At present, there are more and more famous actors and actresses in China. If you are interested in Chinese films when you act as a volunteer in China, you might have heard many famous actresses with high reputation. However, it is possible that you do not know Ruan Lingyu, the first actress in China who won the widely praise of the general public. The first film in which she acts the heroine is named Gua Ming Fu Qi which was filmed in the year of 1927. Since then, she has ever acted roles in 29 films.
The appearance of Ruan Lingyu has great significance because it symbolizes the beginning of Chinese film performance art getting rid of the limitation of the civilization model, developing toward the realistic performances. He was born in 1910 and lived a short life of 25 years. In her short life, she has acted different roles to show the different images of women such as woman amidst winds and dust and pretty girl of humble birth, young lady and aged women as well as woman worker, student, writer, flowers seller and the social butterfly and so on.
The most attracting role she ever acted is in the film Shen Nv, in which she is a woman greatly hurt and does perfectly in performance. The complex feelings when facing her child and the quality of kindness as well as the strong fighting spirit are fully expressed through her performance. Many foreigners who come to learn Mandarin Chinese in China may know this film because it has been played at home and abroad in recent years, winning much praise from the audiences of different countries.
The French critic Yang Tuoping praise that the melancholy beauty and the real performance skill becomes more outstanding after being processed by the directors. When Ruan Lingyu performs to the best, she reminds us of the films directed by the German director Parboster. In the aspect of performing art, Yuan formed her unique styles of sincerely, pure and fresh. The full enthusiasm, skilled techniques and unique methods of Yuan made her reach the highest level of Chinese film performing art in the silent film period.
However, the outstanding actress didn’t have a lucky marriage life. In 1935, the feudal evil forces took advantage of her marriage lawsuit to spread the rumor about her. Unfortunately, she failed to bear so much rumor and stress and killed himself with the last words of the gossip is a fearful thing.