Hou Yao facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hou Yao
Born	1903 Panyu, Guangdong, Qing Empire
Died	February 15, 1942(1942-02-15) (aged 38–39) Japanese-occupied Singapore
Alma mater	Southeast University
Spouse(s)	Pu Shunqing Wan Hoi-ling (尹海靈)
Chinese name
Chinese	侯曜
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hóu Yào

Hou Yao (born 1903, died 1942) was a very important Chinese film director, writer, and expert on how movies are made. He created many films, including The Discarded Wife (1924) and Romance of the Western Chamber (1927). Romance of the Western Chamber was the first Chinese film ever shown in Western countries! He also directed Mulan Joins the Army (1928).

Hou Yao wrote the first book about Chinese filmmaking, called Techniques of Writing Shadowplay Scripts. He started his own film company, which later joined a company that became part of the famous Shaw Brothers Studio. People sometimes called him the Chinese Henrik Ibsen because he strongly believed in gender equality (meaning equal rights for everyone, no matter their gender), just like his wife, Pu Shunqing.

When Japan invaded China in 1937, Hou Yao made many patriotic films to encourage people to stand up against the invasion. Sadly, in 1942, he was killed by the Japanese during a terrible event called the Sook Ching massacre in Singapore.

Biography of Hou Yao

Hou Yao (right), with Li Minwei (left) and photographer Liang Linguang (middle), in the 1920s

Hou Yao was born in 1903 in a place called Panyu, in the Guangdong province of China. In the 1920s, he went to Nanjing Advanced Normal School (which is now Southeast University) in Nanjing. He studied education there.

While at school, he joined a group called the Literary Association. He wrote a play for the stage called The Discarded Wife.

Starting His Film Career

After finishing school in 1924, Hou Yao joined the Great Wall Film Company in Shanghai. He turned his play The Discarded Wife into a film. He directed it with another person named Li Zeyuan. This was the very first film made by the Great Wall company.

He then wrote stories for other films, like In the Dream of Loved Ones (1925) and The Star-Plucking Girl (1925). He also directed films such as Cupid's Dolls (1925) and The Hypocrite (1926). Each of his films during this time talked about important social issues. These included women's rights, marriage, and war. He and his wife, Pu Shunqing, strongly supported equal rights for men and women.

Becoming a Film Theorist

In 1925, Hou Yao wrote and published a book called Techniques of Writing Shadowplay Scripts. This was the first book ever written about how to make films in China.

That same year, he joined the China Sun Motion Picture Company, which was started by Li Minwei. He directed Peace of God in 1926. Then, in 1927, he directed Romance of the Western Chamber. This film was very special because it was the first Chinese movie shown in Western countries. He also directed and acted in A Poet from the Sea (1927), which had amazing camera work. In 1928, he directed Mulan Joins the Army.

Later Years and War Films

In 1929, Hou Yao moved to Tianjin and worked as a teacher for a while. Later, he worked briefly for the Beijing branch of Li Minwei's Lianhua Film Company. There, he made the film Sad Song from an Old Palace in 1932. After that, he moved to Hong Kong and started his own company, the Culture Film Company. In 1933, he made the film The Fool Pays Respects.

In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War began. The next year, Hou Yao combined his Culture Company with the Nanyang Film Company. This company later became part of the Shaw Brothers Studio. He then directed and wrote several "national defence" films. These movies were made to encourage people to resist the Japanese invasion. Some of these films include Great Wall of Blood and Flesh (1938), The Last Minute Call (1938), and Storm Over the Pacific (1939). Storm Over the Pacific was based on a book he wrote himself. It imagined a future where the Pacific War started and Japan was defeated.

In 1940, Hou Yao moved to Singapore and continued to work for the Shaw Brothers. In 1941, the Pacific War started, and Japan took over Singapore. Because Hou Yao had made films against Japan, the Japanese sadly killed him in 1942. This happened at the start of the Sook Ching massacre, a terrible event where many people were killed.

Hou Yao's Legacy

Pu Shunqing, Hou Yao's first wife

Hou Yao is seen as a very important person in the early history of Chinese cinema. His surviving films and writings are very helpful for people who study how Chinese movies began. Some of his films, like A String of Pearls (1926) and Romance of the West Chamber, were thought to be lost for a long time. But they were found again in the 1990s! Another film, A Poet from the Sea, was found in Europe.

Hou Yao's assistant, Fei Mu, later became one of China's most famous directors.

Personal Life

Hou Yao was married two times. Both of his wives became important women in the film industry. His first wife was Pu Shunqing. She was his classmate at Southeast University. Pu Shunqing was a writer for plays and films who worked with Hou Yao on many projects. She is known as China's first woman screenwriter.

In the 1930s, he married his assistant scriptwriter, Wan Hoi-ling. She became one of Hong Kong's first women directors.