Ying Yunwei (7 September 1904 – 17 January 1967) born in Shanghai, was a Chinese director and writer.

Early life

Ying Yunwei at the age of 16 was a poor student growing up. He would spend time with an apprenticeship in

foreign trade International trade is the exchange of Capital (economics), capital, goods, and Service (economics), services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.) In most countr ...

. He was a pioneer of spoken drama and had a successful career in the shipping industry of Shanghai. A confidential police report stated that Ying's power was linked to his close personal relationship with

Du Yuesheng Du Yuesheng (22 August 188816 August 1951), nicknamed "Big-Eared Du",Lintner, Bertil. ''Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency Since 1948''. Silkworm Books. 1999. p.309 was a Chinese mob boss who spent much of his life in Shanghai. He made his ...

and

Huang Jinrong Huang Jinrong (; 10 May 1868 – 20 June 1953), nicknamed "Pockmarked" due to a bad case of smallpox,Lintner, Bertil. ''Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency Since 1948''. Silkworm Books. 1999. p.309 was a Chinese chief detective who worked for th ...

, two of Shanghai's powerful mafia bosses. His apprenticeship in foreign trade however would last up until 1934 where he would promptly resign. In 1921 Ying had participated in an organization known as the Shanghai Drama Association and In August 1930 the China Left-wing Drama Alliance. Ying, during his time in the alliance, participated in the

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

drama film movement in Shanghai.

Career

Ying Yunwei's film career began in the mid 1930s. During this time he worked for Yuhua and Diantong. A tabloid journalist revealed that Yihua refused to raise his salary, this resulted in Ying's departure and arrival in

Mingxing 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 between 1922 and 1937. Established b ...

. In 1934, Shanghai Film Studios reestablished itself within a new left-wing film company known as Diantong. Ying would be listed under the director lineup with his film, '' Plunder of Peach and Plum'' (also known as ''Fate of Graduates'', 1934). Later in 1934 after his departure from foreign trade Ying would organize the Shanghai Amateur Drama Association and in 1936 work as the executive director of Mingxing's Studio II. When Ying was asked about why he joined Mingxing, Ying stated he was a friend of

Zheng Zhengqiu Zheng Zhengqiu (; January 25, 1889 – July 16, 1935) was a Chinese filmmaker often considered a "founding father" of Chinese cinema.Zhang, Yingjin & Xiao, Zhiwei (1998). "Zheng Zhengqiu" in ''Encyclopedia of Chinese Film''. Taylor & Francis, p ...

and had already been invited nearly a decade earlier. In his 1938 film, ''The Eight Hundred Heroes'', it is noted that this film was created during the time of the

Battle of Shanghai The Battle of Shanghai ( zh, t=淞滬會戰, s=淞沪会战, first=t, p=Sōng hù huìzhàn) was a major battle fought between the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China in the Chinese city of Shanghai during ...

and that the film Ying directed was a way to boost nation morale in the face of Japanese aggression during this time. In his 1934 film, ''Plunder of Peach and Plum'', it is known to be China's debut as the first complete

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

with a film soundtrack.

Death

On January 16, 1967, Ying Yunwei was pushed down to death during a rebellion within two factions of the Film Bureau. He died at age 62.

Filmography

References

External links

Ying Yunwei
on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

Shanghai Filmmaking: Crossing Borders, Connecting to the Globe
by Xuelei, HUANG.
Ying Yunwei
on Douban {{DEFAULTSORT:Ying, Yunwei 1904 births 1967 deaths Film directors from Shanghai People persecuted to death during the Cultural Revolution Chinese theatre directors Writers from Shanghai