Yan Bijun

Biography

Yan Bijun was a Chinese makeup artist, stylist and actress, born in April 1923 in Shanghai into a poor family. She studied at the金星 Film Studio training class around 1938, where she was a classmate of famous director Xie Jin. After graduation, she began working as both an actress and makeup artist. In 1941, she joined the Greater China Film Company and participated in numerous stage plays. In 1946, she moved to Hong Kong to continue her career in acting and makeup, becoming close friends with actress Zhou Xuan. In 1951, she returned to mainland China and participated in the founding of the August First Film Studio, gradually focusing exclusively on makeup artistry, creating many iconic screen images and winning multiple film awards, including two Golden Rooster Awards for Best Makeup. She passed away in Beijing on March 14, 2013.