HONG KONG - Former actress Chen Chen seems to be in good spirits after recovering from a second brain surgery in March.

The Taiwanese screen sweetheart of the 1970s appeared in photos posted by veteran Hong Kong journalist Wong Man Ling on Thursday (Oct 7). Both were at the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of renowned photographer Leung Hoi Ping and his wife Man Ying.

The party was also attended by other screen veterans such as John Chiang, Bowie Wu and Helena Law Lan.

In photos posted by Wong in July, Chen, 74, had looked thinner. They were then celebrating the 88th birthday of former screen idol Grace Chang, better known as Ge Lan, with retired actresses Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia and Kelly Yao Wei.

Chen, whose real name is Chang Chia-chen, told Taiwan's Apple Daily in May that she had felt giddy while using her mobile phone at home in February and fallen, hitting her face on the sofa.

Though she had some bruises on her face, she thought nothing more of it. But her cardiologist suspected something was wrong and helped her take an MRI scan, which found she had injured her head, resulting in fluid retention and bleeding in the brain.

She was referred quickly to the neurosurgery department, where the doctor deemed her condition serious and admitted her to hospital that day for an operation.

She stayed in hospital for 10 days and was accompanied throughout by actor Jeremiah Chang, her son with her ex-husband, musician Liu Chia-chang.

She was also previously married to veteran actor Patrick Tse.

This was her second brain surgery. She went for a minor brain surgery in February 2017 to remove an accumulation of fluid in her brain after falling down the stairs.

Chen, who in the 1970s starred in several movies adapted from Taiwanese romance novelist Chiung Yao's books, received a Lifetime Achievement Award at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards in 2013.