Ren Peng Nian was born in Shanghai in either 1892 or 1894, and later trained at the Anglo-Chinese Book Guild, then joined the Shanghai Commercial Press at age 16. He directed his first film in 1919, a two-reel comedy titled "The Gambler."

In 1921, Ren directed his first feature film, the highly successful "Yan Ruisheng" for the China Shadow Play Research Society. In 1926, he started the Orient Film Company, to direct "The Worker's Wife." Ren became one of China's first generation of swordsman film directors in 1928, when he formed the Bright Moon film studio and directed its 13 part serial "Northeast Hero. In 1935, he directed the anti-Japanese film "Dark Violence," after which he returned to directing such martial arts epics as the six-part "Mistress of the Spear."

As did many in the Chinese film community, Ren and Wu left Shanghai after the Japanese invasion, arriving eventually in Hong Kong, where they remained after the war. In Hong Kong, Ren became known for making Cantonese dialect martial arts and sword films in both classical and modern settings and usually featuring the martial exploits of heroines, with Wu Liz Hu often cast in the lead role.

After being semi-retired in the 1950s, Ren and Wu in 1960 resurrected the Bright Moon studio to make such movies as " Three Covert Female Investigators" and "Flying Heroine Huang Yingqiao Cracks the Diamond Theft Case." Their working partnership usually took the form of Ren Peng Nian producing and directing the movie, with Wu Liz Hu editing and often starring. Wu Liz Hu retired after making her final screen appearance in 1961 and Ren Peng Nian's last directing effort was in 1963, after which he also retired.

(Source: chinesemirror.com) Edit Biography