Carina Lau Kar-ling (Chinese: 刘嘉玲, born 8 December 1964) is a Chinese actress and singer. She holds citizenship from China (Hong Kong) and Canada. Lau started her acting career in TVB, before going on to achieve success in films. She was especially notable in the 1980s for her girl-next-door type roles in films. She also plays Empress Wu Zetian in Tsui Hark's Detective Dee films, starting with Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame in 2010.