Chen Liting
| Chen Liting | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Native name | 陈鲤庭 |
| Born | 20 October 1910 Shanghai |
| Died | 27 August 2013 (aged 102) Shanghai |
| Other names | Chen Sibai (陈思白) |
| Alma mater | Daxia University |
| Occupation | Playwright, director, screenwriter, film theorist |
| Notable work |
Put Down Your Whip Qu Yuan Far Away Love Women Side by Side |
| Spouse(s) | Mao Yinfen |
| Children | Chen Maoni |
Chen Liting (Chinese: 陈鲤庭; pinyin: Chén Lǐtíng; 20 October 1910 – 27 August 2013) was a Chinese playwright, drama and film director, screenwriter, and film theorist. He was one of the most prominent film directors and screenwriters in pre-Communist China, together with Shi Dongshan, Cai Chusheng, and Zheng Junli. His most famous film was Women Side by Side (1949).
Chen was abandoned as an infant, and then lost his both foster parents during early childhood. Before becoming a film director, Chen worked mainly in drama. His patriotic play Put Down Your Whip was highly influential and performed countless times during the Japanese invasion of China. During the war he also made a famous staging of the play Qu Yuan, and wrote one of the first Chinese books on film theory.
After the early 1950s, Chen's attempts at filmmaking were repeatedly thwarted by the PRC government for political reasons. He worked as general manager of Tianma Film Studio before being imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution. After his rehabilitation at the end of the period, he spent three years on the historical film Da Feng Ge, but retired after that film was also cancelled due to politics.
Born in Shanghai in 1910, Chen Liting was abandoned as an infant and adopted by foster parents. However, he lost his adoptive father at the age of four, and three years later his adoptive mother also died. Chen was brought up by his uncle, the brother of his adoptive father. He attended a boarding school in Jiangyin at the age of 12, and in 1924 entered Chengzhong Middle School in Shanghai.
As a high school student at Chengzhong, Chen was influenced by the post-May Fourth surge of modern drama. In 1928, he entered Daxia University (a predecessor of East China Normal University) in Shanghai, where he translated, directed, and acted in The Rising of the Moon, a play by the Irish dramatist Lady Gregory. It was the first Chinese production of the play.
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