Famous actress Qin Yi passed away at age 100 in Shanghai on May 9, 2022. It is a huge loss to the Chinese film industry. Born on Feb 4, 1922, Qin Yi, named Qin Dehe at birth, was one of eight daughters in the family. Qin, a film lover, turned her passion for the silver screen into a lifelong career.

In 1939 Qin Yi first appeared in the film A Good Husband. In 1947, she had her first lead role in Far Away Love, which made her a famous film star. In 1949, she was named with three other actresses as the “Top Four Actresses of China”.

After 1949, Qin Yi entered the Shanghai Film Studio, where she created some of the most memorable characters of Chinese women on the movie and TV screens, including Railway Guerrillas, Woman Basketball Player No. 5, Lin Zexu, Song of the Youth and Loyal Overseas Chinese.

With the rise of television in China in the 1980s, Qin Yi also appeared in major roles in a variety of TV dramas, winning more popularity. She was presented with the Golden Eagle Award in 1983 for Best Actress for Under the Roofs of Shanghai. From 2008 to 2009 she received three lifetime achievement awards. Qin Yi is the only actor in Chinese history to be given the titles of “People’s Artist” (2019) and “Most Beautiful Fighter” (2019).

Qin Yi was a strong person, though her personal life is challenging. Qin took care of her sick husband Jin Yan, who spent the rest of his life fighting against a disease for more than 20 years. Her son, Jin Jie, had a serious mental problem and could not live on his own. Qin looked after him for over 40 years before he died in 2007. She had saved 200,000 yuan for the care of her son, then she donated the money to the victims of 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Qin Yi is considered as a “national treasure” with her contribution to the Chinese film industry. Qin is not only an excellent actress but also a moral hero who has a great influence on Chinese people.

Home Alone is a very funny 1990 American film. It tells a story about a boy who is accidentally left alone at home.

One night before Christmas, the McAlister family meet at their home. They are planning to fly to Paris for the holiday and are busy getting ready. Eight-year-old Kevin is the youngest child and is fighting with his brothers and sisters and his cousins. When he goes to bed, he is so angry that he wishes all his family would go away. In the morning, everyone wakes up very late. They are all in a hurry to get to the airport, so they forget Kevin and he is left alone at home by accident.

Although Kevin is alone, he is very happy at first. His terrible family has gone and his wish has come true. He watches TV, eats lots of fast food and plays games. He has a good time. But later on, he goes out and hears two bad men called Harry and Marv planning to steal from his house. He goes home and plans some very funny ways to catch Harry and Marv. Many things in the house get broken as Kevin tries to stop them. Finally, the police come and the men are taken away.

When people go to the movies today, they can watch and listen to a story. But when the movie first appeared many years ago, there was no sound or music. Those silent (无声的) movies play an important role in the movie history.

When movie theaters showed silent movies, musicians were often there to play music along with the movie. Sometimes, musicians also made some special sounds. However, there was no sound in the movie itself. People learned the story through the actors, the musicians and words on the screen.

When movies first had sound, not everyone liked it. Many silent movie actors thought it was not easy to perform in the new kind of movie. Clara Bow was a famous silent-movie actress in the early 1920s. She was so nervous (紧张的) about her voice (声音) that she couldn’t become a star in the world of talking pictures. She then left show business (演艺界).

The Jazz Singer (1927) was the first movie with sound. Talking pictures became a big success, and there were more and more movies like that. Later, silent movies became history.