Ruan Lingyu
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Ruan Lingyu (born Ruan Fenggen; April 26, 1910 – March 8, 1935), also known by her English name Lily Yuen, was a Chinese
silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
actress. One of the most prominent Chinese film stars of the 1930s, her exceptional acting ability and suicide at the age of 24 led her to become an icon of Chinese cinema.


Early life

Ruan was born to a
working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...
family in
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
, and her ancestral home is in Xiangshan,
Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
. Her father died when she was young, and her mother brought her up working as a housemaid.


Career


Early acting career

In 1926, to help make ends meet, Ruan signed up for the prominent
Mingxing Film Company The Mingxing Film Company ( zh, c=明星影片公司, p=Míngxīng Yǐngpiàn Gōngsī), also credited as the Star Motion Picture Production Company, was a production company active in the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China bet ...
. She made her first film at the age of 16. The film, ''A Married Couple in Name Only'' (掛名的夫妻/挂名的夫妻), was directed by
Bu Wancang Bu Wancang (July 1, 1900 – December 30, 1973), also known by his English name Richard Poh, was a prolific China, Chinese film director and screenwriter active between the 1920s and the 1960s. He was born in Anhui. Career Originally a member o ...
. Two years later, she was signed by Da Zhonghua Baihe Company (大中華百合公司/大中华百合公司), where she shot six films. Her first big break came in ''Spring Dream of an Old Capital'' ( or ''Reminiscences of Beijing'', 1930), which was a massive hit in China. It was Ruan's first major work after signing with the newly formed Lianhua Studio in 1930. In it, she played a prostitute by the name of Yanyan.


Breakthrough and important films

Thereafter, Ruan became Lianhua's major film star. Her most memorable works came after 1931, starting with the melodrama '' Love and Duty'' (directed by
Bu Wancang Bu Wancang (July 1, 1900 – December 30, 1973), also known by his English name Richard Poh, was a prolific China, Chinese film director and screenwriter active between the 1920s and the 1960s. He was born in Anhui. Career Originally a member o ...
). Ruan had by then gained popularity owing to a string of leading roles, and in 1933 she was voted second runner-up in a poll held by '' Star Daily'' (明星日報) for China's "movie queen". ( Hu Die emerged the winner and Chen Yumei was first runner-up). Beginning with '' Three Modern Women'' (1932), Ruan started collaborating with a group of leftist Chinese directors. In ''
Little Toys ''Playthings'' (), also known as ''Little Toys'' or ''Small Toys'', is a 1933 silent film directed by filmmaker Sun Yu (director), Sun Yu. It is one of two films Sun Yu directed in 1933. (the other film being Daybreak (1933 film), ''Daybreak''). ...
'' (1933), a film by Sun Yu, Ruan played a long-suffering toy-maker. Her next film, '' The Goddess'' (1934; dir: Wu Yonggang), is often hailed as the pinnacle of Chinese silent cinema; Ruan sympathetically portrayed a
prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...
bringing up a child. Later that year, Ruan made her penultimate film, ''
New Women ''New Women'' () is a 1935 Chinese silent drama film produced by the United Photoplay Service. It is sometimes translated as ''New Woman''. The film starred Ruan Lingyu (in her penultimate film) and was directed by Cai Chusheng. This film beca ...
'' (directed by Cai Chusheng), in which she played an educated woman forced to death by an unfeeling society. The film was based on the life of actress Ai Xia, who killed herself in 1934. Her final film, '' National Customs'', was released shortly after her death. One of Ruan's earliest films, '' Love and Duty'' (1931), directed by
Bu Wancang Bu Wancang (July 1, 1900 – December 30, 1973), also known by his English name Richard Poh, was a prolific China, Chinese film director and screenwriter active between the 1920s and the 1960s. He was born in Anhui. Career Originally a member o ...
and long believed to be a lost film, was discovered in
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
in 1994.


Personal life

At the age of 16, Ruan became acquainted with Zhang Damin (张达民/張達民), whose family her mother worked for. Zhang was later driven out of his wealthy family due to his spendthrift ways and became a chronic gambler, supported by Ruan's salary. Unable to tolerate Zhang's gambling, Ruan split with him in 1933. She then began living with Tang Jishan, a tea tycoon. In 1935, Zhang filed a lawsuit asking for reparations from Ruan. The tabloids seized on this opportunity to probe into Ruan's private life and put her under intense pressure. Following the completion of ''New Women'', Ruan's life began to unravel. The film opened in Shanghai in 1935. Cai Chusheng was under massive pressure from tabloid reporters, who were extremely hostile, owing to the scathing depiction of the Shanghai tabloids in the movie. Cai was forced to make extensive cuts to the film. Even after that, Ruan's private life was mercilessly seized upon by the tabloids and her lawsuit with her first husband, Zhang Damin, became a source of vindictive coverage.


Death

Faced with her various public issues and intense private problems, Ruan committed suicide in Shanghai on March 8, 1935, at the age of 24, by taking an overdose of
barbiturate Barbiturates are a class of depressant, depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medication, medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological a ...
s. Her suicide note apparently contained a line which says "gossip is a fearful thing" (人言可畏), although recent researchers have doubted the note's authenticity as it appears to have been forged by Tang Jishan. Even China's preeminent intellectual
Lu Xun Lu Xun ( zh, c=魯迅, p=Lǔ Xùn, ; 25 September 188119 October 1936), pen name of Zhou Shuren, born Zhou Zhangshou, was a Chinese writer. A leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in both vernacular and literary Chinese as a no ...
was appalled at the details surrounding Ruan's death and wrote an essay entitled "Gossip is a Fearful Thing", denouncing the tabloids. Recent researchers believe her deteriorating relationship with Tang Jishan and Zhang Damin's lawsuit were the cause of Ruan's death. It was further intensified by the mob media of China after ''New Women'' was released, since the film depicted the life of actress Ai Xia, who committed suicide due to media rumors about her private life. Ruan is also believed to have been physically abused on the evening that she died.


Funeral services and subsequent tributes

Her funeral service at the Wanguo Funeral Home lasted for three days. Several well-known film actors and actress attended her funeral, including
Wang Renmei Wang Renmei (; December 1914 – 2 April 1987) was a famous Chinese actress and singer nicknamed the "Wildcat of Shanghai". She was mainly active during the 1930s, and her most notable film was the 1934 ''Song of the Fishermen'' (available onli ...
, Lin Chuchu and Liang Saizhen, and her pallbearers included some of the leading film directors such as
Lai Man-Wai Lai Man-wai (; September 25, 1893 – October 26, 1953), also romanised as Lay Min-wei or M.W. Ray, considered the "Father of Hong Kong Cinema", was the director of the first Hong Kong film '' Zhuangzi Tests His Wife'' in 1913. In the film, Lai ...
,
Fei Mu Fei Mu (October 10, 1906 – January 31, 1951), also romanised as Fey Mou, was a 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 Kong Film Crit ...
, Wu Yonggang and Cai Chusheng. After the service, Ruan's casket was taken to a cemetery in Zhabei district. Her funeral procession was reportedly long, with three women committing suicide during the event. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' called it "the most spectacular funeral of the century". In 1998, a uniquely designed monument dedicated to her debuted in Fushouyuan Cemetery in Shanghai.


Suicide notes and alleged forgery

Two sets of suicide notes existed that were purportedly written by Ruan Lingyu just before her death.


First version

The earlier suicide notes were first published in ''Lianhua Pictorial'' (聯華畫報) on April 1, 1935, in a commemorative issue on Ruan Lingyu's death, supplied by Tang Jishan with whom Ruan Lingyu was cohabiting at the time of her death. These suicide notes are now believed to have been forged by Tang Jishan, as Ruan Lingyu was unlikely to have written a letter to the press over her suicide, furthermore with lines like " y spiritwill watch over you forever and ever" to Tang Jishan. '


Second version

On April 26, 1935, the ''Siming Journal of Business'' (《思明商學報》) published what are now believed to be the real suicide notes of Ruan Lingyu. As the ''Siming Journal'' was a journal with an internal circulation of just 1,500 copies, few in China read about this and the article was largely forgotten after its initial publication. The editor of ''Siming Journal'' claimed that Tang Jishan got Liang Saishan (梁賽珊), the sister of his lover Liang Saizhen (梁賽珍), to forge Ruan Lingyu's handwriting and suicide notes, which were then published in ''Lianhua Pictorial''. Pricked by their conscience, Liang Saishan and Liang Saizhen later supplied ''Siming Journal'' with Ruan Lingyu's real suicide notes. The notes were allegedly carelessly written, with many characters stricken off and rewritten, reflecting Ruan Lingyu’s state of mind. Most researchers believe them to be the authentic suicide notes left behind by Ruan. The suicide notes were republished by Professor Lian Wenguang (连文光) in his 1993 book, ''Chinese and International Cinemas: History and Anecdotes''. Public interest reignited after Shanghai's '' Xinmin Evening News'' reported the research of film historian Shen Ji (沈寂) in 2001, which coincided with Lian Wenguang’s findings. Suicide note 1: Suicide note 2:


Portrayal in popular culture


Films

Zhang Damin, who tried to tell his story regarding Ruan's suicide (and profit financially), agreed in 1935 to star as himself in a film titled ''Tears of Love'' (情淚). The film was aborted following angry backlash. Zhang did not give up, however. In 1937, a Hong Kong film titled ''Who's to Blame?'' (誰之過) directed by Shum Kat-sing (沈吉誠) appeared, starring Zhang as himself and Tam Yuk Lan (譚玉蘭) as Ruan; this may have been the same film as ''Tears of Love''. In 1938, Zhang starred in yet another Hong Kong film, ''Wife of a Friend'' (朋友之妻), written and directed by Mak Tai-fung (麥大豐). This film did not invoke Ruan's name, but the reference cannot be more obvious: according to a handbill, the film told about an immoral womanizer who abandons his own wife to seduce his friend's, with the friend's wife committing suicide in the end. Neither film appears to have survived, and Zhang died from an illness later in 1938 in Hong Kong, apparently penniless. In 1991, Hong Kong director
Stanley Kwan Stanley Kwan (traditional Chinese: 關錦鵬; simplified Chinese: 关锦鹏); born 9 October 1957) is a Hong Kong film director and producer. He first landed a job at TVB after receiving a mass communications degree at Hong Kong Baptist Colle ...
made a movie about her life, '' Center Stage'', starring
Maggie Cheung Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (; born 20 September 1964) is a Hong Kong actress. She is one of the most successful and internationally acclaimed actresses in Asia, renowned for her diverse and versatile performances as well as her natural acting skills ...
as Ruan Lingyu. Cheung won the
Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...
Silver Bear for Best Actress. Zhang Damin and Tang Jishan are portrayed by Lawrence Ng and Chin Han respectively. The film is credited to have revived public interest in Ruan Lingyu and her films.


TV series

In 1985, Cecilia Wong (黃杏秀) played Ruan in a 20-episode TV series aired on
Asia Television Asia Television Limited (, also known as ATV) is a digital media and broadcasting company in Hong Kong. Established as the first television service in Hong Kong as Rediffusion Television () on 29 May 1957, it shifted to terrestrial televis ...
, titled ''Ruan Lingyu/The Stardust Memories''. In 2005, Jacklyn Wu Chien-lien played Ruan in a 30-episode Chinese TV series, also titled ''Ruan Lingyu''. Kong Lingjie (孔令洁) played Ruan Lingyu in the 1996 Chinese TV series ''Movie Queen Butterfly'' (影后胡蝶). Ruan Lingyu's name was discussed throughout the HK TVB series - The 'W' Files (衛斯理) in 2003; however, there was no character portrayal. It was fitting to mention her name in the series since the plot was set in Shanghai during the 1930s, and she was a notable figure during that time.


Filmography


See also

*
Cinema of China The cinema of China is the filmmaking and film industry of mainland China, one of three distinct historical threads of Chinese languages, Chinese-language cinema together with the cinema of Hong Kong and the cinema of Taiwan. China is the hom ...
* Jin Yan *
Zhou Xuan Zhou Xiaohong (; born Su Pu; August 1, 1920 – September 22, 1957), known professionally as Zhou Xuan (), also romanized as Chow Hsuan (), was a Chinese singer and film actress. By the 1940s, she had become one of China's Seven Great Si ...


References


Bibliography

*


External links


Chinese Film Classics: Ruan Lingyu
(chinesefilmclassics.org): scholarly website with English-subtitled versions of Ruan's films ''Love and Duty'' (1931), ''The Peach Girl'', ''Playthings'' (aka ''Little Toys''), ''Goddess'' (plus two video lectures), and ''New Women'' (plus two video lectures), and related material about Ruan, hosted by the University of British Columbia
''Love and Duty'' (1931)
with English subtitles (Chinese Film Classics website)
''The Peach Girl'' (1931)
with English subtitles (Chinese Film Classics website)
''Playthings'' (1933)
with English subtitles (Chinese Film Classics website)
''Goddess'' (1934)
with English subtitles (Chinese Film Classics website)
''New Women'' (1935)
with English subtitles (Chinese Film Classics website) *
Ruan Lingyu at the dianying.com


* The Beauty Of Shanghai – Ruan Ling Yu: The Chinese Greta Garbo (Biography, ) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruan, Lingyu 1910 births 1935 suicides Chinese film actresses Chinese silent film actresses Drug-related suicides in China Suicides in the Republic of China 20th-century Chinese actresses Actresses from Shanghai Burials in Shanghai People of Cantonese descent 1935 deaths