Xie Jin 謝晉 1923-2008
He was a leading figure in the Chinese film industry from the 1950s until his death. Xie made his name as director of films featuring determined young women, such as Nülan wu hao 女籃五號 (Girl basketball player no. 5; 1957) and Qionghua 瓊花 (a.k.a. The red detachment of women; 1960). A darker take on the position of women was his Stage Sisters (1965). Despite criticism of this film, Xie was active during the Cultural Revolution years in filming model operas and ballets. His melodramas on recent political events, including Tianyunshan chuanqi 天雲山傳奇 (Legend of the Tianyun Mountains; 1980) and Hibiscus Town (1986) helped establish a 'Xie Jin style' of film-making. His later films include Yapian zhanzheng 鴉片戰爭 (The Opium War; 1997).
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