Chen Yanyan

Acting

Chen Yanyan

Born — Died

1915-02-24 — 1999-05-03

Place of birth

Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China

Known for

Acting

Credits

60 titles

Chen Yanyan (Chinese: 陳燕燕; Wade–Giles: Ch'en Yen-yen; 12 January 1916 – 7 May 1999), born Chen Jianyan, was a Chinese actress and film producer in the cinema of Republic of China (1912–1949), British Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Known for

Film credits

1970s · 10 titles

The 14 Amazons poster
6.6

The Yang family, men and women, have served their country loyally for generations. During the war General Yang is ambushed and killed. His widow and the entire family set out to avenge his death and defend the country.

The 14 Amazons

1972

The Thunder Kick poster
6.6

One man takes on a cartel headed by three brothers, who are responsible for the savage beating of his mother and the murder of his brother.

The Thunder Kick

1974

Valley of the Fangs poster
5.9

Intrigue in the court means that the wife and daughter of framed scholar Sung have to travel to the capital in disguise, as court agents hunt them down. A righteous swordsman and a group of kiln workers get caught up in the action.

Valley of the Fangs

1970

The Young Avenger poster
6.4

After a career spanning more than forty years and dozens of films as director or writer, Yueh Feng used everything he learned on a final few martial arts epics, of which this is one of the most memorable. It's not easy to forget a hunchbacked, one-armed protagonist, nor the "Poisonous Dragon Sword" style, nor the luminous and lethal Shih Szu as the title swordswoman, who is out to avenge her father's death at the mid-autumn festival.

The Young Avenger

1972

The Young Tiger poster
6.4

A spoilt rich kid turns up at a fu school to show off, but he gets clobbered by the boastful Little Tiger, who is later framed for the kid's murder when a gang of blackmailers make an example of him. The police allow Tiger to escape, in order to find the real culprits. Tiger hides at his girlfriend's place, but a model she works with does some whoring on the side for the blackmailer, and so the crooks are onto his trail...

The Young Tiger

1973

The Deadly Knives poster
5.8

Plotting to obtain the Yen family's land, dastardly Japanese plutocrat Omura bribes Yen nephew Hsu Chien to steal the family seal and land deed. When Hsu Chien is caught in the act, he viciously beats elderly Master Yen to death to cover his actions. Determined to avenge the wrongs committed on his family and his country, young master Yen Tzu Fei blazes a knife-throwing path of revenge that leads him to his love Yue Hua's father, who has corrupt connections with the Japanese

The Deadly Knives

1972

The Merry Wife poster
8.0

Under false pretenses, Zhenzhen marries Mr. Lin, who happens to be her teacher. She wants to still study and wants to enroll in his school in Hong Kong. The head of the school agrees to this under the condition that they conceal the fact that they are married. Zhenzhen finds out right away that her husband is fawned over by the girls, they all have a crush on him, as also does the spinster librarian. However, Mr. Lin finds that that the boys in the school (they are late teens, 17 or so) really like Zhenzhen. This leads to hurt feelings, questions about fidelity and even, in Zhenzhen's case, innocuous dates with one of the boys who rides a motorcycle.

The Merry Wife

1972

Flower in the Rain poster
NR

Lily Ho and Ling Yun are star-crossed lovers who suffer untold agonies before finally being united forever.

Flower in the Rain

1972

Heads for Sale poster
5.9

After seemingly being rejected by the man she loves, Hua Pi-Lien attacks him and his family. But their entangles the nefarious bully Huang, a corrupt official, and two honorable martial arts masters.

Heads for Sale

1970

Mantis Combat poster
9.0

When a once infamous criminal decides to give up his lifestyle and return the many treasures he has stolen to their rightful owners; he is promptly murdered by his partners in crime. To avenge his death is his son, with the deadly "mantis fist".

Mantis Combat

1978

1960s · 27 titles

The One-Armed Swordsman poster
6.9

A noble swordsman, whose arm had been chopped off, returns to his former teacher to defend him from a villainous gang of rival swordsmen.

The One-Armed Swordsman

1967

The Love Eterne poster
7.0

In this dreamy romance set in China during the fourth-century, a young woman convinces her parents to allow her to dress as a boy and attend university.

The Love Eterne

1963

Lady General Hua Mulan poster
6.1

About a woman who disguises herself as a man to take her father's place in the army.

Lady General Hua Mulan

1964

The Lady and the Thief poster
7.0

A Shaw Brothers production

The Lady and the Thief

1963

The Blue and the Black poster
6.6

It's a powerful melodrama about a thwarted romance in 1930s Tientsin, China, during the Japanese occupation, and it stars Linda Lin Dai, one of the era's most popular stars. It was part of Golden Horse's 100 Greatest Chinese-Language Films.

The Blue and the Black

1966

The Crimson Palm poster
8.0

Ling Bo is Lin, a young man engaged to the daughter of a rich man, who now despises Lin because of his family's declining status. Lin visits his beloved fiancee before he heads towards the imperial city to participate in the civil service examination, only to find her maid lying dead in blood. Lin is then accused of murder. How can Judge Bao prove his innocence?

The Crimson Palm

1964

The Grand Substitution poster
7.5

With China under control of a weak Emperor, two officials compete to steer the future destiny of the land. Chiu believes the people are the future of China, while the diabolical Tu wishes to grind the people beneath an iron heel. Tu decides to take out Chiu's family, but one lone infant escapes.

The Grand Substitution

1965

The Goddess of Mercy poster
NR

With her elegant classic persona, Li Li-hua was the ideal performer for period aristocratic and imperial roles. The Goddess Of Mercy is a good example of her strong empathy and noble presence. The youngest daughter of a brutal king, the princess openly disapproves of the floggings and cruel treatment her royal family heaps on the peasants. As a result, the heartless king turns on his own daughter forcing her into exile.

The Goddess of Mercy

1967

西厢记 poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

西厢记

1965

The Lotus Lamp poster
7.3

The Goddess of Hua Mountain is imprisoned for falling in love with a mortal, meanwhile her son is raised in secret until he can attempt to free her.

The Lotus Lamp

1965

The Joy of Spring poster
NR

The film tells the story of Xing Yonghui, a rich girl who has fun with her painter boyfriend Du Shaohua and her classmates. Chen Xiaoping and Guo Dawei fall in love and want to elope, but they are prevented from doing so; Du Shaohua and Li Zhongting fall in love with each other over a painting, causing Xing Yonghui's unhappiness, and Xing Yonghui crashes a car into a rock and wants to die together, causing serious injuries to Du Shaohua and Li Zhongting; Xing Yonghui's suicide is prevented by her shame, but Li Zhongting does not care about the past suspicion, and the two of them recover from the injuries and perform with their classmates on the same day as they had planned to do so.

The Joy of Spring

1966

Too Late for Love poster
9.0

Su Fen, a young and frail girl, looked forward to her wedding with her fiancé, Li Kuo-liang. The happy couple's bliss was cut short when war broke out. Kuo-liang was summoned to fight at the front lines. In his absence, Su Fen discovered she had tuberculosis.

Too Late for Love

1967

The Butterfly Chalice poster
6.3

The story revolves around Tian Yu Quan (Chin Feng) who rushes to the aid of an elderly fisherman who is bullied by an arrogant relative of the Qiu Shan ministry. In the heat of the ensuing battle he kills the said man and is hence chased by the district's officials. Trying to use the waterway to shake off his enemies, Yu Quan finds a true friend in the old fisherman's bark-stearing daughter, Hu Feng Lian (Ting Hung) who becomes his loyal accomplice. As symbol for his gratitude, Yu Quan bestows Feng Lian with a Butterfly Chalice to reflect their eternal friendship bond...

The Butterfly Chalice

1965

Between Tears and Smiles poster
6.8

Fan Chia-soo is a kind-hearted student whose heart is captured by the sweet song of Shen Feng-hsien. However, he is not the only one who has eyes for Shen. The General's henchmen are also determined to present the songstress to their superior as a gift. Fan received help from an unexpected quarter to save the woman he loves.

Between Tears and Smiles

1964

Sons of the Good Earth poster
5.5

The year is 1937, just prior to the Japanese invasion of China. Painters Ju Rui and Lao San stumble upon He Hua, a woman sold into the sex industry at a local brothel.

Sons of the Good Earth

1965

Three Sinners poster
9.0

Based on one particular storyline from The Water Margin, Three Sinners weaves an intriguing story of romance, treachery, and death, all within the context of the traditional Huangmei Opera. Yan Jun casts his real-life wife, the elegant Li Li Hua, star of such Shaw Brothers films as The Goddess of Mercy and Vermillion Door, as one of the title characters, a woman who finds herself in the middle of a stormy love triangle involving her controlling husband (director Yan Jun serving double duty in a starring role) and a passionate lover (Chen Yan Yan).

Three Sinners

1963

Auntie Lan poster
7.0

The contemporary issue of single mothers is sensitively handled in this melodrama as a young woman must decide whether she will tell the new man in her life the real truth or forever remain the child's auntie Lan? (Celestial Pictures sypnosis)

Auntie Lan

1967

The West Chamber poster
8.0

A scholar woos the daughter of an important family, while outwitting rebels who try to capture her.

The West Chamber

1965

Nobody's Child poster
7.0

Melodramatic film about a child prodigy.

Nobody's Child

1960

The Blue and the Black 2 poster
6.0

War and time change everything. Their love becomes more than reunion, it becomes a reckoning with what was and what could've been. Part two of the wartime love story.

The Blue and the Black 2

1966

Sing High, Sing Low poster
NR

Lee Ho Yin is a young musician turned advertising executive who is shy and tongue-tied when it comes to women. One day, Lee meets lovely Yiu Kit Ying on a bus. Lee's light-hearted attitude to live leads to a serious of humorous incidents.

Sing High, Sing Low

1967

Dead End poster
6.4

In the mid-sixties Chang Cheh changed the face of female dominated films with his male dominated, violent kung-fu films. Dead End was the start of a new force that lasted 6 years, the first film to star David Chiang and Ti Lung under director Chang's discerning eye. The trouble all begins when Chen Hung-lieh's character disapproves of Ti Lung's character courting his sister.

Dead End

1969

Spring Blossoms poster
8.0

Spring Blossoms is a parable about the Chinese youth culture and what's important to the younger generation when it comes to romance. It starred a new wave of seventies, Shaw's beauties, Lily Li, Shu Pei-pei and Essie Lin-chia as single women looking for love. It's a triple-decker romantic bus ride on a road to nowhere speeding toward a low bridge.

Spring Blossoms

1968

The Three Smiles poster
7.0

The film tells the story of Tang Bohu, a famous scholar who spends most of his time wandering around the countryside.

The Three Smiles

1969

My Dream Boat poster
6.6

Chi Yuan and Tang Ke-hsin find an unexpected spark during a Christmas gathering, creating ripples of jealousy and heartache within the tightly knit circle of siblings Tu Chia-wen and Chia-ling. A hunting accident sends their lives into emotional freefall, separating lovers, straining family bonds, and pushing each character toward choices that echo for years to come. What begins as a tender love triangle spirals into a multigenerational saga of longing, regret, and redemption, culminating in both reunion and irreversible loss.

My Dream Boat

1967

Bitter Sweet poster
10.0

A widow of four gave up two of her children to be raised by an uncle in Singapore. Many years later, just when the widow, now a house maid, is feeling contented by good news of her long gone son and daughter, she accidentally runs into his own son, now a lawyer, and ends up being looked down upon by him. It was a story about how traditional Chinese family and its value was impacted by the change of time. The movie depicted Macau in 1945 to Hong Kong in the mid-60s, moving from poverty after WWII to opulence. The human relationships became complicated and fragile. Many elements uniquely "Hong Kong", such as upper class Chinese, western religions, English speaking and a mixed-culture society are used to contrast the traditional, kind, enduring and forgiving love of a mother.

Bitter Sweet

1963

Four Sisters poster
9.0

Hong Kong adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Macau hospital matron Mrs. Lo has four daughters. The peaceful existence of this family is suddenly shattered when a cable arrives from Borneo urging Mrs. Lo to join her ailing husband there immediately.

Four Sisters

1967

1930s · 16 titles

共赴国难 poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

共赴国难

1932

Struggling poster
7.5

A Chinese couple in the 1930s struggle to survive. Things get complicated for them when he enlists to fight the war against Japan.

Struggling

1932

A Spray of Plum Blossoms poster
6.2

Bai Le De and Hu Lun tung are military cadets. After graduating, Hu Lin Tung is appointed captain of Guangdong headquarters and goes away. Later, Bae Le De is also appointed to a post at the same place. Hu Lun Ting falls in love with Luo Hua, daughter of the local commander.

A Spray of Plum Blossoms

1931

Love and Duty poster
7.3

The film tells the story of Yang Naifan (Ruan Lingyu) who runs from her arranged marriage to be with her true love, Li Zuyi (Jin Yan). The film details the poverty she must endure for breaking with tradition.

Love and Duty

1931

A Girl in an Isolated City poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

A Girl in an Isolated City

1936

Tears of a Mother poster
7.0

A Chinese film

Tears of a Mother

1937

自由天地 poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

自由天地

1937

New and Old Times poster
8.0

A rich businessman's family is in straitened circumstances. He has a son and four daughters, but only the youngest daughter lives a positive life.

New and Old Times

1937

The Dream of the Ancient Capital poster
NR

This film depicting the lives of ordinary people — street peddlers, poor scholars, and young revolutionaries — reflects the culturally progressive political climate of that pre-War, post-May the 4th era.

The Dream of the Ancient Capital

1930

The Big Road poster
6.2

Six young men from the city take jobs building roads for the Chinese Army

The Big Road

1935

Three Modern Ladies poster
6.2

No synopsis available yet.

Three Modern Ladies

1933

Song of China poster
8.0

A businessman moves his family from the city to the countryside to open a school.

Song of China

1935

Spring in the South poster
6.0

To please his dying father, Hong Yu, a college student, is forced to abandon his girlfriend, Little Hong, and marry his cousin, with disastrous results.

Spring in the South

1932

The Legend of the White Snake poster
NR

Seventeen-year-old Xu Mengjiao hears troubling rumors at his private school about his mother’s mysterious identity. Seeking the truth, he returns home to question his family, but finds no clear answers. Guided only by hints and the words of a loyal servant, he is drawn to the foot of Leifeng Tower during a thunderstorm, where his cries awaken attention from the nearby temple. An abbot tells him that to uncover what he seeks, he must achieve fame. Determined, Mengjiao commits himself to study and, years later, returns to Leifeng Tower where a fateful encounter awaits.

The Legend of the White Snake

1939

The Light of Maternal Instinct poster
8.0

Although Hui-Ying is now married to a husband that offers a life of stability and comfort, over ten years ago her first husband (Jia-Hu) fled from Shanghai to Nanyang (old name for Southeast Asia) to escape capture by a warlord - leaving her and their toddler daughter (Shao-Mei) behind in helpless desperation. Despite the mother's emotional attachment to her absent husband, she has never told the daughter about Jia-Hu so the daughter believes the stepfather is her biological father. But the mother begins to have second thoughts about the stepfather when she sees the teen daughter zealously follow the path paved by him - a path that the mother fears will lead to her daughter's moral decline.

The Light of Maternal Instinct

1933

Humane poster
7.0

No synopsis available yet.

Humane

1932