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Ruan Lingyu (born Ruan Fenggen; April 26, 1910 – March 8, 1935), also known by her English name Lily Yuen, was a Chinese silent film actress. One of the most prominent Chinese film stars of the 1930s, her exceptional acting ability and suicide at the age of 24 led her to become an icon of Chinese cinema.
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. Her 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.
In Little Toys (1933), a film by Sun Yu, Ruan played a long-suffering toy-maker. Her next film, The Goddess (1934; dir: Wu Yonggang), is often hailed as the pinnacle of Chinese silent cinema; Ruan sympathetically portrayed a prostitute bringing up a child. Later that year, Ruan made her penultimate film, New Women (directed by Cai Chusheng), in which she played an educated woman forced to death by an unfeeling society. The film was based on the life of actress Ai Xia, who killed herself in 1934. Her final film, National Customs, was released shortly after her death.
One of Ruan's earliest films, Love and Duty (1931), directed by Bu Wancang and long believed to be a lost film, was discovered in Uruguay in 1994.
She then began living with Tang Jishan, a tea tycoon. In 1935, Zhang filed a lawsuit asking for reparations from Ruan. The tabloids seized on this opportunity to probe into Ruan's private life and put her under intense pressure.
Following the completion of New Women, Ruan's life began to unravel. The film opened in Shanghai in 1935. Cai Chusheng was under massive pressure from tabloid reporters, who were extremely hostile, owing to the scathing depiction of the Shanghai tabloids in the movie. Cai was forced to make extensive cuts to the film. Even after that, Ruan's private life was mercilessly seized upon by the tabloids and her lawsuit with her first husband, Zhang Damin, became a source of vindictive coverage.
Recent researchers believe her deteriorating relationship with Tang Jishan and Zhang Damin's lawsuit were the cause of Ruan's death. It was further intensified by the mob media of China after New Women was released, since the film depicted the life of actress Ai Xia, who committed suicide due to media rumors about her private life. Ruan is also believed to have been physically abused on the evening that she died.
Her funeral procession was reportedly long, with three women committing suicide during the event. The New York Times called it "the most spectacular funeral of the century".
In 1998, a uniquely designed monument dedicated to her debuted in Fushouyuan Cemetery in Shanghai.
These suicide notes are now believed to have been forged by Tang Jishan, as Ruan Lingyu was unlikely to have written a letter to the press over her suicide, furthermore with lines like "my will watch over you forever and ever" to Tang Jishan. Yang Zhanye (杨展业) Xinmin Evening News, July 18, 2001. The article is republished by Sina.com.cn here: http://ent.sina.com.cn/s/m/2001-07-19/50606.html
The editor of Siming Journal claimed that Tang Jishan got Liang Saishan (梁賽珊), the sister of his lover Liang Saizhen (梁賽珍), to forge Ruan Lingyu's handwriting and suicide notes, which were then published in Lianhua Pictorial. Pricked by their conscience, Liang Saishan and Liang Saizhen later supplied Siming Journal with Ruan Lingyu's real suicide notes.中躍，《人言可畏: 阮玲玉玉碎之謎》，pp. 326-327, 獨立作家－新銳文創, 2014《文史精华》编辑部, 《文史精华典藏版》, Volume 10，p. 184-185, 河北人民出版社, 2010, ISBN 7202048817, 9787202048818
The notes were allegedly carelessly written, with many characters stricken off and rewritten, reflecting Ruan Lingyu’s state of mind. Most researchers believe them to be the authentic suicide notes left behind by Ruan.
The suicide notes were republished by Professor Lian Wenguang (连文光) in his 1993 book, Chinese and International Cinemas: History and Anecdotes.Lian Wenguang 连文光 (1993), "The Authenticity of Ruan Lingyu’s suicide notes" <阮玲玉遗书的真伪>, Chinese and International Cinemas: History and Anecdotes《中外电影史话》，pp. 260-263, Jinan University Press 暨南大学出版社 Public interest reignited after Shanghai's Xinmin Evening News reported the research of film historian Shen Ji (沈寂) in 2001, which coincided with Lian Wenguang’s findings.Yang Zhanye (杨展业) Xinmin Evening News, July 18, 2001. Republished by Sina.com.cn here: http://ent.sina.com.cn/s/m/2001-07-19/50606.html
Suicide note 1:
Suicide note 2:
In 1991, Hong Kong director Stanley Kwan made a movie about her life, Center Stage, starring Maggie Cheung as Ruan Lingyu. Cheung won the Berlin Film Festival Silver Bear for Best Actress. Zhang Damin and Tang Jishan are portrayed by Lawrence Ng and Chin Han respectively. The film is credited to have revived public interest in Ruan Lingyu and her films.
In 2005, Jacklyn Wu Chien-lien played Ruan in a 30-episode Chinese TV series, also titled Ruan Lingyu.
Kong Lingjie (孔令洁) played Ruan Lingyu in the 1996 Chinese TV series Movie Queen Butterfly (影后胡蝶).
Ruan Lingyu's name was discussed throughout the HK TVB series - The 'W' Files (衛斯理) in 2003; however, there was no character portrayal. It was fitting to mention her name in the series since the plot was set in Shanghai during the 1930s, and she was a notable figure during that time.
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