She had only six movie credits, and little is known about her life or what reasons brought it to end so early, but the name of Mao Jianpei 毛剑佩 still turns up in Chinese film history sources for one reason: she was the first Chinese movie actress to take her own life. [Three little maids from (acting) school: Mao Jianpei, center, flanked by Yang Naimei, seated, and an unidentified classmate]
Mao was a native of Shanghai, the daughter of Mao Yunke 毛韵珂, one of the biggest stars of that city's Beijing (Peking) opera. She graduated from Shanghai's prestigious Liqun Girls School, where she excelled at singing and dancing, and was a close friend and classmate of Yang Naimei. In spite of a background which seemed to have destined her for show business, Mao still had to overcome strong family resistance when she chose to pursue an acting career. Her first movie role was the female lead in 1925's "Peach Blossom with a Human Face," from Xinhua (New China), one of the numerous short-lived studios that popped up in the mid-1920s. Starting in 1927, she appeared sporadically in films over the rest of her career for several studios, each time in the lead. As with her personal life, research sources give no reasons for this sporadic activity, although they all say she committed suicide during the Lunar New Year celebration of 1931, while still in her 20s. 
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Filmography (all as actress):
1925:
Peach Blossom with a Human Face
1927:
A Lakeside Dream
1928:
A Strange Girl
Big Brother's Many Romances
Hatred of the Golden Thread
Smashing Through the Yellow River Front
[right, Mao Jianpei in "A Lakeside Dream" (1927), with Gong Jianong]
