Qin Yi
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Qin Yi (; 4 February 1922 – 9 May 2022) was a Chinese actress. She gained fame for her stage performances in the war-time capital
Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
during the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
. After the war, she became one of China's most popular film actresses throughout the 1950s and the 1960s, and was recognised as one of the country's top four actresses. Premier
Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...
called her the "most beautiful woman in China".


Early life and theatre career

Qin Yi was born on 4 February 1922 to a wealthy
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 flow ...
family. Her name at birth was Qin Dehe (). She was one of the many daughters in the family. She enjoyed watching movies and
Ruan Lingyu Ruan Lingyu (born Ruan Fenggen; April 26, 1910 – March 8, 1935), also known by her English name Lily Yuen, was a Chinese silent film actress. One of the most prominent Chinese film stars of the 1930s, her exceptional acting ability and suicid ...
(1910–1935) was her favourite actress. After the
Japanese invasion of China The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Thea ...
in 1937, Qin fled to
Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei, Hubei Province in the China, People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the List of cities in China ...
and became active in anti-Japanese activities. When Wuhan also fell to the Japanese, she fled to the war-time capital
Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
in 1938, and received actor training at the China Movie Studio. She joined several theatre groups, and acted in dozens of plays, including ''The Good Earth Huichun'', ''Imperial Minister'', and ''La Traviata''. In 1943, the influential playwright
Xia Yan Xia Yan is the name of: *Xia Yan (Ming dynasty) (1482–1548), Ming dynasty politician *Xia Yan (playwright) Xia Yan (; 30 October 1900 – 6 February 1995) was a Chinese playwright and screenwriter, and China's Deputy Minister of Culture bet ...
first named her with Shu Xiuwen,
Zhang Ruifang Zhang Ruifang (15 June 1918 – 28 June 2012) was a Chinese film and theatre actress. Life Zhang was born on 15 June 1918 in Baoding in Hebei Province. She studied painting in the Western style at Beiping's National Arts School. She complet ...
, and Bai Yang as China's "four great drama actresses" (). The label became widely known, and after the founding of the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in 1949, the four were officially recognised by the new government as the "Top Four Actresses of China".


Film career

After the
surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
at the end of the World War II, Qin Yi moved back to Shanghai, and in 1946 acted in ''The Loyal Family'', her first feature film. The next year, she had her first leading role in
Chen Liting Chen Liting (; 20 October 1910 – 27 August 2013) was a Chinese playwright, drama and film director, screenwriter, and film theorist. He was one of the most prominent film directors and screenwriters in pre-Communist China, together with Shi ...
's ''
Far Away Love ''Far Away Love'' (), also translated as ''Love of Far Away'' and ''Remote Love'', is a 1947 Chinese film directed by Chen Liting. Made during the Republican era, it was produced by the state-owned China Film No. 2 Studio, and stars prominent acto ...
'' opposite
Zhao Dan Zhao Dan (June 27, 1915 – October 10, 1980) was a Chinese actor popular in the golden age of Chinese Cinema. Biography Zhao first became famous working in the Mingxing Film Company in the 1930s including playing opposite Zhou Xuan in '' St ...
, which made her a famous movie star. She then played the leading role in
Tang Xiaodan Tang Xiaodan (; 22 February 1910 – 21 January 2012) was a Chinese film director. In 1984, he won the Golden Rooster Award for Best Director. He was the father of painter Tang Muli and conductor Tang Muhai. Filmography This is a partial l ...
's ''Lost Love'' opposite her husband
Jin Yan Jin Yan (; April 7, 1910 – December 27, 1983), also known by his English name Raymond King, was a Korean-born Chinese actor who gained fame during China's golden age of cinema, based in Shanghai. His acting talents and good looks gained hi ...
. The film was shot during the final year of the
Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...
, and was released after the
Communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...
took over Shanghai from the defeated
Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
(KMT) in May 1949. Owing to the changing political situation, the film was screened for only a short period. Like other Chinese filmmakers and actors, Qin Yi and Jin Yan had to decide whether to flee to
British Hong Kong Hong Kong was a colony and later a dependent territory of the British Empire from 1841 to 1997, apart from a period of occupation under the Japanese Empire from 1941 to 1945 during the Pacific War. The colonial period began with the Briti ...
, join the KMT in its evacuation to
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, or stay in Shanghai and work with the new regime. As Qin Yi was a leftist-leaning actress sympathetic to the Communist cause, the couple decided to stay. After 1949, Qin Yi became an actress of the newly established
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 Shanghai ...
, and was appointed deputy head of the Actors' Theatre Troupe. She played the leading roles in many films including ''Railway Guerrillas'', '' Woman Basketball Player No. 5'', ''
Lin Zexu Lin Zexu (30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850), courtesy name Yuanfu, was a Chinese political philosopher and politician. He was the head of states (Viceroy), Governor General, scholar-official, and under the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing dynast ...
'', ''Song of the Youth'', and ''Loyal Overseas Chinese'', as well as supporting roles in many others. She remained one of the most popular film actresses in China throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and Premier
Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...
called her "the most beautiful woman in China". Qin Yi and her family suffered greatly during 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 goal ...
, like millions of other Chinese. She was separated from her family for years, and spent five or six years undergoing
struggle session Denunciation rallies, also called struggle sessions, were violent public spectacles in Maoist China where people accused of being "class enemies" were publicly humiliated, accused, beaten and tortured by people with whom they were close. Usually ...
s and performing forced labour in rural areas. Her son, who was diagnosed with
schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
in 1965, just before the start of the Cultural Revolution, could not receive the necessary medical care and his condition steadily worsened. After the Cultural Revolution, Qin Yi made a comeback in the 1980s. She won the inaugural Golden Eagle Award for Best Actress in 1983 for her performance in the television drama series ''Under the Eaves of Shanghai''. In 2009 she won the
Golden Rooster Award The Golden Rooster Awards () are film awards given in mainland China. The awards were originally given annually, beginning in 1981. The name of the award came from the year of the Rooster in 1981. Award recipients receive a statuette in the shap ...
for Lifetime Achievement. Known for her subtle and fine acting, she has been called the "
Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary ''Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is often ...
of China".


Personal life

Qin Yi married actor Chen Tianguo () in 1939. The marriage was short-lived as Chen was an alcoholic and physically abusive. She decided to divorce him even though she gave birth to a daughter, who was later renamed Jin Feiheng using her step-father's surname. In 1947, Qin Yi married Korean-born Chinese actor
Jin Yan Jin Yan (; April 7, 1910 – December 27, 1983), also known by his English name Raymond King, was a Korean-born Chinese actor who gained fame during China's golden age of cinema, based in Shanghai. His acting talents and good looks gained hi ...
, known as China's "Film Emperor" in the 1930s and 1940s. They had a son named Jin Jie (), who suffered from schizophrenia and could not live independently. Qin Yi took constant care of him, especially after the death of her husband in 1983. She also took up the cause of the handicapped. Despite his mental condition, Jin Jie had a talent in painting. At a 2002 charity auction in Shanghai, actor
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
purchased one of his paintings for US$25,000, and praised Qin Yi for her devotion to her son. Jin Jie died in 2007 at the age of 59. She had saved 200,000 yuan for the care of her son, but as he predeceased her, she donated the entire amount to the victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. She turned 100 on 4 February 2022 and died on 9 May 2022.


Films


Awards

Qin Yi received several awards, including: * Golden Eagle Awards ** 1983 Best Actress (for ''Under the Eaves of Shanghai'') *
Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia. "China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...
** 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award *
Golden Rooster Awards The Golden Rooster Awards () are film awards given in mainland China. The awards were originally given annually, beginning in 1981. The name of the award came from the year of the Rooster in 1981. Award recipients receive a statuette in the shap ...
** 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award *
Golden Phoenix Awards Golden Phoenix Awards (), China's equivalent to the Screen Actors Guild Awards, is a bi-annual accolade given by the China Film Performance Art Academy to recognize outstanding performances in film. In 1987, the first annual awards ceremony held ...
** 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award


References


Bibliography

* *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Qin, Yi 1922 births 2022 deaths Chinese centenarians Women centenarians Actresses from Shanghai Victims of the Cultural Revolution 20th-century Chinese actresses Chinese film actresses Chinese stage actresses Second Sino-Japanese War refugees Members of the 5th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 6th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 7th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 8th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 9th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference