Chen Liting

Chen Liting (; 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 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. Provided by Wikipedia