Ruan Lingyu

Ruan Lingyu was born on April 26, 1910, in Shanghai, China. Her father died when she was young, and her mother worked as a maid to support them. When she was sixteen, Ruan started acting as a way to earn money. She made her first film in 1927, A Married Couple in Name Only, directed by Bu Wancang. She became a star after appearing in Spring Dream of an Old Capital (1930), where she played a prostitute named Yanyan. She signed with Lianhua Studio in 1930 and made many memorable films, such as Love and Duty (1931), Three Modern Women (1932), Little Toys (1933), The Goddess (1934) and New Women (1935). She was known for her natural and expressive acting style, and her roles represented the struggles and aspirations of the new generation of Chinese women. She was also a screenwriter and a singer, and wrote several songs for her films. She was voted second runner-up in a poll for China's movie queen in 1933. She had a turbulent personal life, as she was involved in a love triangle with her husband Zhang Damin, a gambler who was disowned by his wealthy family, and her lover Tang Jishan, a tea tycoon. She was also harassed by the tabloid press, who accused her of being immoral and unpatriotic. She suffered from depression and insomnia, and on March 8, 1935, she committed suicide by overdosing on barbiturates. She left a note that read: Gossip is a fearful thing . She was only 24 years old. Her funeral was attended by thousands of mourners, and some of them rioted and attacked the journalists who had slandered her. She was buried in Shanghai, and her grave was later destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses of Chinese cinema, and her films have been restored and re-released in recent years. She was also the subject of a biopic, Centre Stage (1992), directed by Stanley Kwan and starring Maggie Cheung.