KwanTeo Film Archive · Creator
Chen Bo'er
陈波儿Chen Bo'er was a film actress, film director and screenwriter, a pioneer of the left-wing film movement, a social activist and a feminist; she worked in Shanghai, Yan'an, Changchun and Beijing.
About the Creator
In 1929 Chen Bo'er enrolled in the literature department of Shanghai Art University. In 1947 she wrote and directed 《皇帝梦》, the first puppet film of New China, regarded as a pioneering work of Chinese puppet and animated film.
In 1949 she wrote the screenplay for 《光芒万丈》 and took part in organising 《中华女儿》, which won the Freedom Struggle Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1950 — the first international award for a film of New China. In 1952 she co-wrote 《一贯害人道》 with Yan Yiyan and insisted on not being credited. Her recorded works also include 《青春线》, 《桃李劫》, 《回首当年》, 《生死同心》 and 《八百壮士》.
A 1937 annual survey in the Shanghai Municipal Police archives lists Chen Bo'er among the promoters of a movement seeking the release of seven national salvation leaders. Identifying her as a film star, it places her alongside Soong Ching-ling, He Xiangning and others in the movement described as “going to gaol for national salvation.” This refers to the campaign and does not establish that Chen herself was imprisoned. A police report dated 29 June records that Chen, Peng Wenying and Zhang Dingfu were chosen as three representatives on 27 June to appeal to the local Kuomintang headquarters for the leaders' release. On their return, Chen addressed the participants and asked them to go home separately after the meeting, rather than in groups. A press translation dated 6 July separately reports that Soong Ching-ling, He Xiangning and fourteen others, including Chen, travelled by train to Suzhou on 5 July to approach court officials about the case, returning to Shanghai that evening.
A police report dated 10 August also describes a newly formed national salvation drama group drawn from local cinema and theatre circles. It records a membership of about twenty, with Chen and Yuan Muzhi as its leaders, and plans to travel to Tianjin and Beiping to promote national salvation through performances. The report documents the group's organization and intended itinerary, rather than confirming that the planned journey took place.