Jin Yan: The Rudolph Valentino of Shanghai tells the remarkable story
of the "Emperor of Film," who dominated the golden age of Chinese
silent movies. Jin Yan achieved his greatest stardom in the 1930s, when
women literally threw themselves at his feet. Married first to the
Shanghai actress Wang Renmei, his movie roles with "the Goddess" Ruan
Ling-yu spurred public demand for more of them together in films made
by the leading studio, Lianhua. It was Jin who made Ruan aware of
film's awesome power to portray social problems while evading the
censors with melodramatic soap opera formats.
Jin's life spanned
the most turbulent period in modern Chinese history: a childhood escape
from Japanese-occupied Korea, through the long civil war, the bitter
Cultural Revolution, and Deng Xiaoping's reformation. Jin's embodiment
of the modernizing May Fourth ideals of the 1920s and 30s added a new
layer of sexuality to the liberal movement. But the Communists later
cast Jin aside in their campaign to "learn from Lei Feng," a humble
young soldier. As Jin's second wife Qin Yi rose to new heights in the
politically charged film world, the sick and aging star languished in
obscurity. Reproducing dozens of beautiful stills from the personal
collection of Qin Yi and the China Film Archive, Richard Meyer
contextualizes Jin's tragic transformation with riveting details on
many fellow performers.
Richard J. Meyer teaches film at Seattle University. He is the author of
Ruan Ling-yu: The Goddess of Shanghai.About the DVD included with Jin Yan:The Peach GirlStarring Jin Yan and Ruan Ling-yu
Ruan
plays Lingu, a peasant girl, who falls in love with the landlord's son
De'en, played by Jin, who fathers her child. He promises marriage but
is forbidden by his mother to see her because of class differences.
De'en finally comes to Lingu's side, as she lies dying. The landowner
relents after her death and allows her son to raise the child.
The 