Wang Renmei

Wang was married to Jin Yan,[2] the Korean-born "Emperor of Chinese Cinema", and later to Ye Qianyu, a prominent artist.

Renlu's former colleague Li Jinhui, another Hunan native who is now considered the "Father of Chinese pop music",[4] had founded the Meimei School in Shanghai.

[6][4] Wang Renmei proved to be a talented singer and became one of the "Four Divas" of the troupe, along with Li Lili, Xue Lingxian (薛玲仙), and Hu Jia (胡笳).

[7][8] Starting in May 1928, the troupe spent ten months touring southeastern Asian cities including Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, and Jakarta.

[7] In 1932 she starred in her first film Wild Rose (available online with English subtitles[9]), which was written by director Sun Yu specifically for the 17-year-old Wang Renmei.

[4] Wang Renmei acquired the nickname "Wildcat" from her unrestrained performance as the girl named "Little Cat" in the film.

[14] On January 1, 1934, while still shooting the film, Wang suddenly announced her marriage with her Wild Rose costar Jin Yan, who was then the "Emperor of Cinema" in China.

[12] Despite the great success of Song of the Fishermen, Lianhua did not renew her contract because its owner believed that a married female star would lose her appeal to male audiences.

[16] In the last few years of the war Wang Renmei and Jin Yan were often separated for months at a time, and the couple divorced in 1945.

[19] During an early campaign, Wang Renmei had a fallout with her friend Zhou Xuan, the famous singer who had been a fellow member of the Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe.

[22] After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Wang was finally admitted as a member of the Chinese Communist Party in 1979, 23 years after she first submitted her application.

[14] In her final years she published an autobiography, co-written with Xie Bo, entitled My Fame and Misfortune (我的成名与不幸).

The Bright Moon Troupe, with Wang Renmei in front
Wang Renmei on a Nanking Theatre poster
Wang Renmei and her first husband Jin Yan
Wang Renmei and her second husband Ye Qianyu
Cover of The Young Companion magazine #96 featuring actresses Chen Yanyan and Wang Renmei.