Actress Hu Die in the 1930’s

In pre-revolutionary China, Shanghai was known as the Pearl of the Orient. The city was heavily influenced by the many foreign concessions established there. It became the centre of China’s film industry in the 1930’s, run along the same lines as the Hollywood system. For the first half of that decade, Hu Die was China’s top actress. She appealed to a broad audience and her starring roles broke box-office records. In those days, many actors were well-known socialites or came from variety show troupes. Hu Die was one of the few formally trained actresses. In 1924, she enrolled in the China Film School and began her meteoric rise to stardom. Hu Die is often compared with her contemporary, Ruan Lingyu. Just like now, people in the public eye were the subject of gossip. Both actresses suffered from rumours in the press. Unfortunately for Hu Die and Ruan Lingyu, there was a grain of truth in the accusations. In those days, rich and powerful men often took actresses as their playthings. They were even willing to break up a marriage in order to get what they wanted.
Like everyone else, Hu Die was deeply affected by the spread of war in the late 1930’s. After military resistance to Japan’s invasion stepped up, the film industry in Shanghai ground to a halt. The city was the most prosperous on China’s mainland, making it a prime target for Japanese forces. At the same time, the Guomindang secret service head Dai Li had the prominent actress in his sights. There was no way Hu Die could refuse his advances. Unlike Ruan Lingyu, her loving family helped her to overcome the slanders of the press. With Dai Li’s death shortly after the end of the war, Hu Die was finally able to settle down with her husband.