Actor Jin Yan

The results were highly controversial.

Ruan was, and still is, considered by many to be the greatest tragic heroine of Chinese cinema of all time. She committed suicide in March 1935 - thousands attended her funeral. She arguably should have won the poll, her fans claimed.

There was much talk that the Mingxing Daily vote was fixed, under pressure from Mingxing Studio, the biggest film studio at that time, so that Butterfly Hu would take first place.

Records show that Hu received 21,334 votes, twice as much as Chen, while Ruan received only 7,290 votes.

Fans of Ruan cried foul, but it was a done deal.

Actress Chen Yanyan

Tactfully, Queen Butterfly Hu declined the extravagant coronation and party as being inappropriate at a time when the country was in danger from Japanese aggression.

To comfort the disappointed fans, a small, non-profit party was held a month later.

Fans flooded the venue and screamed for the graceful actress in qipao. Butterfly Hu accepted her certificate and sang a touching, inspirational song written for the occasion.

A less-sensational movie queen selection was held one year before, also by a tabloid.