Wang YingChinese:Vương oánh;née,Yu Zhihua;during incarceration,Prisoner No. 6742;March 8, 1913 – March 3, 1974) was a Chinese actress in the 1930s. She rose to be a star of plays and cinema. The most valuable Chinese painting was of her. She was the first Chinese actor to appear for the US President. During theCultural Revolution,she was imprisoned by former rival actressJiang Qing,who had become a major political leader. Her reputation was not re-established until after her death.
Wang Ying | |
|---|---|
Vương oánh | |
 Crop fromXu Beihong's paintingPut Down Your Whip,depicting Wang Ying's performance of the street play. | |
| Born | March 8, 1913 |
| Died | March 3, 1974(aged 60) |
| Other names | Yu Zhihua |
| Alma mater | Fudan University Tokyo University |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse |
Xie Hengeng (m.1951–1974) |
Life
editWang was born in 1913 inWuhuwhen her name was Yu Zhihua. She went to live with her aunt whose family name was Wang.[1]This was after her father sold her as a child bride to a man in Nanjing. She had to leave and she went to Shanghai after she was arrested for writing a critical letter toHe Jian.[2]
In 1929, she joined an art troupe in Shanghai led byQian XingcunandXia Yan.The writerXie Bingyingrenamed her Wang Ying and under that name she starred in three films - Women's Cry, Story of Red Tears and The Same Enemy.[2]Her iconic appearance in the playPut Down Your Whipwas seen throughout China and abroad and it inspiredan eponymous paintingbyXu Beihong.This was converted into a postcard and the painting in time became the most valuable painting by a Chinese artist. By 1939, the art troupe was now named the New China Troupe and was touring Asia. Wang was also writing a column for a Shanghai newspaper.[1]
Wang joined theChinese Communist Partyin 1930. She was briefly detained for her political affiliation in 1935.
United States
editWang left for the United States in 1942 to improve her education. Whilst there, she met PresidentFranklin Rooseveltand his wife and performed the playPut Down Your Whipin the White House. She continued to write and her thoughts were published in Chinese American newspapers.[1]She had become a friend ofPearl S. Buck[3]and she assistedAgnes Smedleyin writingher bookaboutZhu De.[1]
When Buck wanted to visit China, she found that was unwelcome because she was a friend of Wang Ying's.[3]
She was persecuted by Jiang Qing at the time of theCultural Revolution,and died at age 60. During incarceration, she was called Prisoner No. 6742.
Legacy
editWang Ying was politically rehabilitated on July 6, 1979.
After her death, two booksTwo Kinds of Americansand her autobiography novelBao Gu,were published. Besides her films, she also appeared in paintings.[2]
References
edit- ^abcdLily Xiao Hong Lee (July 8, 2016).Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: V. 2: Twentieth Century.Routledge. pp. 539–541.ISBN978-1-315-49924-6.
- ^abcWang Ying: An Artist to Remember During Anti-Japanese War,18 September 2015, WomenInChina, Retrieved 23 November 2016
- ^abPeter Conn; Peter J. Conn (January 28, 1998).Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography.Cambridge University Press. pp.374–.ISBN978-0-521-63989-7.