Lai Man Wai was a pioneering figure in early Chinese cinema and a democratic revolutionary born in Japan to a Chinese father who ran a rice business. He first visited Hong Kong at the age of six and later attended St. Paul's College there. During his time in Hong Kong, Lai became involved in Sun Yat Sen's revolutionary movement and worked as a war correspondent, documenting the Japanese invasion of China through film.

In 1921, Lai co-founded the Minxin Manufacturing Film Company in Hong Kong, which was formally established in 1923, with Lai serving as deputy manager. From 1924 to 1925, during the period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China, he filmed key figures during the Northern Expedition. In 1926, the company relocated to Shanghai, and in 1930, Lai partnered with Luo Ming Yu to form the Lianhua Film Company, where Lai became the general manager. However, after Lianhua declined in 1936, Lai founded a new Minxin Film Company.

Following the 1937 "Marco Polo Bridge Incident," Lai returned to Hong Kong, where he continued his film operations until a bombing raid in 1941 destroyed much of his work. When the Japanese occupied Hong Kong, Lai refused to collaborate with the occupiers and fled with his family to Zhanjiang, bringing with him the film "Meritorious Achievements of a Thousand Years", which documented early revolutionary footage of Sun Yat Sen.

Lai was married twice: first to actress Yim Sham Sham, whom he married in 1914, and later to Lam Chuk Chuk. His daughter, Li Xuan, and niece, Li Cheuk Cheuk, both became actresses, while his granddaughter, Li Zi, pursued a career as an actress and singer.

After the Anti-Japanese War, Lai returned to Hong Kong and took charge of the Xianle Cinema. In late 1953, while in critical health, he arranged for "Meritorious Achievements of a Thousand Years" to be sent to Beijing. Lai passed away in Hong Kong at the age of 60.

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