Wu Yin (actress)  Wu Yin (; 2 August 1909 – 10 April 1991) was a Chinese film and drama actress active from the 1930s to 1990. She appeared in 45 films and 48 plays, most notably in the classics "The Spring River Flows East" (1947), "Myriad of Lights" (1948), and "Crows and Sparrows" (1949). Famous for playing roles of older women, she was dubbed the "First Old Lady" of Chinese cinema. In 2005 she was chosen as one of the 100 best actors of the 100 years of Chinese cinema. Wu Yin was born in Tianjin in 1909, to a family from Wu County, Jiangsu province. She was adopted as a little child by her father's blood brother, and her name was changed to Yang Ying (). Wu returned to live with her biological parents at age 13. She studied painting at the Chengdong Girls' School in Shanghai, where she was influenced by the surge of modern drama. In 1929 she made her theatre debut in Tian Han's play "Night Talk in Suzhou", directed by Ying Yunwei. At that time she was already married, but her family was adamantly opposed to her acting. Determined to pursue her acting career, she divorced her husband. In 1935 Wu Yin made her film debut in Cai Chusheng's classic "New Women" starring Ruan Lingyu. Introduced by Ying Yunwei, in 1936 she joined the Mingxing Film Company, and appeared in more than ten films including "Crossroads". When the Japanese invaded China in 1937, Wu Yin fled Shanghai for the wartime capital Chungking, where she acted in many plays and at least three films. After the Japanese surrender in 1945, she returned to Shanghai and joined the Kunlun Film Company. She appeared in many films including "Eight Thousand Li of Cloud and Moon" (dir. Shi Dongshan) and "Far Away Love" (dir. Chen Liting), but her most famous roles were those of the old mothers in "The Spring River Flows East" (dirs. Zheng Junli and Cai Chusheng) and "Myriad of Lights" (dir. Shen Fu), and Mrs. Xiao in "Crows and Sparrows" (dir. Zheng Junli). After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Wu Yin acted in several films including "The Life of Wu Xun", "Song Jingshi" and "It's My Day Off", before being denounced as a "rightist" in 1957 during the Anti-Rightist Campaign.