Actress Wang Renmei

Diansheng Daily launched a poll for the top 10 Chinese movie stars - including both actor and actress - shortly after it started publishing on May 1, 1932.

The results:

1. Actress Hu Die (Butterfly Hu), 13,582 votes

2. Actress Ruan Lingyu, 13,490 votes

3. Actor Jin Yan, 13,157 votes

4. Actress Chen Yanyan, 12,547 votes

5. Actress Wang Renmei, 12,050 votes

6. Actor Gao Zhanfei, 11,946 votes

7. Actress Li Zhuozhuo, 11,875 votes

8. Actress Chen Yumei, 11,427 votes

9. Actor Zheng Junli, 10,963 votes

10. Actress Li Lili, 9,960 votes

Including actors was a bright idea. Though ranked No. 3, Jin was the most popular actor of the period and crowned "movie king."

The two big elections for cinema royalty were not the first cinema polls in China. As early as 1926, The New World amusement park in Shanghai held a vote for favorite movies and stars.

"Lonely Orchid" (1925), directed by Zhang Shichuan, was the box-office hit winner. Leading actress Zhang Zhiyun was crowned "movie queen."

(Shanghai Daily January 5, 2009)