Ying Yunwei (7 September 1904 – 17 January 1967) born in Shanghai, was a Chinese director and writer.

Ying Yunwei
Born(1904-09-07)September 7, 1904
DiedJanuary 17, 1967(1967-01-17) (aged 62)
Shanghai, China
NationalityChinese
Occupation(s)Film director, theatre director, writer
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYìng Yúnwèi

Early life

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Ying Yunwei at the age of 16 was a poor student growing up. He would spend time with an apprenticeship in foreign trade. He was a pioneer of spoken drama and had a successful career in the shipping industry of Shanghai. A confidential police report stated that Ying's power was linked to his close personal relationship with Du Yuesheng and Huang Jinrong, two of Shanghai's powerful mafia bosses.[1] His apprenticeship in foreign trade however would last up until 1934 where he would promptly resign. In 1921 Ying had participated in an organization known as the Shanghai Drama Association and In August 1930 the China Left-wing Drama Alliance. Ying, during his time in the alliance, participated in the left-wing drama film movement in Shanghai.[2]

Career

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Ying Yunwei's film career began in the mid 1930s. During this time he worked for Yuhua and Diantong. A tabloid journalist revealed that Yihua refused to raise his salary, this resulted in Ying's departure and arrival in Mingxing.[3] In 1934, Shanghai Film Studios reestablished itself within a new left-wing film company known as Diantong. Ying would be listed under the director lineup with his film, Plunder of Peach and Plum (also known as Fate of Graduates, 1934). Later in 1934 after his departure from foreign trade Ying would organize the Shanghai Amateur Drama Association and in 1936 work as the executive director of Mingxing's Studio II. When Ying was asked about why he joined Mingxing, Ying stated he was a friend of Zheng Zhengqiu and had already been invited nearly a decade earlier.[3]

In his 1938 film, The Eight Hundred Heroes, it is noted that this film was created during the time of the Battle of Shanghai and that the film Ying directed was a way to boost nation morale in the face of Japanese aggression during this time. In his 1934 film, Plunder of Peach and Plum, it is known to be China's debut as the first complete talkie with a film soundtrack.[4]

Death

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On January 16, 1967, Ying Yunwei was pushed down to death during a rebellion within two factions of the Film Bureau.[5] He died at age 62.

Filmography

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Year English title Chinese title Notes
1934 Plunder of Peach and Plum 桃李劫 Also co-writer
1935 A Hero of Our Time 時勢英雄
1936 Revolutionaries 生死同心
1938 800 Heroes 八百壯士
1940 Storm on the Border 塞上風雲
1947 Cherish the Memory of Jiangnan 憶江南 Co-director
The Anonymous 無名氏
1948 Smooth Sailing 一帆風順
The Dawning 雞鳴早看天
1949 Awakening 喜迎春
1951 Phoenix Reborn 再生鳳凰
The Annals of Women 婦女春秋 Co-director
1954 Can't Follow Along That Path 不能走那條路
1956 Song Shijie 宋士傑 Co-director, Peking opera film
1959 Chasing the Fish 追魚 Yue opera film
1960 The Poetry-Contest Pavilion 斗诗亭 Yue opera film
1961 The Stage Art of Zhou Xinfang 周信芳的舞台艺术 2 Peking opera acts starring Zhou Xinfang
1963 Wu Song 武松 Co-director, Peking opera film

References

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  1. ^ Xuelei, HUANG (2014-08-12). Shanghai Filmmaking: Crossing Borders, Connecting to the Globe, 1922-1938. BRILL. ISBN 9789004279346.
  2. ^ "应云卫,Yunwei Ying". m.miiqu.com. Retrieved 2018-11-17.
  3. ^ a b Xuelei, HUANG (2014-08-12). Shanghai Filmmaking: Crossing Borders, Connecting to the Globe, 1922-1938. BRILL. ISBN 9789004279346.
  4. ^ Fate of Graduates (1934), retrieved 2018-11-17
  5. ^ "应云卫 (豆瓣)". movie.douban.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2018-11-24.
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