Glimpsing Chinese Movie History

By Isabel Schwartz

Shortly before the Chinese National Day， which is October 1， I was invited to a party given by the award-winning Chinese actress Han Yueqiao. I was interested in old movies and all things “silver screen” back in my native United States， so being introduced to a living part of Chinas movie history was something I was very excited about.

Han， or Han Laoshi （teacher）， as she is respectfully called by those around her， was born in 1957 and made a name for herself playing historical roles in TV series such as Soong Ching-ling （wife of Sun Yat-sen）， Soong Mei-ling（wife of Chiang Kai-shek） and the only empress in Chinese history Wu Zetian （624-705）.

She was active in Chinas fi lm industry at the dawn of reform and opening up， starring in her fi rst fi lm in 1979， and became a prolifi c actress in China in the 1980s. She keeps her fi lm mementoes in a room that resembles a museum. She proudly showed me some of her movie costumes such as a stylish vest from the 1980s and a polka dotted qipao she wore as Soong Ching-ling. She also showed me her movie scripts； an old-fashioned makeup kit which still contained makeup； photos； movie posters； and props， including a doll she had used in one of her fi lms that I later excitedly recognized while watching her play a female soldier.

A very versatile actress， Han radiated poise and gravitas as Song Ching-ling in Zhou Enlai in Chongqing and tomboyish charm in Son-in-Law and His Father-in-Law， wearing shorts and short hair and surprising the traditional villagers as she rode in on a tractor. Han still acts； this year， she played a blind， wheelchair-bound grandmother in a movie that took place in east Chinas Zhejiang Province， which is where we fi rst met.

Now in her 60s， she is still very energetic and brisk and has a twinkle in her eye behind her glasses， and she is very much the life of the party. I noticed Hans moon-shaped face and dramatically arching brows were unchanged from her younger years. She wore a green， Chinese-style dress and disk-shaped earrings in her double-pierced ears when we met recently. She had her hair slightly curled and wore it long. What tickled me were her ribbon-topped pink slippers， which provided her with a youthful touch.

One of Hans homes is a giant studio in Beijings suburbs where she lives with her mother. This is where she invited me. A sort of Renaissance woman who has a wide range of interests， Han is now devoting a lot of time to painting canvases and porcelain with both tradi- tional Chinese and even some Western motifs. I found her art on the whole to be quite playful and full of joie de vivre.

Han had me accompany her 88-year-old mother while she helped prepare our meal of grilled meats and vegetables from her garden. Casually seated in an offi ce chair， Hans mother said when her daughter was young， she liked to visit her on her film sets and still likes to watch her old movies at home. When I asked her whether she was proud of her daughters achievements， she replied as any good parent would that she was proud of all fi ve of her children.

Back in the United States， I doubt I would have the opportunity to be invited to a party hosted by such a prolifi c actress. But in China， there are many chance encounters and special events foreigners can enjoy because many Chinese people love to share their rich culture with us. This time， I was given the precious opportunity to catch a glimpse of Chinese movie history.

Whereas many people have guest books， Han keeps tiny gourds in a bowl she likes to have her guests sign with markers. I wrote on a gourd in English that I admired her spirit and that I was her fan.

Indeed， Han commands quite a presence and is just as entertaining off screen as she is onscreen. “She pays attention to me，” she told other guests about my sustained interest in her.

The actress once said in an interview that she knows how to both work hard and play hard， which she obviously still does！