sexualised stereotypes of Chinese women in Western media, during the course of her run on Shortland Street the character of Li Mei Chen ran a phone-sex hotline as a cash sideline, slept with the director of the clinic to advance her career, slept with an elderly S&M fetishist to advance her career, and had sex with another character for money.
*The Li Mei Chen character was killed by a 'pandemic' virus during a period of real public fear about the Avian Influenza pandemic potentially affecting New Zealand by arriving from 'Asia.'
*Li Mei's name is a slight variation of the actor's actual name combined with the name of 'Jing-Mei Chen', the Chinese doctor on American medical drama ER. The non-Chinese writers of the show could not be bothered doing any research to come up with a new name.
*Friend and co-worker Anna Jullienne also graduated from University of Auckland with Li Ming.