Chen Chen (actress)

Chen Chen

Chen Chen (Chinese: 甄珍; pinyin: Zhēn Zhēn; July 17, 1948), born Chang Chia-Chen (Chinese: 章あきら家か珍めずらし; pinyin: Zhāng Jiāzhēn) is a Taiwanese actress active in the late 1960s and 1970s. From 1966 to 1986 Chen Chen has starred in about 90 movies. Her work was in a range of genres, from Taiwan's literary romantic films (愛情あいじょう文藝ぶんげい片へん; Aiqing Wenyi Pian) to patriotic films, and earned her various accolades, including two Best Actress awards at the Asian Pacific Film Festival. In 2013, Chen Chen received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50th Golden Horse Awards.

Early life

Originally named Chang Chia-Chen, Chen Chen was born on July 17, 1948, in Beiping (now Beijing). Her grandfather, Chang Hong-Chun (章あきら鴻おおとり春はる), was the principal of the Army Cavalry School of the Republic of China. Her father, Colonel Chang Pei-Lin (章あきら沛霖), was a Japanese Army Non-Commissioned Officer Academy graduate. He served as the military attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of China in Japan and later became a entrepreneur after moving to the United States. Chen's mother, Chang Feng-Qin (張ちょう鳳おおとり琴こと), was a high school music teacher. Chen has two siblings, a younger sister named Chang Jia-Xing (章あきら家か興きょう), also known as Yin Xia (銀ぎん霞かすみ), who is a folk singer in the 1980s, and a younger brother.

Chen was three months old when her family moved to Taiwan. When she was five, they moved to Japan because her father was assigned to the Embassy of the Republic of China in Japan. Chen learned ballet at a young age and performed publicly. Later, she studied ethnic dance, which can be seen in the opera film Four Season Blooming Flowers (四季しき花はな開ひらく/富貴ふうき花はな開ひらく; 1972). Chen returned to Taiwan with her family when she was eleven. She attended Jinling Girls' Middle School in 1959 before transferring to Taibei Senior High School. She also studied dance at the Chinese Culture University’s 5-year program, which she did not complete.

Career

Grand Motion Pictures Co., Ltd.

After Li Han-Hsiang completed The Love Eterne in 1963, he had a conflict with the Shaw Brothers Pictures International Limited. He then left Hong Kong and established the Grand Motion Pictures Co., Ltd. in Taiwan in 1964. In the company’s first recruitment of new actors and actresses, Chen Chen was the only one selected out of more than 3000 applicants.

In 1966, Chen Chen made her very first silver screen debut in a period film, A Perturbed Girl (天てん之の驕おご女おんな). Soon after, she was listed as one of the “Five Phoenixes of Grand” (Chinese: 國くに聯れん五ご鳳おおとり; pinyin: Quo Lian Wu Feng) along with Jiang Qing (江青こうせい), Wang Ling (汪ひろし玲れい), Niu Fangyu (鈕ぼたん方かた雨う), and Li Denghui (李り登のぼり惠めぐみ).

Due to financial difficulties, the Grand Motion Pictures Co., Ltd. closed in 1967, and Chen Chen signed a contract with Central Motion Pictures Corporation. She became well known for her leading role in The Bride and I (新しん娘むすめ與あずか我わが).

愛情あいじょう文藝ぶんげい片へん

In 1972, Chen Chen took on the leading role in a cinematic adaptation of Xuan Xiaofo's (玄げん小しょう佛ふつ) novel Love in a Fallen City (白屋しらや之の戀こい). The film kickstarted a trend of Literary Romantic films for over a decade, mostly adapted from romantic novels by Qiong Yao and other writers.

The 1973 film The Young Ones (彩雲さいうん飛ひ), directed by Lee Hsing (李り行こう), starring Chen Chen and Alan Tang (Tang Kwong Wing) again. In the film Chen Chen plays two roles, twin sisters separated since birth. The film was ranked sixth in Taiwan's box office that year (earning 3.08 million NTD) and made Chen Chen and Tang Kwong Wing the most beloved on-screen couple of the early 1970s.

Chen Chen was paired with a new actor Charlie Chin in Li Hsing’s next adaptation of Qiong Yao’s novel The Heart Has A Thousand Knots (心こころ有ゆう千せん千結ちゆい) in the same year (1973), which made Charlie Chin a household name as one of the leading stars in Literary Romantic films. With the same cast and crew from the previous film The Young Ones (彩雲さいうん飛ひ), Li Hising’s Where the Seagull Flies in the following year (1974) proved to be a bigger success in box office: the second highest in Taipei of the year with a gross of 8.5 million NTD.

Personal life

In 1971, Chen Chen starred in director Li Han-Hsiang's The Story of Ti-Ying (緹縈) and fell in love with the male lead Patrick Tse (謝しゃ賢けん). On March 22, 1974, after more than three years of dating, the two secretly registered their marriage in Hong Kong. On June 1, 1976, Chen signed divorce papers with Tse and began dating Steven Liu (劉りゅう家か昌あきら).

In December 1978, Chen Chen went to the United States with Liu. On January 24, 1979, they had a notarized marriage in Las Vegas. She retired from the film industry in 1984, having appeared in a total of 85 films.

On April 21, 1986, Chen Chen gave birth to her son, Jeremiah Zhang (originally named Zi Qian Liu). On August 31, 1987, Chen Chen and  Liu were divorced, which was not announced until it was revealed in 2015.

Filmography

Year	Chinses Title	English Title
1966	《天てん之の驕おご女おんな》	A Perturbed Girl
1966	《幾度いくど夕陽ゆうひ紅べに》	Many Enchanting Nights
1966	《明月めいげつ幾いく時じ圓えん》	When Dreams Come True
1966	《遠山とおやま含笑》	Deep in the Mountain
1967	《鳳おおとり陽よう花はな鼓こ》	Feng Yang Flower Drum
1967	《陌生人じん》	The Stranger
1969	《今こん天てん不ふ回かい家か》	Accidental Trio
1969	《新しん娘むすめ與あずか我わが》	The Bride and I
1970	《群ぐん星ほし會かい》	Stardust
1970	《行あるき行ゆき出いで狀じょう元もと》	Hang Hang Chu Zhuang Yuan/ Every Jobs Has Its Master
1970	《吾われ愛あい吾妻あづま》	Wu Ai Wu Qi/ I Love My Wife
1970	《喜怒哀樂きどあいらく》	Four Moods
1970	《百ひゃく萬まん新しん娘むすめ》	Million Dollar Bride
1971	《最短さいたん的てき婚禮こんれい》	The Shortest Wedding
1971	《緹縈》	The Story of Ti-Ying
1971	《騙かた術じゅつ奇談きだん》	Legends of Cheating
1971	《愛あい你一萬まん倍ばい》	Love Is Splendid Thing
1972	《喜き從したがえ天上てんじょう來らい》	Bliss from heaven
1972	《白屋しらや之の戀こい》	Love in A Cabin
1972	《祇羨鴛鴦えんおう不ふ羨とも仙せん》	The Admarid Girl
1972	《珮詩》	Pei Shih
1972	《騙かた術じゅつ大觀たいかん》	Cheating Panorama
1972	《淘よなげ氣き夫妻ふさい》	The Naughty Couples
1972	《黑くろ吃ども黑くろ》	The Cannibals
1973	《明日あした天涯てんがい》	If Tomorrow Comes
1973	《心こころ有ゆう千せん千結ちゆい》	Heart With A Million Knots
1973	《彩雲さいうん飛ひ》	The Young Ones
1973	《天使てんし之の吻》	Angel Kiss
1973	《騙かた術じゅつ奇き中ちゅう奇き》	Cheat to Cheat
1974	《英えい烈れつ千秋せんしゅう》	The Everlasting Glory
1974	《富貴ふうき花はな開ひらく》	Flowers in All Seasons
1974	《婚姻こんいん大事だいじ》	The Marriage
1974	《我わが心しん深ふか處しょ》	Wo Xin Shen Chu/ Deep in My Heart
1974	《一いち年ねん幽かそけ夢ゆめ》	One Years Fantasy
1974	《一いち簾すだれ幽かそけ夢ゆめ》	Fantasies Behind the Pearly Curtain
1974	《冬ふゆ戀こい》	The Splendid Love in Winter
1974	《晴はれ時じ多た雲くも偶陣雨う》	How Is The Weather Today?
1974	《海うみ鷗飛處しょ》	Where the Seagull Flies
1974	《台北たいぺい頑皮貓》	Tai Bei Wan Pi Mao/ Naughty Cat in Taipei
1974	《星ほし星ほし星ぼし》	Star Star Star
1975	《金粉きんぷん神仙しんせん手しゅ》	The Girl with the Dexterous Touch
1975	《盲めくら女おんな奇緣きえん》	Black Alice
1976	《未ひつじ講こう完かん的てき故事こじ》	Wei Jiang Wan De Gu Shi/ An Unfinished Story
1976	《大富おおとみ人家じんか》	Born Rich
1976	《愛あい在ざい夏なつ威たけし夷えびす》	Ai Zai Xia Wei Yi/ Love in Hawaii
1976	《哈哈笑わらい》	Laugh In

Awards and honors

Year	Award	Category	Work	Outcome
1971	Asian Pacific Film Festival	Best Leading Actress	The Story of Ti-Ying	Won
1974	Asian Pacific Film Festival	Best Leading Actress	The Splendid Love in Winter	Won
1978	Golden Horse Awards	Best Leading Actress	The Glory of the Sunset	Nominated
2013	Golden Horse Awards	Lifetime Achievement Award		Won