Vestiges of glamour: China's 'four great actresses'

Shanghai

QIN Yi was called the most beautiful woman in early Communist China. Now, at 93, as she sits in her apartment in the city where she appeared in more than three dozen movies, her pale complexion and dark eyes are still charming.

Ms Qin is the last surviving member of a group once known as the "four great actresses". Their glamour onstage and on-screen stirred audiences during the turmoil at the birth of modern China, nearly 70 years ago. When the Communists took over, these actresses concealed their affection for Ingrid Bergman and Bette Davis, tucked away their love of fashion and steered their careers towards movies that promoted proletarian values.