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.

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

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

Life

edit

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

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

Film

edit
Year English title Original title Role Notes
1930 Dream of the Ancient Capital 故都春夢 Lost
Suicide Contract 自殺合同 Lost
1931 Love 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
1932 Story 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
1933 Three Modern Women 三個摩登女性 Chen Ruoying Lost
New Year's Eve 除夕 Lost
The Light of Maternal Instinct 母性之光 Shao Mei
1934 Pear 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
1935 The Evil Beauty 蛇蠍美人 Lost
Song of China 天倫
A Fallen Goose by the Cold River 寒江落雁
1936 A Heroic Girl 孤城烈女 Chen Yiyi
1937 Lianhua 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)
1938 A Beggar Girl 乞丐千金
Thunderstorm 雷雨
Four Concubines 四潘金蓮
1939 A Legendary Pipa 琵琶記
Regrets of Life and Death 生死恨
The White Snake 白蛇傳
1940 Legend of Sui Dynasty 隋宮春色
The Flower Girl 花魁女
Du Shiniang 杜十娘
A Ghost 女鬼
1941 Bloody Tears Behind the Iron Window 鐵窗紅淚
Family
1942 Wedding 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
1943 Tide of Passion 情潮
Distant Longing 兩地相思
1947 Wedding Candles 龍鳳花燭
Unending Love 不了情 Yu Jiayin
1948 Destruction 天魔劫
Elusive 神出鬼沒
1949 A Lingering Dream 巫山夢迴
1953 Love Song 戀歌 Ge Ping also producer
The Magic World of Filmdom 銀海千秋
1954 The Beautiful Ghost of the Sea 海角芳魂 He Yichun also producer
1956 The Long Lane 長巷
1957 Teenagers Folly 錦繡前程 Zhang Jiazhen
Love Fiesta 春色無邊 Does not appear producer
1960 Nobody's Child 苦兒流浪記
The Iron Hoof of Oppression 鐵蹄下
Reunion 音容劫
1961 Shark of the Pacific 大平洋之鯊 Does not appear co-producer
1962 14000 Witnesses 一萬四千個證人 Does not appear co-producer
1963 The 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
1964 Between 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
1965 The 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
1966 The Blue and the Black 藍與黑 Mrs. Ji Two-part film
The Joy of Spring 歡樂青春
1967 Auntie 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
1968 Spring Blossoms 春暖花開
1969 Dead End 死角 Zhang Chun's mother
The Three Smiles 三笑
1970 Heads for Sale 女俠賣人頭
Sons and Daughters 千萬人家
Valley of the Fangs 餓狼谷
1971 It Takes a Man to Be Henpecked 怕老婆是大丈夫
1972 The 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
1973 The Young Tiger 小老虎
1974 The Thunder Kick 一網打盡
1978 Mantis Combat 螳螂醉虎無影腳
1982 Dark Trap 黑圈套
1984 The Warmth of an Old House 頤園飄香
1986 This Love of Mine 我的愛

TV series

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

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b Chen Yan-Yan, HKMDB, Retrieved 7 November 2016
edit