Sun Yu (director)
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Sun Yu (March 21, 1900 – July 11, 1990) was a major leftist
film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
active in the 1930s in
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 ...
. One of the core directors of the
Lianhua Film Company The United Photoplay Service Company () was one of the three dominant production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other two being the Mingxing Film Company and the Tianyi Film Company, the forerunner of the Hong Kong-based ...
, Sun Yu made a name for himself with a series of socially conscious dramas in the early to mid-1930s. 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, Sun Yu made his way to the interior, where he continued to make films glorifying the war effort against the Japanese. His career took a turn for the worse after the Communist victory in 1949. In ''
The Life of Wu Xun ''The Life of Wu Xun'' () is a 1950 Chinese film directed by Sun Yu and starring Zhao Dan. A black and white movie, it was produced by Kunlun Film Studio. It deals with a true story of a figure in Chinese history, Wu Xun, who spent years collecti ...
'', Sun Yu's big-budget biographical picture of the titular Qing Dynasty
educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, Sun attracted the wrath of
Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
, who personally criticized the film in an essay. Though Sun never fully recovered from the episode, he has regained his reputation as one of the foremost filmmakers of the golden age of
Chinese cinema The cinema of China is one of three distinct historical threads of Chinese-language cinema together with the cinema of Hong Kong and the cinema of Taiwan. Cinema was introduced in China in 1896 and the first Chinese film, '' Dingjun Mountain'' ...
. Besides his work in cinematography, Sun Yu is known as a poet and translator, with two translations of
Li Po Li Bai (, 701–762), also pronounced as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet, acclaimed from his own time to the present as a brilliant and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He and his friend Du Fu ...
's poems appearing in ''Poetry'' magazine in 1926, and a full-length book of selected Li Po poems with translations and commentary appearing in 1982. Sun Yu's films ''Playthings'' (''Little Toys'') (1933), ''Daybreak'' (1933), ''Sports Queen'' (1934), and ''The Great Road'' (''The Big Road'') (1934) are available with English subtitles on YouTube.


Biography

Sun Yu was born in the city of
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 ...
and educated first at
Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (; abbreviation, abbr. THU) is a National university, national Public university, public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Minis ...
in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
before continuing his education in
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...
. After taking his degree in 1925, Sun enrolled at the
New York Institute of Photography The New York Institute of Photography (or NYIP) is a for-profit online school based out of New York City, offering different courses in photography to students all over the world. NYIP currently offers ten courses in photography. History The New ...
, where his courses included cinematography and film editing. He also took evening courses at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in screenwriting and other, related courses. During this time he also audited a series of lectures on writing for the theater given by
David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of m ...
which influenced him greatly.Sun, Yu. ''Afloat on the Silver Sea: recalling my life'' (in Chinese). Shanghai: Arts and Literature Press, 1987, p.38. Upon returning to China in the summer of 1926, Sun Yu directed his first film, ''A Romantic Swordsman'', with the faltering
Minxin Film Company Minxin Film Company (), also known as China Sun Motion Picture Company Ltd. (1923–1930) was one of the earliest movie studios in the history of Chinese cinema and Hong Kong cinema. History Established in 1922 in Hong Kong by director and acto ...
.Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei. "Sun Yu" in ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Film''. Taylor & Francis (1998), p. 324-25. . Beginning in the 1930s, Sun Yu began a collaboration with the leftist film studio, Lianhua, where he became one of the core group of "socially conscious" directors along with
Cai Chusheng Cai Chusheng (January 12, 1906 – July 15, 1968) was a Cinema of China, Chinese film director of the pre-Communist era, and was the first Chinese director to win an international film award at the Moscow International Film Festival. Best known ...
,
Fei Mu Fei Mu (October 10, 1906 — January 31, 1951), also romanised as Fey Mou, was a Cinema of China, Chinese film director of the pre-Communist era. His ''Spring in a Small Town'' (1948) was declared the greatest Chinese film ever made by the Hong ...
, and others. While with Lianhua, Sun directed some of his most lasting works, including '' Wild Rose'' (1932), ''
Loving Blood of the Volcano Loving may refer to: * Love, a range of human emotions * Loving (surname) * '' Loving v. Virginia'', a 1967 landmark United States Supreme Court civil rights case Film and television * ''Loving'' (1970 film), an American film * ''Loving'' ( ...
'' (1932), '' Daybreak'' (1933), ''
Little Toys ''Playthings'' (), also known as ''Little Toys'', is a 1933 silent film directed by filmmaker Sun Yu. It is one of two films Sun Yu directed in 1933 (the other being '' Daybreak''). The film stars popular Chinese actress Ruan Lingyu, and was pro ...
'' (1933), and ''
The Big Road ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'' (1934). With the outbreak of the full-fledged war with Japan in 1937, Sun, like many of his colleagues, fled to the interior to the Nationalist wartime capital of
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 ...
where he directed several propaganda films praising the war effort. Upon the end of the war, Sun Yu began preparing for his most important production yet, a biographical epic of the Qing Dynasty educator,
Wu Xun Wu Xun (Chinese: 武训; Pinyin: Wǔ Xùn; 1838–1896) was a Chinese educational reformer who pioneered free popular education in the country and became a hero of Chinese liberalism. In the 1950s and 1960s during Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution hi ...
, who spread literacy among the common people. Sun's last major work, ''
The Life of Wu Xun ''The Life of Wu Xun'' () is a 1950 Chinese film directed by Sun Yu and starring Zhao Dan. A black and white movie, it was produced by Kunlun Film Studio. It deals with a true story of a figure in Chinese history, Wu Xun, who spent years collecti ...
'' was made with the
Kunlun Film Company The Kunlun Mountains ( zh, s=昆仑山, t=崑崙山, p=Kūnlún Shān, ; ug, كۇئېنلۇن تاغ تىزمىسى / قۇرۇم تاغ تىزمىسى ) constitute one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending for more than . In the bro ...
and starred one of the top actors of the day,
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 ...
, in the
titular Titular may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Title character in a narrative work, the character referred to in its title Religion * Titular (Catholicism), a cardinal who holds a titulus, one of the main churches of Rome ** Titular bisho ...
role. Shortly after its release, however, ''The Life of Wu Xun'' was personally denounced by
Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
. In the ''
People's Daily The ''People's Daily'' () is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The newspaper provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP. In addition to its main Chinese-language ...
'' Mao attacked Wu Xun as a liberal whose literacy programs implied that revolution was not necessary. The flurry of criticism that Mao's denunciation triggered was the "first major politico-ideological campaign" of the post-1949 revolution, and its effects were immediate.He, Henry Yuhuai, ''Dictionary of Political Thought of the People's Republic of China''. M.E. Sharpe (2001), p. 297. . As a result, Sun Yu's reputation was soon in ruins, and his career effectively stalled. Sun Yu would go on to direct only a handful of titles over the next twenty years. In 1985, thirty-five years after the release of ''The Life of Wu Xun'', members of the Chinese politburo finally admitted that Mao's campaign, and the criticisms that it instigated against the film, was essentially baseless. Sun Yu died in Shanghai in 1990.


Selected filmography


Further reading

* Rea, Christopher. ''Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949''. New York: Columbia University Press, 2021. *Sun, Yu translation, introduction, and commentary (1982). ''Li Po-A New Translation'' 李白詩新譯. Hong Kong: The Commercial Press,


Notes


External links


Chinese Film Classics: Sun Yu
(chinesefilmclassics.org) - scholarly website based at the University of British Columbia with English-subtitled copies of and video lectures on several Sun Yu films, including ''Sports Queen'' and ''The Great Road'', as well as biographical information *
Sun Yu
at the Chinese Movie Data base
Sun Yu and National Cinema
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sun, Yu 1900 births 1990 deaths Film directors from Chongqing Columbia University alumni Tsinghua University alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Chinese film directors Chinese silent film directors