"Golden Voice" Zhou Xuan, a famous movie star and a generation of singers, her life experience, her marriage and love, and her life path are a tragedy and a lament! Because Zhou Xuan's life experience is very complicated, the film history community has never reached a conclusion on this matter. Especially in recent years, there have been many disputes about right and wrong, and even lawsuits. We interviewed Mr. Zhao Shihui, an expert in film history. He has been collecting relevant information and researching Zhou Xuan's life for more than 20 years. The book "Zhou Xuan's Autobiography" written in 1995 has been very influential. At the beginning of the "You Are a Star" series, we chose Ruan Lingyu as the opening star of the 1930s star cast, and at the end, it ended with Zhou Xuan, who also died young. It was a coincidence. However, after completing this journey, there are still names standing in front of us that make us admire.
■Look back Ten names in life
Zhou Xuan was born in a family named Su in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. Her scientific name is Su Pu, and she is a minor official. When Su Pu was three years old, she was abducted and trafficked by her uncle to Jintan County, Jiangsu Province. Later, she was adopted by a family named Wang and renamed Wang Xiaohong. Soon, her adoptive mother Ouyang Yuzhen remarried a worker named Zhang in Shanghai, and gave Xiaohong to a family named Zhou who lived on Beijing East Road in Shanghai. In this way, Xiaohong changed her surname again and was called Zhou Xiaohong.
When Zhou Xiaohong was 7 or 8 years old, her family became increasingly poor and she was sent to a singing and dancing class. In 1932, after being introduced by someone, she joined the Mingyue Song and Dance Troupe founded by Li Jinhui to train. Not long after the "January 28th Incident", she took the stage to sing the anti-Japanese song "Light of the Nation" at a party. There was a line in it, "Move forward and circle on the battlefield." Xiaohong sang with great devotion and impassionedness. It was praised by the audience, so Li Jinhui gave Xiaohong a stage name of Zhou Xuan. Later, someone suggested adding "Xie Wang Pang" to the word "Xuan" to become the word "Xuan" (Xuan is the name of beautiful jade). After that, in the entertainment industry, people affectionately called her "Xuanzi".
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Zhou Xuan was invited to go to Hong Kong to film. During her stay in Hong Kong, she deposited her valuables in a bank safe deposit box with the account name "Zhou Ying". In 1957, Zhou Xuan was sent to Shanghai Mental Hospital for recuperation. The name written on the medical record card was "Zhou Yufang". After Zhou Xuan died of illness, the Shanghai Notary Office notarized Zhou Xuan's inheritance rights. The decedent's name on the notarization certificate was "Zhou Zhen."
The "Golden Voice" became famous in Shanghai
In 1934, Shanghai's "Da Wanbao" held a "Broadcasting Singer Campaign". Zhou Xuan, who had "jumped" to the Xinhua Song and Dance Troupe, participated in the campaign. As a result, he ranked second and won the title of "Golden Voice".
On the eve of the July 7th Incident in 1937, Shanghai Yihua Company filmed a "soft musical" "Three Stars with the Moon", starring Zhou Xuan, who sang the film's theme song "When Will You Come Again?" 》. This song spread like wildfire with the release of the film and the playing of the record, and became a well-known pop song for a while; in 1941, Japanese singer Li Xianglan (Yamaguchi Yoshiko) also recorded this song into a record. During the same period, Zhou Xuan also sang "Song of the Four Seasons" and "Song of the End of the World" in the film "Street Angel". These two songs have been passed down to this day and have become immortal classics.
In May 1945, Zhou Xuan also held three solo concerts at the Shanghai Jindu Grand Theater, singing the "Silver Sea Trilogy" ("The Fisher Girl", "The Harmony of Luan and Phoenix", "Phoenix Flying" three films), although the ticket price is as high as 3,000 yuan (old currency), it was still sold out by fans.
There is only one "Road Angel"
Zhou Xuan's screen "debut" was "Beauty's Grace". This film was produced by Tianyi Company and starred by Lu Lixia. Zhou Xuan only acted in the film. She was not the main actor in singing and dancing shows, so she said her debut was "Night of Flowers and Candles".
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Zhao Dan and Zhou Xuan met in Shanghai. He asked Zhou Xuan what films she had made in recent years. Zhou Xuan said sadly: "Don't mention it. There is no drama that I like. There is only one "Road Angel" in my life..." In 1947, a reporter from Shanghai's "Movie Magazine" once interviewed Zhou Xuan: " I would like to know which one of your past films you are most satisfied with?" Zhou Xuan replied modestly: "I am dissatisfied with all of them, but... "Street Angel" is the most memorable for me, because many friends like it. "Although Zhou Xuan also appeared in more than a dozen films during the "Isolated Island" period, she lacked depth and her performances were fleeting and quickly forgotten.
"Where is the soulmate?"
Zhou Xuan's husband Yan Hua was also a singer and dancer. They got married in 1938. In 1941, the marriage changed due to the instigation of others. This became Shanghai's "Big News" from "Isolated Island". The media at the time relatively unanimously condemned Yan Hua and sympathized with Zhou Xuan. In fact, she and Yan Hua were both victims.
Shortly after Zhou Xuan and Yan Hua broke up, she met Zhu Huaide, a silk merchant. Zhou Xuan couldn't help his sweet words and lived with him in Hong Kong. After getting pregnant, Zhou Xuan wanted to return to Shanghai and become a legitimate couple with him. However, when she returned to Shanghai, she finally discovered that Zhu Huaide had lied to her.
After Zhou Xuan and Zhu Huaide broke off their relationship, they were invited by Da Guangming Film Company to shoot "Peace Dove" in Shanghai and met Tang Di, the film's artist. In May 1952, they prepared to hold a wedding. The day is coming, but Tang Di was accused of "fraud and rape" and sentenced to three years in prison. A year later, the court revoked the original verdict and released him. When he returned home, he learned that Zhou Xuan had already fallen ill and was admitted to the hospital.
If you are not crazy, you will not survive
In the early 1950s, Zhou Xuan returned to Shanghai from Hong Kong. When she was in Hong Kong, she had signs of mental illness, which became more serious in Shanghai. In fact, Zhou Xuan suffered from a chronic mental illness in her early years and stayed in the Hongqiao Nursing Home while filming in Shanghai. Later, she was sent to the hospital for treatment for six years, and she had improved. However, the summer of 1957 was very hot, and she was sent to the hospital because of sudden encephalitis. She became very ill and could not be saved, so she died. Only 37 years old.
After Zhou Xuan died of illness, Hong Kong director Tu Guangqi and others planned to film "The Biography of Zhou Xuan". Zhou Xuan's friend and composer Li Houxiang provided a collection of nine letters written by Zhou Xuan after returning to Shanghai. Later, before the film was made, Tu Guangqi published these nine letters in Vientiane magazine in 1975.
In the first letter, Zhou Xuan expressed her joy of returning home: "Shanghai is indeed very quiet! Nothing has changed. There are still good Western music records to listen to, all of which are the latest; clothes are also It's very free to wear whatever you want; why do those people like to talk nonsense? "How strange!" Who would have thought that the joy of returning home is so close to death, and that the ideal free life is so far away from Zhou Xuan.
Oral narration: Zhao Shihui (expert on Chinese film history, now living in Shanghai) Written by: our reporter Zhang Yue
■Expert’s perspective on “short-lived” sensory stars
Zhou Xuan became famous in "Street Angel". She became famous in the film industry with her sweet and soft singing voice. Zhou Xuan must sing in every film and impress the audience with her singing voice, which has achieved good market effects. The movie drives the songs, and the songs make the movie more attractive to the audience.
After Zhou Xuan entered the film industry, it was a "short-lived flash in the pan". After "Road Angel", she starred in a large number of period films with little success. Zhou Xuan's performance mainly relies on feeling and experience. Her performances are all natural, and there are often some sincere and touching highlights. She does not win by acting skills and depth of roles. She has her own talents, which are just fascinating. It is a pity that for various reasons, she was unable to give full play to her talents and left several more permanent artistic images for the audience on the screen. But no matter when, Chinese movies will never forget this young and lively little girl in "Road Angel".
Comment: Chen Shan Written by: Zhang Yue
●Zhou Xuan was born and raised in the south and speaks a dialect, which brings great difficulties to her singing.
In the Mingyue Song and Dance Troupe, she studied under Yan Hua, who spoke Beiping dialect fluently, and learned it word by word.
■Tips on the road to stardom
●Zhou Xuan really became famous in 1934, when various radio stations in Shanghai jointly held a singing star competition, and Bai Hong, Zhou Xuan and Wang Manjie ranked among the top three. Newspapers commented that she was "a new little singer with a bright future", and the radio station praised her voice as "like a golden flute that touches people's hearts". From then on, "Golden Voice" became her nickname. She was only 14 years old that year.
●Zhou Xuan is good at understanding the director's intentions. When filming "Road Angel", she designed the movements of "Xiao Hong" singing and playing with her braids. The image is natural, harmonious and full of life interest.
●In 1941, the movie queen election initiated by Shanghai Daily resulted in Zhou Xuan receiving the most votes. However, the next day, Zhou Xuan published an announcement in the newspaper saying, "I have limited knowledge and skills" and declined. The title of "Queen of Movies".
●According to statistics from existing historical data, Zhou Xuan sang more than 200 songs during her lifetime, 114 of which were movie inserts.
■Zhou Xuan’s archives
Life course: 1920.8.1—1957.9.22
Original name: Su Pu
Debut: Yi Shuo 1935 1936's "Beauty's Grace", a talk about 1936's "Night of Flowers and Candles"
Representative works: "Road Angel", "Remembering Jiangnan", "Secret History of the Qing Palace"
Screen image: good at singing A woman with a miserable life experience
Classic scene: In "Road Angel", Xiao Hong, played by Zhou Xuan, sings to Xiao Chen, played by Zhao Dan, across the street from the window.