Ruan Lingyu

Ruan Lingyu (April 26, 1910 – March 8, 1935) was a Chinese silent film actress. One of the most prominent Chinese film stars of the 1930s, her suicide at the age of 24 led her to become an icon of Chinese cinema.

Early life and career

Ruan was born Ruan Fenggen in Shanghai in 1910 to a working-class family. Her father, a worker, died when she was young, and her mother brought her up working as a housemaid.

In 1926, to help make ends meet, Ruan signed up for the prominent Mingxing Film Company. She made her first film at the age of 16. The film, A Married Couple in Name Only (掛名的夫妻/挂名的夫妻), was directed by Bu Wancang. Two years later, she was signed by Da Zhonghua Baihe Company (大中華百合公司/大中华百合公司), where she shot six films.

Ruan's first big break came in Spring Dream of an Old Capital (故都春夢 or Reminiscences of Beijing, 1930) which was a massive hit in China. It was Ruan's first major work after signing with the newly formed Lianhua Studio in 1930. In it she played a prostitute by the name of Yanyan.