Shu Xiuwen

Biography

Shu Xiuwen was born in 1915 in Anqing, Anhui Province, and grew up in Pingshan Village, Yi County. Forced to work as a dancer at age 14 due to poverty, she moved to Shanghai in 1931 to teach Mandarin at Tianyi Film Company, then joined a drama troupe. She participated in Tian Han's theatre groups in the early 1930s. During the War of Resistance against Japan, she performed many patriotic plays in Chongqing and was named one of the "Four Great Actresses." After the war, her portrayal of Wang Lizhen in the film *A River Flows East* became her masterpiece. In 1957, she joined the Beijing People's Art Theatre, delivering acclaimed performances as Huniu in *Rickshaw Boy* and Zhu Lianxiu in *Guan Hanqing*. She was rated a National First-Class Actress and held prominent political positions including membership in the CPPCC and NPC. She died on March 17, 1969, during the Cultural Revolution.