Wang Renmei

Wang Renmei was born Wang Shuxi (王庶熙) on December 1, 1914, in Changsha, Hunan, China. Her father was a mathematics teacher who had taught Mao Zedong, a fellow Hunan native who would become China's top leader. She moved to Shanghai with her brothers in 1928 and enrolled at the Meimei School, a special school for singing and dancing founded by Li Jinhui, the "Father of Chinese pop music". She became one of the "Four Divas" of the Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe, along with Li Lili, Xue Lingxian, and Hu Jia. She toured and performed in Southeast Asia, Beijing, Tianjin, and Manchuria. Wang Renmei made her film debut in 1931, playing a minor role in the film Song Bai Yuan. She rose to stardom after starring in the 1934 film Song of the Fishermen, directed by Cai Chusheng, which was the first Chinese film to win an international prize at the Moscow International Film Festival. She also sang the theme song of the film, which became a hit. She was nicknamed the "Wildcat of Shanghai" for her lively and spirited personality. She starred in more than 20 films, mostly produced by the Lianhua Film Company, such as Wild Rose, Song of China, and Storm on the Border. She was also crowned the "Movie Queen" in 1934, along with Chen Yumei, in China's first public poll for the most popular movie stars. ¹ Wang Renmei married Jin Yan, the Korean-born "Emperor of Chinese Cinema", in 1934. They had a tumultuous relationship and divorced in 1944. She later married a Kuomintang officer and moved to Taiwan, but returned to mainland China after the Communist victory in 1949. She resumed her acting career and appeared in several films, such as The Life of Wu Xun, The White-Haired Girl, and The Red Detachment of Women. She also worked as a voice actress, dubbing foreign films into Chinese. She was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution and suffered from depression and cancer. She died on April 2, 1987, in Beijing. ¹