During the Republic of China, Shanghai was the center of Chinese entertainment circles. Here, well-known actresses such as Butterfly and Ruan Lingyu have appeared. Today we are talking about a movie emperor in the Republic of China, his name is Jin Yan.
Jin Yan was born in Seoul, Korea (now Seoul, South Korea) on April 8, 1910. His father was wanted for participating in the Korean National Independence Movement. In 1912, he moved with his father to Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, China. After his father's death in 1919, Jin Delin went to Shanghai to join his aunt. Two years later, he moved to Tianjin with his aunt's family and studied in Nankai Middle School.
's life of displacement and poverty made him easy to accept revolutionary ideas. He even changed Jin Delin's name to "Jin Xun" to show that he was connected with Lu Xun. Because he felt it was not loud enough, he replaced it with the word "flame", which means Energetic and passionate like a flame.
After finishing his middle school career (undergraduate) in 1927, a friend pooled money to buy a ferry ticket. Jin Yan came to Shanghai alone. He wrote some novels for submission, but he was basically not accepted. Because he loves to watch movies, he was introduced to Minxin Film Company, but he was only doing chores, doing drama, recording, etc., still watching the door in the movie theater, and sleeping on a long bench at night. A year later, the company went bankrupt, Jin Yan had no life, and even became a homeless man.
In 1928, Jin Yan joined the Nanguo Art Theatre hosted by Tian Han as a stage actor, and has played important roles in dramas such as "Salome", "Carmen", and "Rejuvenation".
In 1929, when Jin Yan was a recorder at the Shanghai Star Film Company, he was favored by the director Sun Yu and acted as a supporting role in the movie "The Hot Man"; in the same year, Sun Yu asked Jin Yan to play in his film "The Merry Swordsman" Acting as the leading actor.
In 1930, Jin Yan joined the Shanghai Lianhua Film Company, and then starred in the romantic movie "Weeds and Flowers" with Ruan Lingyu.
On April 5, 1931, the love movie "Love and Obligation" co-starring Ruan Lingyu was released. Jin Yan played the unknown ordinary college student "Li Zuyi" in the film; in the same year, Jin Yan and Ruan Lingyu also co-starred in the love movie "Peach Blossoms Blood Record.
In 1932, Shanghai’s newly-launched "Diansheng Daily" launched the "China's Top Ten Movie Stars" vote. Jin Yan has the highest number of votes among male movie stars, thus gaining the reputation of "Movie Emperor".
In 1933, the film "Three Modern Women" starring Ruan Lingyu, Chen Yanyan and Li Zhuozhuo, Jin Yan played a movie star in it.
In 1934, "Diansheng", which had been changed to a weekly magazine, launched a star election. Jin Yan won "Audience's Favorite Male Celebrity", "The Most Beautiful Male Celebrity", and "The Male Celebrity Who Audience Most Wants to Be Friends with" Three champions in all ten events.
In 1934, he co-starred with Zhang Yi, Zheng Junli and others in the movie "Big Road" filmed by Sun Yu, playing the role of road construction workers who sang labor chants.
In 1935, Jin Yan starred in films such as "Wild Rose", "Langtaosha" and "High Aspirations". After that, he successively shot nearly 30 films including "Golden Age", "Light of Motherhood" and "New Peach Blossom Fan" in film companies such as Lianhua, Yihua and Xinhua.
In 1949, Jin Yan and Qin Yi co-starred in the movie "Lost Love". This was the only collaboration between the two on screen.
In 1931, when Jin Yan starred in the movie "Wild Rose", he met and fell in love with actor Wang Renmei. On New Year's Day in 1934, Jin Yan and Wang Renmei held their wedding in Shanghai under the auspices of director Sun Yu. The superstar couple became the daily headlines of major entertainment newspapers and magazines in Shanghai at that time. One of their children died shortly after birth, and the relationship between husband and wife worsened. In 1945, the two divorced.
In 1941, Jin Yan and actor Qin Yi met. In the spring of 1947, the two met again under the guidance of the actor and director Liu Qiong, and soon fell in love. In the winter of the same year, Jin Yan accompanied Qin Yi to Hong Kong to film "The Sea" and began living together. On the evening of December 15, 1947, Jin Yan and Qin Yi held their wedding at the Universe Club, and Guo Moruo was the witness.
In 1958, Jin Yan suffered a serious illness from stomach bleeding. In 1962, a medical accident occurred during an operation and the gastric nerve was severed. After a meal, he could only lie down, not feeling hungry or full, so he became thinner and weaker. After 20 years, he could not afford to be sick. During Jin Yan's serious illness, Qin Yi cared for him in every possible way and never abandoned him. Jin Yan passed away on December 27, 1983 at the age of 73.
goldYan is one of the most important artists in early Chinese films, and a representative figure of Chinese progressive films. During the 33 years from 1929 to 1962, when he said goodbye to the film industry, Jin Yan starred in 46 films. Jin Yan has made great contributions to the Chinese film industry, which is worth remembering for everyone!
