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Lee Ya-Ching

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Lee Ya-Ching
李霞卿
Born(1912-04-16)16 April 1912
Haifeng County, Guangdong, China
Died28 January 1998(1998-01-28) (aged 85)
Oakland, California, United States
NationalityChinese
Known forFirst Chinese civilian aviator; co-founder of first Chinese civilian flying school; actress
SpousePaifong Cheng aka Baifeng Zheng (1929-1935; divorced)
In this Chinese name, the family name is Lee (Li).

Li Xiaqing or Lee Ya-Ching (Chinese: 李霞卿; pinyin: Lǐ Xiáqīng; 16 April 1912 – 28 January 1998), also known by her stage name Li Dandan (李旦旦), was a Chinese film actress, pioneering aviator, and philanthropist. She was the first Chinese woman to be granted a civil aviation license in China, in 1936, and also co-founded its first civilian flying school. As an actress, she starred in Romance of the Western Chamber, and played the lead in an early adaptation of Mulan for the screen. Lee Ya-Ching is an Anglicized version of her Chinese name.[1][2][3]

Aviator

At the age of sixteen, Li witnessed an airshow in Paris, which left a strong impression on her.[4] In 1943, looking back on the start of her flying career, she explained that she had been troubled by Japanese aggression towards China and decided that she could best serve her country through flying. Li began training at the Contran École d'Aviation in Switzerland, where she was the first female student to receive a pilot's license.[4]

In 1935, she enrolled in the Boeing School of Aviation in Oakland, California for advanced training. Later that year, she returned to China, where she was commissioned by the Chinese government to make a 30,000 mile survey of potential air routes.[4] Li also helped found the Shanghai Municipal Air School[1] and worked there as a flight instructor until civilian flights were grounded.[4]

Filmography

Cover of the Young Companion issue 7, 1926, featuring actress Li Dandan on the cover.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Jordan Ferrero (2009). "Lee Ya-Ching papers". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
  2. ^ 中国首位女飞行员李霞卿: 与胡蝶周璇并称七姐妹. Ta Kung Pao (in Chinese). 12 April 2012. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
  3. ^ 从电影明星到中国第一位美女飞行员李霞卿诞辰. Today on History (in Chinese). 16 April 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Maksel, Rebecca. "China's First Lady of Flight". Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
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