• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • ABOUT CHINA
    • NEWS
    • TESTIMONIES
    • OP-EDS
    • FEATURED
    • GLOSSARY
    • CHINA PERSECUTION MAP
  • FROM THE WORLD
    • NEWS
    • OP-EDS
    • FEATURED
    • TESTIMONIES
  • INTERVIEWS
  • DOCUMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS
    • DOCUMENTS
    • THE TAI JI MEN CASE
    • TRANSLATIONS
  • EVENTS
  • ABOUT
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • TOPICS

Bitter Winter

A magazine on religious liberty and human rights

three friends of winter
Home / China / Testimonies China

Qin Yi: Actress Who Died at 100 Celebrated for Anti-Falun-Gong Videos

08/17/2022Yang Feng |

Zhou Enlai called her “the most beautiful woman in China.” In her 90s, the CCP used her for a slander campaign against Falun Gong—which is still going on.

by Yang Feng

Qin Yi in her days of glory. From Weibo.
Qin Yi in her days of glory. From Weibo.

Qin Yi, one of the most famous Chinese actresses, died this year on May 9, three months after she had turned 100. It is not surprising that Chinese state television showed in the months following her dead some of her old movies, including “Woman Basketball Player no. 5.” Despite including a propaganda element, they allowed Qin Yi to show her considerable skills—not to mention that Chinese premier Zhou Enlai once famously called her “the most beautiful woman in China.”

However, Chinese TV audiences continue to be offered also videos that Qin Yi recorded after she turned 90, where she vituperates against Falun Gong calling it a criminal organization. Since she has also starred in historical plays as a theatre and movie actress, she claims in these videos to be an expert in traditional Chinese culture and states that Falun Gong’s shows misrepresent it. She accuses the United States to conspire with Falun Gong to promote anti-China campaigns.

Poster for the 1957 movie “Woman Basketball Player no. 5.”
Poster for the 1957 movie “Woman Basketball Player no. 5.” Credits.

There is no doubt that Qin Yi was a Communist and, unlike other movie stars of her generation who escaped to Hong Kong or Taiwan, decided to remain in Mainland China after the CCP victory and work with the Party. However, she maintained a somewhat independent spirit and was severely persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. She was prevented from acting and was sent to work as a peasant in an agricultural commune. Her son, a painter who suffered from schizophrenia, was denied proper medical care. 

Qin Yi was rehabilitated under Deng Xiaoping and resumed her career, including through television series. She also took care of her schizophrenic son, until he died in 2007.

Qin Yi vituperates against the xie jiao in a propaganda video she did in her 90s. From Weibo.
Qin Yi vituperates against the xie jiao in a propaganda video she did in her 90s. From Weibo.

One would like to remember Qin Yi as a woman who became internationally famous for her beauty, a devout mother, and a talented actress. It is sad that the CCP decided to exploit a ninety-year-old woman for propaganda purposes. The anti-Falun-Gong videos do not add anything to the glory of Qin Yi, while they testify that to achieve its own purposes the CCP does not respect anybody or anything.

It is not useful to analyze the content of the videos. Qin Yi had been obviously coached to repeat the official disinformation. They do not tell us anything meaningful about Falun Gong—and not even about Qin Yi. But they do tell us something about the ruthless tactics of the CCP.

Tagged With: Chinese Communist Party, Communist Propaganda, Falun Gong

bw-profile
Yang Feng

Yang Feng uses a pseudonym for security reasons.

Related articles

  • Stricter Rules on Private Tutoring Protect Ideology Rather than Parents

    Stricter Rules on Private Tutoring Protect Ideology Rather than Parents

  • China #1 “Cult-Buster” vs. China’s #1 Doctor: Who Will Win?

    China #1 “Cult-Buster” vs. China’s #1 Doctor: Who Will Win?

  • Where is Hu Xinyu? A New Scandal Rocks the CCP

    Where is Hu Xinyu? A New Scandal Rocks the CCP

  • Communist Parties and Religion: The Japanese Communist Party’s “Final War” Against the Unification Church

    Communist Parties and Religion: The Japanese Communist Party’s “Final War” Against the Unification Church

Keep Reading

  • Chinese Christians Compelled to Honor Deceased CCP Leader Jiang Zemin
    Chinese Christians Compelled to Honor Deceased CCP Leader Jiang Zemin

    Three-Self Church honors him as “a great Marxist we love and miss” and says he did “a good job in religious work.” In fact, he increased surveillance and persecuted believers.

  • Kommunistische Parteien und die Religionen: Der „letzte Krieg“ der Kommunistischen Partei Japans gegen die Vereinigungskirche
    Kommunistische Parteien und die Religionen: Der „letzte Krieg“ der Kommunistischen Partei Japans gegen die Vereinigungskirche

    Kommunistische Parteien in demokratischen Ländern haben eine raffinierte Art, Religionen anzugreifen. Was in Japan passiert, ist nur das jüngste Kapitel einer langen Geschichte.

  • La campagne contre l’Église de l’Unification au Japon : L’ombre du parti communiste
    La campagne contre l’Église de l’Unification au Japon : L’ombre du parti communiste

    Un reportage explosif affirme que les communistes japonais ont joué un rôle-clé en alimentant l’hostilité contre le groupe religieux anticommuniste.

  • Pro-Chinese Propaganda by The World Muslim Communities Council: Uyghurs Strike Back
    Pro-Chinese Propaganda by The World Muslim Communities Council: Uyghurs Strike Back

    A Muslim delegation visited Xinjiang and reported all is well there. Uyghur throughout the world are denouncing its statement as Goebbels-style propaganda.

Primary Sidebar

Support Bitter Winter

Learn More

Follow us

Newsletter

Most Read

  • Pro-Chinese Propaganda by The World Muslim Communities Council: Uyghurs Strike Back by Gulfiye Y
  • Zhanargul Zhumatai: “Help Me, I Just Want to Leave China” by Ruth Ingram
  • L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology, and the Visual Arts. 1. The Aesthetic Mind by Massimo Introvigne
  • Stricter Rules on Private Tutoring Protect Ideology Rather than Parents by Wang Zhipeng
  • Japan Religious Donations Law. 4. The Return of Brainwashing by Massimo Introvigne
  • Hong Kong: Christian Scholar Peng Manyuan Released but Not Rehabilitated by Gladys Kwok
  • The Weaponization of the CCP’s “Zero COVID” Against Tibet by Marco Respinti
  • L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology, and the Visual Arts. 3. Art as Communication by Massimo Introvigne
  • L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology, and the Visual Arts. 4. Art and Illustration by Massimo Introvigne
  • L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology, and the Visual Arts. 5. Professionals vs. Amateurs by Massimo Introvigne

CHINA PERSECUTION MAP -SEARCH NEWS BY REGION

clickable geographical map of china, with regions

Footer

Instant Exclusive News
Instant Exclusive News

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief

MASSIMO INTROVIGNE

Director-in-Charge

MARCO RESPINTI

ADDRESS

CESNUR

Via Confienza 19,

10121 Turin, Italy,

Phone: 39-011-541950

E-MAIL

We welcome submission of unpublished contributions, news, and photographs. Each submission implies the authorization for us to edit and publish texts and photographs. We reserve the right to decide which submissions are suitable for publication. Please, write to INFO@BITTERWINTER.ORG Thank you.

Newsletter

Follow us

LINKS

orlir-logo hrwf-logo cesnur-logo

Copyright © 2023 · Bitter Winter · PRIVACY POLICY· COOKIE POLICY