Qin Yi

Biography

Qin Yi, born Qin Dehe on January 31, 1922 in Shanghai, was of Gaoyou, Jiangsu ancestry and a descendant of the famous Song Dynasty poet Qin Shaoyou. Her artistic career began in 1938 when she moved to Chongqing and became an actor at the China Film Production Company, making her film debut in 1939 in *Hao Zhangfu* (Good Husband). She was known as one of the "Four Great Actresses" of China; Premier Zhou Enlai called her "the most beautiful woman in China," and Oscar-winning actress Faye Dunaway praised her distinct Eastern style. After the end of the Sino-Japanese War, she returned to Shanghai in 1945, and her starring role alongside Zhao Dan in *Yao Yuan de Ai* (Remote Love) became her breakthrough film. In 1949 she joined the Shanghai Film Studio and delivered acclaimed works such as *Lanqiu Wuhao* (Basketball Team No. 5), *Tiedao Youjidui* (Railway Guerrilla), and *Qingchun zhi Ge* (Song of Youth). She was honored as one of China's "Great Women" in 2009 and awarded the national title "People's Artist" in 2019. She passed away on May 9, 2022 at Huadong Hospital in Shanghai at the age of 100.