15 Facts About Qin Yi

Qin Yi gained fame for her stage performances in the war-time capital Chongqing during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Qin Yi was born on 4 February 1922 to a wealthy Shanghai family.

Qin Yi was one of the many daughters in the family.

Qin Yi enjoyed watching movies and Ruan Lingyu was her favourite actress.

Qin Yi joined several theatre groups, and acted in dozens of plays, including The Good Earth Huichun, Imperial Minister, and La Traviata.

Qin Yi then played the leading role in Tang Xiaodan's Lost Love opposite her husband Jin Yan.

Qin Yi played the leading roles in many films including Railway Guerrillas, Woman Basketball Player No 5, Lin Zexu, Song of the Youth, and Loyal Overseas Chinese, as well as supporting roles in many others.

Qin Yi remained one of the most popular film actresses in China throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and Premier Zhou Enlai called her "the most beautiful woman in China".

Qin Yi was separated from her family for years, and spent five or six years undergoing struggle sessions and performing forced labour in rural areas.

Qin Yi won the inaugural Golden Eagle Award for Best Actress in 1983 for her performance in the television drama series Under the Eaves of Shanghai.

Qin Yi decided to divorce him even though she gave birth to a daughter, who was later renamed Jin Feiheng using her step-father's surname.

In 1947, Qin Yi married Korean-born Chinese actor Jin Yan, known as China's "Film Emperor" in the 1930s and 1940s.

Qin Yi took constant care of him, especially after the death of her husband in 1983.

Qin Yi had saved 200,000 yuan for the care of her son, but as he predeceased her, she donated the entire amount to the victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

Qin Yi turned 100 on 4 February 2022 and died on 9 May 2022.