Chen Yanyan
陳燕燕
Chen Yanyan in 1950s.
Chen Yanyan in 1950s.
Born
Chen Jianyan (陳煎燕)

15 February 1915
Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
Died7 May 1999(1999-05-07) (aged 83)
Hong Kong
Other namesChen Yen-yen
Known forChinese film actress
Spouses
  • Huang Shaofen
  • Wang Hao
Childrenone

Chen Yanyan (Chinese: 陳燕燕; Wade–Giles: Ch'en Yen-yen; 12 January 1916 – 7 May 1999), born Chen Jianyan, was a Chinese actress and film producer in the cinema of Republic of China (1912–1949), British Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Life

Chen was born as Chen Jianyan in Ningbo, China in 1916. Chen was obsessed with films as a young girl. When she was 14 she visited the set of "Spring Dream in the Old Capital (故都春梦)" which the Lianhua Film Company was recording in Beijing. She returned each day after attending the Sacred Heart Girls School and struck up a conversation with Cai Chusheng who was to shortly direct his own films. She was given a chance to appear in the film as a screen test by the director Sun Yu. Her appearance was not included in the film as she had been cast as a prostitute and she looked too young for that to be acceptable.[1] However the film was successful[2] she was offered a job but it was only with great difficulty that she persuaded her father. The film company sent around one of their actresses, Lim Cho Cho, who was known for her integrity. Her father was persuaded but he insisted that she never discussed her work at home and that she would not use the family's name.[1]

Chen left for Shanghai with her mother as a chaperone and within three years she was an acknowledged star known as "The Swallow" with a particular appeal to college students.[1] Chen had a very good Mandarin accent which was useful as sound appeared in Chinese movies in the 1930s.[3]

In 1932 she starred in her first film "Nanguo zhi Chun" 南国之春 (Springtime in the South).[1] She also co-starred in the film Three Modern Women which told of three archetypal women competing for the love of the hero. The story was well received and in particular its left-wing approach.[4]

Li Lili and Chen Yanyan in "The Great Road"

The 1934 film "The Great Road" is thought to have brought her star status when she played Dingxiang (Orchid). Hers is the last face to appear onscreen.[5][6] This film also made a star of Li Lili and these two together with Ruan Lingyu and Wang Renmei were the female stars of the Lianhua film company.[1][7]

In 1937 the war began in Shanghai and she soon married Huang Shaofen who was a cinematographer she had known for some years. They had a daughter, Wong Tin-lai (王天丽), but ended in divorce. She stayed in Shanghai and worked for the Xinhua Film Company where she again became a bankable star in their films.[1]

Chen Yanyan in 1942's 'Wedding Night' with Liu Qiong

In 1949 she moved and she co-founded her own company Haiyan Film Studio in Hong Kong with her second husband Wang Hao 王豪. The company made two films and the company ended at the same time as the marriage.[1]

Chen produced two films herself, "Love Fiesta", in 1957 and in 1961 "Shark of the Pacific".[8] She won a best supporting actress award in 1961 at the Asian Film Festival for her appearance in the 1961 film "Misfortune".[3] In 1963 she joined the Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers Studio and she gained more award nominations for her acting.[1]

Chen retired from films in 1972, but she still appeared on TV.[3] In 1991 she appeared as herself in "Center Stage" which was a film about the short life of her fellow actress Ruan Lingyu.[8]

Chen died in 1999.

Filmography

Cover of The Young Companion (October 1934) featuring Chen Yanyan (standing) and Wang Renmei.

Film

Year English title Original title Role Notes
1930Dream of the Ancient Capital故都春夢Lost
Suicide Contract自殺合同Lost
1931Love and Duty戀愛與義務Ping'er
A Spray of Plum Blossoms一剪梅A Qiao (Lucetta)
Two Stars銀漢雙星
1932Story of the South南國之春Li Xiaohong
Conscienceless人道Lost
Answering the Nation's Call共赴國難Lost?
Another Dream of the Ancient Capital續故都春夢Lost
Struggling奮鬥
1933Three Modern Women三個摩登女性Chen RuoyingLost
New Year's Eve除夕Lost
The Light of Maternal Instinct母性之光Shao Mei
1934Pear Flowers in Rainstorm暴雨梨花Lost
The Iron Bird鐵鳥Lost
The Kindred Feelings骨肉之恩Lost
The Big Road大路Ding Xiang
1935The Evil Beauty蛇蠍美人Lost
Song of China天倫
A Fallen Goose by the Cold River寒江落雁
1936A Heroic Girl孤城烈女Chen Yiyi
1937Lianhua Symphony聯華交響曲Segment 2: "Nightmare in Spring Chamber" (春閨斷夢)
Spring Comes Everywhere春到人間
Song of a Kind Mother慈母曲
The Free World自由天地
New and Old Times新舊時代
Vistas of Art藝海風光Part 2: "Drama Troupe" (話劇團)
1938A Beggar Girl乞丐千金
Thunderstorm雷雨
Four Concubines四潘金蓮
1939A Legendary Pipa琵琶記
Regrets of Life and Death生死恨
The White Snake白蛇傳
1940Legend of Sui Dynasty隋宮春色
The Flower Girl花魁女
Du Shiniang杜十娘
A Ghost女鬼
1941Bloody Tears Behind the Iron Window鐵窗紅淚
Family家
1942Wedding Night洞房花燭夜
Standard Lady標準夫人
Madame Butterfly蝴蝶夫人
Compassion博愛
Youth Passes in Vain芳華虛度
1943Tide of Passion情潮
Distant Longing兩地相思
1947Wedding Candles龍鳳花燭
Unending Love不了情Yu Jiayin
1948Destruction天魔劫
Elusive神出鬼沒
1949A Lingering Dream巫山夢迴
1953Love Song戀歌Ge Pingalso producer
The Magic World of Filmdom銀海千秋
1954The Beautiful Ghost of the Sea海角芳魂He Yichunalso producer
1956The Long Lane長巷
1957Teenagers Folly錦繡前程Zhang Jiazhen
Love Fiesta春色無邊Does not appearproducer
1960Nobody's Child苦兒流浪記
The Iron Hoof of Oppression鐵蹄下
Reunion音容劫
1961Shark of the Pacific大平洋之鯊Does not appearco-producer
196214000 Witnesses一萬四千個證人Does not appearco-producer
1963The Love Eterne梁山伯與祝英台Zhu Yingtai's mother
Bitter Sweet為誰辛苦為誰忙
The Lady and the Thief女人與小偷
Three Sinners閰惜姣
1964Between Tears and Smiles新啼笑姻緣
Lady General Hua Mu-lan花木蘭Hua Mu-lan's mother
The Crimson Palm血手印
1965The Butterfly Chalice蝴蝶盃
Son of Good Earth大地兒女Tian Degui's wife
The Grand Substitution萬古流芳Cheng Ying's wife
The Lotus Lamp寶蓮燈
The West Chamber西廂記Cui Yingying's mother
1966The Blue and the Black藍與黑Mrs. JiTwo-part film
The Joy of Spring歡樂青春
1967Auntie Lan蘭姨Jiang Wenlan's mother
The Goddess of Mercy觀世音
Too Late for Love烽火萬里情
Four Sisters黛綠年華
Sing High, Sing Low星月爭輝
One-Armed Swordsman獨臂刀
My Dream Boat船
1968Spring Blossoms春暖花開
1969Dead End死角Zhang Chun's mother
The Three Smiles三笑
1970Heads for Sale女俠賣人頭
Sons and Daughters千萬人家
Valley of the Fangs餓狼谷
1971It Takes a Man to Be Henpecked怕老婆是大丈夫
1972The Young Avenger小毒龍
Trilogy of Swordsmanship群英會Segment 2: "The Tigress" (胭脂虎)
The Merry Wife娃娃夫人
Fists of Vengeance鐵拳燕子飛
The 14 Amazons十四女英豪Geng Jinhua
Flower in the Rain雨中花Yuan Ping's mother
1973The Young Tiger小老虎
1974The Thunder Kick一網打盡
1978Mantis Combat螳螂醉虎無影腳
1982Dark Trap黑圈套
1984The Warmth of an Old House頤園飄香
1986This Love of Mine我的愛

TV series

Year English title Original title Role Notes
1982Journey旅途
1984Stars of Last Night昨夜星辰
Light Fog輕霧

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Chen Yanyan: The Swallow Next Door Archived 2016-12-07 at the Wayback Machine, ChineseMirror, Retrieve 6 November 2016
  2. ↑ Laikwan Pang (1 May 2002). Building a New China in Cinema: The Chinese Left-Wing Cinema Movement, 1932-1937. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-7425-7222-5.
  3. 1 2 3 Zhiwei Xiao; Yingjin Zhang (1 June 2002). Encyclopedia of Chinese Film. Routledge. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-134-74554-8.
  4. ↑ Pang, Laikwan (2002). Building a New China in Cinema: The Chinese Left-wing Cinema Movement, 1932-1937. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 44. ISBN 9780742509467.
  5. ↑ Christopher Rea, Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949, ch.5.
  6. ↑ Chinese Film Classics online course, Module 4: The Great Road: https://chinesefilmclassics.org/course/module-4-the-great-road-1934/
  7. ↑ Chinese Film Classics: Chen Yanyan: https://chinesefilmclassics.org/chen-yanyan-%e9%99%b3%e7%87%95%e7%87%95/
  8. 1 2 Chen Yan-Yan, HKMDB, Retrieved 7 November 2016
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