Ying Yunwei

In this Chinese name, the family name is Ying.

Ying Yunwei
Born	(1904-09-07)September 7, 1904 Shanghai, Qing dynasty
Died	January 17, 1967(1967-01-17) (aged 62) Shanghai, China
Nationality	Chinese
Occupation(s)	Film director, theatre director, writer
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	應雲衛
Simplified Chinese	应云卫
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yìng Yúnwèi

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

Early life

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. 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.

Career

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. 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.

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.

Death

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

Filmography

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

External links

• Ying Yunwei on IMDb
• Shanghai Filmmaking: Crossing Borders, Connecting to the Globe by Xuelei, HUANG.
• Ying Yunwei on Douban