Evan Yang

Evan Yang or Yi Wen (Chinese: 易文; pinyin: Yi Wen; November 26, 1920 – March 29, 1978), originally named Yang Yanqi (simplified Chinese: 杨彦岐; traditional Chinese: 楊彥岐) was a Hong Kong-Chinese director and songwriter. His father was Yang Qianli, a politician and university professor. His uncles and aunts include architect Yang Xiliu(S. J. Young), animator Cy Young, entrepreneur Yang Xiren and Yang Renlan (mother of sociologist Fei Xiaotong).[1]

Born in Beijing, Evan Yang moved to Wu County, Jiangsu in 1925, his ancestral home. In 1936, he wrote his first script In The Era which was unaccepted. In 1937, he moved to Shanghai with family. In 1941, he graduated from St. John's University, Shanghai. He started writing film script in Hong Kong from 1948 and started using the name "Evan Yang" from 1951.

Evan Yang met Hu Shih in Shanghai in. Hu Shih said 'Yang Yanqi is just 13 years old and likes reading literatures, have a inherited genius and must be uncommon ones.'[2]

He wrote lyrics from 1950s to early 1970s, and signed to EMI in 1967. He also wrote essays with other pen names.

Yang was a smoker and died from respiratory disease in 1978.

Yang wrote more than 60 scripts and directed more than 40 films. His film works include Air Hostess, The Story of a Fur Coat, Spring Song, Happily Ever After and Bachelors Beware, and lyrics works include The Second Spring, I'll Fly Into Sky, I Love Cha-cha, Spring Song.