Yang Likun (杨丽坤, April 24, 1941 - July 21, 2000) was a Chinese Yi actress. She is best known for playing the lead role in the romantic comedy film ''

Five Golden Flowers ''Five Golden Flowers'' ( Chinese: 五朶金花; pinyin: ''Wǔ duo jīnhuā'') is a 1959 Chinese romantic musical film directed by Wang Jiayi and produced by Changchun Film Studio. The screenplay was written by Zhao Jikang and Wang Gongpu. Set in ...

'' (1959), and winning the Silver Eagle Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Jin Hua in the film.

Early life

Yang was born on April 24, 1942, in Mohei, Ning'er County,

Yunnan Province Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

. She was an ethnic Yi, of the ethnic minority in China. From a young age, she loved literature and art.

Career

In 1954, Yang joined the Yunnan Provincial Song and Dance Troupe as a solo dancer. In 1959, at the age of 18, Yang was selected by Wang Jiayi, the director of

Changchun Film Studio Changchun Film Studio Group Corporation () is a Chinese film production company in Changchun. It is one of the studios transitioned from the 1940s, and has been considered one of the cornerstones of the Chinese film industry. Early history The ...

, to star as the female lead, Jin Hua, in the romantic comedy film ''

'', which reflected the socialist construction of the Bai people during the Great Leap Forward. The film was released in December 1959 and became an immediate sensation, being screened in 46 countries. It won the Silver Eagle Award for Best Film at the 2nd Asian-African Film Festival in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

in 1960, and Yang won the Silver Eagle Award for Best Actress. In 1964, she starred as the female lead,

Ashima Ashima (; la, Asima) is an ancient Semitic goddess. Ancient Middle East Asima was a West Semitic goddess of fate related to the Akkadian goddess Shimti ("fate"), who was a goddess in her own right but also a title of other goddesses such as ...

, in the film ''

'', which reflected the love story of ancient Yi people of

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

. Before the release of Ashima, Yang developed a mental disorder after she was obstructed from falling in love, but recovered after hospitalization. In 1965, the release of ''Ashima'' was banned by the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

, as it was considered to conflict with the socialist values and "preached the

capitalist class The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

sentiment". ''Ashima'' was later released to the public in 1978. After moving to Shanghai in 1978, Yang worked as an actress with

Shanghai Film Studio The Shanghai Film Studio (), one of the three biggest film studios in China, is the film division of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation in Shanghai, China. It is responsible for the production of Chinese films and TV programs. History Shangha ...

Personal life

In 1973, Yang married Tang Fenglou, a native of

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

. The two had twin sons. After the end of the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

, she moved to live in Shanghai in 1978. There, she lived a more stable life and her illness was in remission. Yang died at her home in Shanghai on July 21, 2000, at the age of 59, due to long term illness and physical deterioration. She had two tombstones erected in Shanghai and Kunming, with half of her ashes at each tombstone.{{Cite web , title=《重訪》——五朵金花（上，下） , url=http://www.cctv.com/program/chongfang/20060608/104387.shtml , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212080655/http://www.cctv.com/program/chongfang/20060608/104387.shtml , archive-date=2020-12-12 , access-date=2008-03-10 , website=CCTV

Filmography

* ''

'' (1959) * ''

'' (1978)

References

20th-century Chinese actresses Yi people 1941 births 2000 deaths

Early life

Career

Personal life

Filmography

See also

References