Li Ling-Ai
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Li Ling-Ai (李靈愛, also Gladys) (May 19, 1908 – October 2003) was a noted Chinese-American film producer, born in Hawaii, the sixth of nine children. Both her parents were first-generation Chinese immigrants who became doctors in Hawaii. Father Li Khai-Fai was a physiologist. Her mother Kong Tai Heong was an obstetrician. She attended
Punahou School Punahou School (known as Oahu College until 1934) is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school in Honolulu, Hawaii. More than 3,700 students attend the school from kindergarten through 12th grade. The school was established by P ...
and graduated from the
University of Hawaii A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
in 1930.


Life in China and return to the United States

Prior to the outbreak of the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
, she lived in China, studying Chinese music and directing theatre productions at the Beijing Institute of Fine Arts. Forced to leave China during the war, she returned to the United States and created theatre productions for the American Bureau of Medical Aid to China Fund Raising Program. She joined the board of directors of the ''Sun Chung Kwock Bo'' newspaper. Relocating to New York, she was a member of the Nationalities Program of the National Federation of Republican Women.


''Kukan''

She was a co-producer and sponsor of the documentary '' Kukan'' (1941), an account of how China's people endured the
Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
. The documentary credits her as "technical advisor". The meaning of kukan (苦幹), according to Li, is "heroic courage under bitter suffering," a feeling that reflects the sentiment of "persevering against all odds," a sense of sticking to something in hardship to overcoming the hardship. In addition to her producing work, Ling-Ai was a confidante for
Ripley's Believe It Or Not ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals with bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' ...
, a dancer, a relief worker, and a theater director. The documentary '' Finding Kukan'' (2016) is about her. In this documentary
Kelly Hu Kelly Ann Hu (born February 13, 1968) is an American actress. She starred as Dr. Rae Chang on the American television soap opera '' Sunset Beach'' and as Michelle Chan on the American television police drama series '' Nash Bridges''. She has st ...
voices Ling-Ai as a young woman.


References


External links


Finding Kukan - Nestedegg Productions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ling-Ai, Li 1908 births 2003 deaths American film producers American dramatists and playwrights American film directors of Chinese descent People from Hawaii Chinese emigrants to the United States