Chen Yanyan (; 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.
Life 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. However the film was successful 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.Chen Yanyan: The Swallow Next Door , ChineseMirror, Retrieve 6 November 2016
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. Chen had a very good Mandarin accent which was useful as sound appeared in Chinese movies in the 1930s.
In 1932, she starred in her first film "Nanguo zhi Chun" 南国之春 (Springtime in the South). 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.
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.Christopher Rea, Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949, ch.5.Chinese Film Classics online course, Module 4: The Great Road: https://chinesefilmclassics.org/course/module-4-the-great-road-1934/ 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.Chinese Film Classics: Chen Yanyan: https://chinesefilmclassics.org/chen-yanyan-%e9%99%b3%e7%87%95%e7%87%95/
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.
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.
Chen produced two films herself, Love Fiesta, in 1957 and in 1961 Shark of the Pacific.Chen Yan-Yan, HKMDB, Retrieved 7 November 2016 She won a best supporting actress award in 1961 at the Asian Film Festival for her appearance in the 1961 film Misfortune. In 1963, she joined the Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers Studio and she gained more award nominations for her acting.
Chen retired from films in 1972, but she still appeared on TV. In 1991, she appeared as herself in Center Stage which was a film about the short life of her fellow actress Ruan Lingyu.
Chen died in 1999.
Filmography
Film YearEnglish titleOriginal titleRoleNotes1930Dream of the Ancient Capital故都春夢LostSuicide Contract自殺合同Lost1931Love and Duty戀愛與義務Ping'erA Spray of Plum Blossoms一剪梅A Qiao (Lucetta)Two Stars in the Milky Way銀漢雙星1932Story of the South南國之春Li XiaohongConscienceless人道LostAnswering the Nation's Call共赴國難Lost?Another Dream of the Ancient Capital續故都春夢LostStruggling奮鬥1933Three Modern Women三個摩登女性Chen RuoyingLostNew Year's Eve除夕LostThe Light of Maternal Instinct母性之光Shao Mei1934Pear Flowers in Rainstorm暴雨梨花LostThe Iron Bird鐵鳥LostThe Kindred Feelings骨肉之恩LostThe Big Road大路Ding Xiang1935The Evil Beauty蛇蠍美人LostSong of China天倫A Fallen Goose by the Cold River寒江落雁1936A Heroic Girl孤城烈女Chen Yiyi1937Lianhua 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)1938A Beggar Girl乞丐千金Thunderstorm雷雨Four Concubines四潘金蓮1939A Legendary Pipa琵琶記Regrets of Life and Death生死恨The White Snake白蛇傳1940Legend of Sui Dynasty隋宮春色The Flower Girl花魁女Du Shiniang杜十娘A Ghost女鬼1941Bloody Tears Behind the Iron Window鐵窗紅淚Family家1942Wedding 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1943Tide of Passion情潮Distant Longing兩地相思1947Wedding Candles龍鳳花燭Unending Love不了情Yu Jiayin1948Destruction天魔劫Elusive神出鬼沒1949A Lingering Dream巫山夢迴1953Love Song戀歌Ge Pingalso producerThe Magic World of Filmdom銀海千秋1954The Beautiful Ghost of the Sea海角芳魂He Yichunalso producer1956The Long Lane長巷1957Teenagers Folly錦繡前程Zhang JiazhenLove Fiesta春色無邊producer1960Nobody's Child苦兒流浪記The Iron Hoof of Oppression鐵蹄下Reunion音容劫1961Shark of the Pacific大平洋之鯊co-producer196214000 Witnesses一萬四千個證人co-producer1963The Love Eterne梁山伯與祝英台Zhu Yingtai's motherBitter Sweet為誰辛苦為誰忙The Lady and the Thief女人與小偷Three Sinners閰惜姣1964Between Tears and Smiles新啼笑姻緣Lady General Hua Mu-lan花木蘭Hua Mu-lan's motherThe Crimson Palm血手印1965The Butterfly Chalice蝴蝶盃Son of Good Earth大地兒女Tian Degui's wifeThe Grand Substitution萬古流芳Cheng Ying's wifeThe Lotus Lamp寶蓮燈The West Chamber西廂記Cui Yingying's mother1966The Blue and the Black藍與黑Mrs. JiTwo-part filmThe Joy of Spring歡樂青春1967Auntie Lan蘭姨Jiang Wenlan's motherThe 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船1968Spring Blossoms春暖花開1969Dead End死角Zhang Chun's motherThe Three Smiles三笑1970Heads for Sale女俠賣人頭Sons and Daughters千萬人家Valley of the Fangs餓狼谷1971It Takes a Man to Be Henpecked怕老婆是大丈夫1972The 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 JinhuaFlower in the Rain雨中花Yuan Ping's mother1973The Young Tiger小老虎1974The Thunder Kick一網打盡1978Mantis Combat螳螂醉虎無影腳1982Dark Trap黑圈套1984The Warmth of an Old House頤園飄香1986This Love of Mine我的愛
TV series YearEnglish titleOriginal titleRoleNotes1982Journey旅途1984Stars of Last Night昨夜星辰Light Fog輕霧
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