Yi Sui was born in Perak, Malaysia in 1914. He spent his childhood in Thailand and then in Malaysia. In 1950, he moved to Singapore to work at Cathay Productions where he was responsible for the distribution of Chinese language films in Singapore and Malaysia. He pleads for the "Malayization" of Chinese films and spends 7 to 8 years preparing for The Lion City (1960). After his directorial debut, Yi Sui left Cathay and directed Black Gold (1963), The Moon on Bentong Hill and Little Widow. These three films are considered lost. Yi Sui spent the last years of his life in Thailand before passing away in 1973.