Wang Ying

Wang Ying (; , Yu Zhihua; during incarceration, Prisoner No. 6742; March 8, 1913 – March 3, 1974) was a Chinese actress in the 1930s. She rose to be a star of plays and cinema. The most valuable Chinese painting was of her. She was the first Chinese actor to appear for the US President. During the Cultural Revolution, she was imprisoned by former rival actress Jiang Qing, who had become a major political leader. Her reputation was not re-established until after her death.

Life Wang was born in 1913 in Wuhu when her name was Yu Zhihua. She went to live with her aunt whose family name was Wang.

In 1929, she joined an art troupe in Shanghai led by Qian Xingcun and Xia Yan. The writer Xie Bingying renamed her Wang Ying and under that name she starred in three films - Women's Cry, Story of Red Tears and The Same Enemy.

Wang joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1930. She was briefly detained for her political affiliation in 1935.

United States Wang left for the United States in 1942 to improve her education. Whilst there, she met President Franklin Roosevelt and his wife and performed the play Put Down Your Whip in the White House. She continued to write and her thoughts were published in Chinese American newspapers.

She was persecuted by Jiang Qing at the time of the Cultural Revolution, and died at age 60. During incarceration, she was called Prisoner No. 6742.

Legacy Wang Ying was politically rehabilitated on July 6, 1979.

After her death, two books Two Kinds of Americans and her autobiography novel Bao Gu, were published. Besides her films, she also appeared in paintings.