Wu Yonggang (November 1, 1907 – December 18, 1982) was a prominent Chinese

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, pr ...

during the 1930s. Today Wu is best known for his

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

, '' The Goddess''. Wu had a long career with 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 ...

in the 1930s, in

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...

during the war, and in the mainland after the 1949 communist revolution.

Biography

Wu Yonggang was born in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

in 1907, but was considered a native of his ancestral home

Wu County Wu County or Wuxian (; 221 B.C. – December 2000) is a former county and city located in modern Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. Its name refers to its former status as the capital of the state of Wu during the Spring and Autumn period. Histo ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with it ...

in Chinese convention. Wu Yonggang was one of the major leftist film directors of pre-Communist China. For the early part of his career, Wu was a set designer with Dazhonghua Baihe, before transferring to the

Shaw Brothers Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shang ...

' Tianyi Film Company. He was eventually noticed by

Shi Dongshan Shi Dongshan (December 29, 1902 – February 23, 1955), born Shi Kuangshao, was one of the most prominent film directors and screenwriters in pre-Communist China, together with Chen Liting, Cai Chusheng, and Zheng Junli. His most notable film was ...

at the newly formed

. His first film from the director's chair, 1934's '' The Goddess'' (under contract with Lianhua), earned both him and the film's star,

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 ...

, rave reviews. A prolific director, Wu continued to make films well into the 1970s until his retirement shortly before his death including ''

Evening Rain ''Evening Rain'' (Chinese: 巴山夜雨) is a 1981 Chinese drama film which reflects the fight between Chinese people and the Gang of Four during the ten years of turmoil in China. It was directed by Wu Yonggang and Wu Yigong with Li Zhiyu, Zhan ...

'' (co-directed with

Wu Yigong Wu Yigong (; 1 December 1938 – 14 September 2019) was a Chinese film director and producer. Biography Born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, Wu Yigong enrolled in the directing department of the Beijing Film Academy in 1956. After graduation in ...

) which won Best Picture at the first annual

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 ...

. Acclaimed director

Chen Kaige Chen Kaige (; born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema.Berry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: Historical Revolution and Cinematic Rebellion" in Speaking in Images: Interviews wi ...

referred to Wu Yonggang as one of his most admired directors, and named ''The Goddess'' as his favorite film of the 1930s.

Selected filmography

Notes

External links

A brief biography of Wu Yonggang
*
Wu Yonggang
at the Chinese Movie Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Wu, Yonggang 1907 births 1982 deaths Film directors from Shanghai Chinese silent film directors