The daughter of China's preeminent Peking Opera actor, Zhou Xinfang, TSAI CHIN was raised in Shanghai and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, London. She has a Master's Degree in Drama from Tufts University (Distinguished Service to Profession Award from the Alumni Association).

Her career was launched in London with the title role in The World of Susie Wong. Films in the UK include The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, You Only Live Twice, and Virgin Soldiers. Her roles in experimental theater include Klytemnestra in The Oresteia and Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. When China opened up in the '80s, she was the first theater person to be invited to teach acting at the Central Academy of Dramatic Arts; she subsequently directed their premiere production of Shakespeare's The Tempest. In 1989 she returned to the West End in M. Butterfly. With the success of playing Auntie Lindo in The Joy Luck Club, she now lives in Los Angeles. Other major U.S. films include The Red Corner and stage work includes: The Woman Warrior (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award) and Golden Child (on Broadway and in regional theaters). She was last seen at the Mark Taper Forum in The House of Bernardo Alba. Her autobiography Daughter of Shanghai, published by St. Martin's Press, has been an international success.