When Blood on Wolf Mountain was released in Chinese cinemas on November 1, 1936, it wasn't seen as the sort of movie to have a lasting impact.

The film told the story about a village surrounded by bloodthirsty wolves. Ostensibly it was a simple horror film, but was a thinly-veiled allegory for the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.

But it was the opportunity for a star-making turn for one of the actresses involved.

That actress was Li Lili, who outshone the rest of the cast and became one of China's best-loved actresses.

It was bad news for Lan Pang, a co-star who took Li's success personally.

She left Shanghai the following year, changed her name to Jiang Qing and became a diehard communist.

She met and married party leader Mao Zedong, though he was already married.

Though initi

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