Yang Naimei (1904–1960)

Yang Naimei, from an ancestral home in Guangdong, was uniquely bold and open, winning big fame with her self-produced movie Qi Nv Zi (A Legendary Lady) in 1928.

Instead of being an insular noble lady, Yang went against her family's wishes and followed her heart to chase her own dream as an actress. Her noteworthy conduct and independent character were always on display in her hit films.

In the 1930s, she married a high official's son and left for Hong Kong, retiring from movies. She then lived a simple economical life, the opposite of her early extravagance.

Chen Yunshang (1919-2016)

From Liwan district in Guangzhou, Chen Yunshang was another Chinese movie queen well-known for Mu Lan Cong Jun (Hua Mulan Joins the Army) released in 1939.

A large number of successful movies brought her acclamation and appreciation, but didn't overwhelm her modesty and confidence. As she said in 1939 in Shun Pao (a newspaper popular at that time): "I'm not good at acting at all, but at least it is a comfort that I was never involved in meaningless movies."

Zhang was always cool-minded about her unexpected fame. According to the first issue of Zhong Lun (a monthly magazine) published on Jan 15, 1944, Chen said, "I never think I made any successful movie. Even the popular ones I starred in were far from my expectation. I have no failure either, I think and I am so sure that I have paid painstaking effort to all my works."

Although Chen said goodbye to her acting career and married a famous doctor in 1943, her glorious time and achievements, together with those of Guangdong's other early actresses, are a remarkable part of Chinese movie history.

Chen Yunshang [Photo/da.gd.gov.cn]