Wu Yin

Wu Yin was born Wei Junluo (韋均犖) on August 2, 1909, in Tianjin, 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. ¹ Wu Yin 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 Crossroads, 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 After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Wu Yin acted in several films including The Life of Wu Xun, Song Jingshi and It's My Day Off, before being denounced as a "rightist" in 1957 during the Anti-Rightist Campaign. ¹ During the Cultural Revolution she was tortured and lost the ability to walk, ³ and her husband, filmmaker Meng Junmou ( 孟君谋 ), was persecuted to death. ¹ After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Wu Yin was politically rehabilitated on 11 December 1978, and joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1985. She died on April 10, 1991, in Shanghai. ¹