Wang Danfeng
Chinese actress active from the 1940s to the 1960s.
Wang Danfeng, born in Shanghai in 1924, was a major figure in Chinese cinema active from the 1940s into the 1960s. Discovered as a 16-year-old student by director Zhu Shilin, she debuted in a supporting role in 1941 before starring in his 1942 film *New Fisherman’s Song*, a remake that became a box-office hit and launched her career. Over the 1940s, she appeared in about two dozen films, often playing abused or persecuted women. A favorite role was Xue Baochai in the 1944 film *Dream of the Red Chamber*, where she co-starred with her idol Zhou Xuan. During the Chinese Civil War, she moved to British Hong Kong in 1948, making six films for Great Wall Movie Enterprises. In July 1949, Hong Kong media named her one of the four great actresses, alongside Li Li-hua, Zhou Xuan, and Bai Guang. After the People’s Republic was established, she returned to Shanghai in 1951 to marry longtime fiancé Liu Heqing, a wedding that drew major media attention. She then acted in ten films for the state-owned Shanghai Film Studio before the Cultural Revolution. Her celebrated role as a young nurse in *A Nurse’s Diary* featured her humming “The Little Swallow” to a baby, a scene long remembered. In 1963, she played the patriotic courtesan Li Xiangjun in *The Peach Blossom Fan*, directed by Sun Jing. The film was later denounced, and Wang, Sun, and lead actor Feng Zhe were persecuted during the Cultural Revolution, with Wang sent to hard labor in the countryside and prevented from acting for 15 years. She survived largely unscathed as the film was not deemed a “giant poisonous weed.” After the Cultural Revolution, she attempted a comeback from 1978 to 1980 but found little success, retiring after playing a Japanese scientist in *The Jade-Colored Butterfly*. She attended Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985. In 2013, she received a Golden Phoenix Lifetime Achievement Award, and in June 2017, a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Shanghai International Film Festival. She and her husband, who died in 2016, had four daughters. In the late 1980s, they moved to Hong Kong to run a vegetarian restaurant, later returning to Shanghai. Wang died in Shanghai in May 2018 at age 93.
- field
- Actress
- nationality
- Chinese
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
She appeared in two dozen films in the 1940s, often playing abused or persecuted women. One of her most celebrated roles was the young nurse in A Nurse's Diary; the scene of her humming 'The Little Swallow' to put a baby to sleep is widely remembered. The film was soon denounced, and Wang, Sun, and lead actor Feng Zhe were persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. She was sent to perform hard labor in the countryside and prevented from acting for 15 years, but survived largely unscathed partly because the film was not labeled a 'giant poisonous weed'. She retired in 1980 after portraying a Japanese scientist in her last film, The Jade-Colored Butterfly. She attended the second inauguration of U.S. In the late 1980s, they moved to Hong Kong and opened the vegetarian restaurant Gong De Lin. After turning 80, they sold the business and returned to Shanghai.
Reader's Guide
Wang Danfeng’s career, spanning over forty years and more than sixty films, established her as a defining figure in Chinese cinema. She was named one of Hong Kong’s four great actresses in 1949 and officially recognized as a “movie star of New China” in 1962. Her early roles often portrayed abused or persecuted women, with a favorite being Xue Baochai in the 1944 film *Dream of the Red Chamber*, which boosted her confidence. Her most celebrated performance came as the young nurse in *A Nurse’s Diary*, where her humming of “The Little Swallow” to soothe a baby became a widely remembered cultural touchstone; the iconic Cantopop singer Roman Tam, who idolized her, watched the film three times and memorized the song. In 1963, she played the patriotic courtesan Li Xiangjun in *The Peach Blossom Fan*, a role that led to persecution during the Cultural Revolution. She was sent to perform hard labor in the countryside and barred from acting for fifteen years, surviving partly because the film was not branded a “giant poisonous weed.” After the Cultural Revolution, she attempted a comeback in the late 1970s but retired in 1980 following an unsuccessful run. Her resilience is further reflected in her lifelong marriage to Liu Heqing, which lasted over sixty-five years until his death in 2016. In later life, she moved to Hong Kong and co-ran a successful vegetarian restaurant, Gong De Lin, before returning to Shanghai. She received two Lifetime Achievement Awards, in 2013 and 2017, and was described as a “legendary” actress and “film icon” by official Chinese media.
Did You Know?
- She was sent to perform hard labor in the countryside during the Cultural Revolution and was prevented from acting for 15 years.
- She and her husband opened the vegetarian restaurant Gong De Lin in Hong Kong in the late 1980s.
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