Suddenly, from behind an attacker hurled burning fluid all over her. As she spun round her hair was set alight.

The attacker fled into the night, leaving her ablaze on her own doorstep.

While trying to rescue herself from the agonising flames which rapidly spread to her face and body, Ryder tore off her blazing coat and vest and clapped her hands over her face in vain.

Within seconds her sunglasses became so hot they melted into the skin around her nose and eyes. The scars are still visible today. She lost most of one ear, which she now covers with hair. One side of her face became so badly swollen after the attack that she needed extensive skin grafts and reconstructive surgery.

At the time it was not clear whether the horrifically burned Ryder was fortunate to survive the blaze or not. Her injuries were grave and took years to overcome. 'I lost everything,' she says simply, recalling that dreadful night. In those few awful seconds she saw her career destroyed, along with her beautiful face, not to mention large amounts of money. Trying to repair the damage has led to medical bills of $4 million (the equivalent of $20 million today) on numerous skin grafts and surgery to rebuild her features. Her attack remains an unsolved mystery. She has an idea of who could have done it, but no firm evidence to support her theory, so no one has ever been arrested.

The fight back to a semblance of a normal life was long and arduous. The extensive burns not only destroyed her face, but also caused both wrists to shrink so badly that it hindered blood flow.

Doctors eventually had to make a slit down the middle of her wrists to allow the blood to circulate adequately.

This meant that for nine months following the operation, she had to lie in a hospital bed with both hands held in an upward position to maintain circulation.

Having her open wounds and burns cleaned was pure torture, she recalls, and in the beginning she had to be almost permanently numbed by painkillers with as many as 10 injections daily.

The transformation of her life was shattering. Ryder was the Faye Wong of her day, possessing a vibrant Eurasian beauty. She inherited her delicate features and singing talent from her British father and Chinese mother.

Her big break came in 1966, when she participated in The Miss A-Go-Go talent contest in Hong Kong, when she was still a 16-year-old studying in secondary five. She joined not to pave her road to superstardom, but for the prize - a washing machine, which her mother coveted. But she failed to win and ended up taking home a fridge - the award for first runner-up.

From then on, she was launched into a show business career. She was signed to record label EMI, toured around Asia and America and was the only female vocalist to represent Hong Kong at the World Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. She was named the 'Top Female Vocalist of the Year' several times, and became a movie star at the age of 23.

At the time, she was as popular as Sam Hui, the all-time Canto-pop king who brought Chinese songs into the mainstream in the 70s, and kung fu star Bruce Lee.

Rebuilding her life at times didn't seem worth the struggle. She once tried to kill herself by jumping from the hospital building and had a nurse not spotted her near the window and held her back, she might have succeeded.

But her fighting spirit returned and with astounding bravery she has battled her way back to fitness. It took Ryder 20 years to find the courage to stand on a stage again and face an audience with confidence.

In 1997, she returned to show business with five concerts performing with long-time friend and singer Joe Junior.

Now she's very glad that nurse saved her from ending it all. 'I am very lucky to be alive,' says Ryder. 'I love life.' But she doubts if many modern youngsters would have the strength to struggle to do what she did.

'Committing suicide is a very selfish act,' she believes. 'Death is not an end. Family and friends will not be happy.'

Ryder comes across as a very strong person. Being the eldest daughter, with one younger brother and sister, she feels she had no choice but to be independent to support her family.

'If I had not been strong, I would not have been able to get up on the stage again,' she says. Though semi-retired, she has lost none of her charisma and the charms of a talented singer still shine through.

Her recent comeback finds her singing six nights a week at the Macau Jockey Club in Sheung Wan. In other people's eyes, this might seem a comedown for a one-time successful superstar. But she is happy. 'I'm very lucky. I have a job that I love,' she says.

Ryder belts out every song with passion. At the Macau Jockey Club, her repertoire includes classic English songs from the 60s and 70s, which she sings in cabaret style for an audience of ballroom dancers.

'English songs were the most popular,' she says, recalling her golden days.

'There were some Chinese songs, but it was the trend at that time to perform English songs.'

In the 70s, according to Ryder, most of the singers performed in nightclubs and hotels where only the middle and upper class people, such as rich businessmen and 'tai tais', could get in. Unlike the present, record companies would not spend millions of dollars to create an idol. Only singers with genuine talent could expect to be hired by nightclubs to sing.

'We had to do everything on our own,' says Ryder.

It's now common for the stars of the Canto-pop scene to attract criticism being all looks and no talent. Francis Yip Lai-yee, another top singer emerged in the 70s, once criticised the 90s diva Faye Wong's singing technique and style. Does Ryder think that the singers nowadays are as good as those from her generation?

'It is inevitable to see the newcomers emerge. We cannot say that they are not as good as those in the past,' Ryder says. 'In fact they are very hard working. They have to practise singing, dancing, promote their image, appear in TV commercials, movies and do modelling. They have a huge burden on their shoulders because they have to support so many people (their agencies and record companies). If they do not have the talent, how can they stand out from the crowd?'

All young would-be stars deserve an opportunity, she believes.

'If I was given a chance when I first started, why cannot we give them a chance now? They are still green,' she points out.

Having lived for half a century, Ryder is satisfied with what she has now. 'Though I am not very rich, at least I have a place to live. My parents are in good health. My health is not bad and I have a lovely daughter.' Living with her fiance and manager Johnson Ling Ping-tong is another reason she celebrates life.

The singer is confident and excited about her plans for 2001, which looks like being a busy year. She hopes that she can stage a concert singing English standards, together with other top singers of her time, such as Sam Hui.

She also has plans for a tour of Canada and the US in May.

Ryder has been approached by an author who wants to write her biography, but while she is interested, has not yet decided whether to go ahead. Her optimistic attitude to life has set a good example for the young generation: even when life seems impossibly hard and even hopeless, persist and do not give up.

'Life is beautiful,' the singer says. 'There is always a better tomorrow.'