Zhou Xuan

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Zhou Xuan

Chinese name 周璇
Pinyin zhou1 xuan2 (Mandarin)
Jyutping zau1 syun4 (Cantonese)
Birth name Su Pu (蘇璞)
Origin China
Born August 1, 1918(1918-08-01)
Changzhou, Jiangsu, China
Died September 22, 1957 (aged 39)
Shanghai, China
Occupation Singer
Genre(s) Shidaiqu, Mandopop
Instrument(s) Singing
Years active 1935-1953
This is a Chinese name; the family name is 周 (Zhou).

Zhou Xuan was a popular Chinese singer and film actress. By the 1940s, she had become one of the Seven great singing stars[1]. She is probably the most well-known of the seven, as she had a concurrent movie career until 1953.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Zhou was born Su Pu (蘇璞) and was separated from her natural parents at a young age, and was raised by adoptive parents. She spent her entire life searching for her biological parents and her parentage was never established until after her death.[2] At 13 she took Zhou Xuan as her stage name, 'Xuan', which means beautiful jade in Chinese.

[edit] Career

Zhou started acting in 1935, but she achieved stardom in 1937 in Street Angel, when director Yuan Muzhi cast her as one of the leads as a singing girl.

"Golden Voice" was Zhou's nickname to commend her singing talents after a singing competition in Shanghai, where she came in second[1]. Zhou rapidly became the most famous and marketable popular singer in the gramophone era up to her death, singing many famous tunes from her own movies. Her frail but eminently musical voice captured the hearts of millions of Chinese of her time.

After introducing "Nightlife In Shanghai" (夜上海), Zhou returned to Shanghai. She spent the next few years in and out of mental institutions owing to frequent breakdowns. Through the years, Zhou led a complicated and unhappy life marked by her failed marriages, illegitimate children and suicide attempts.

Having made a total of 43 movies. Her favourite film was always Street Angel (馬路天使). This contained two theme songs: "Four Seasons Song" (四季歌) and "The Wandering Songstress" (天涯歌女) which enjoyed long-lasting popularity.

Her recordings can be found through CRC Jianian, a joint-venture between the Chinese government and American publishers.

[edit] Death

In 1957 she passed away in Shanghai in a mental asylum during the Anti-Rightist Movement[3]. There is the possibility that the cause of death was encephalitis following a nervous breakdown at the age of only 39.

Zhou Xuan survived with 2 sons, Zhou Wen[4] and Zhou Wei, from different fathers. According to Zhou Wen's biography, the younger son, Zhou Wei, was from the father Tang Di (唐棣), while the father of Zhou Wen was unknown. Zhou Wei currently lives in Toronto as a musician in TTC subways.[5][6]

[edit] Adaptations

Audio samples of Zhou Xuan

To this day, Zhou Xuan's songs still remain a staple in many Golden Oldies collections in Mandarin popular music.

There have been 2 biographies written by Zhou Xuan's surviving family members. The book My Mother Zhou Xuan (我的媽媽周璇) was written by Zhou Wei and his wife Chang Jing (常晶); while a later book, Zhou Xuan Diary (周璇日記), was written by Zhou Wen.

[edit] Biography controversy

After Zhou Wen's biography was published, Zhou Wei accused Zhou Wen for altering Zhou Xuan's diary and copying the contents in an attempt to mislead readers into distorting the image of Zhou Xuan. The rebuttal also revealed that Zhou Wen had hated Zhou Wei since their young age. Zhou Wen was sent to adoption after birth, followed by alleged dark influences. Zhou Wei then legally inherited Zhou Xuan's wealth over Zhou Wen.[7]

[edit] TV

An adaptation of the life of Zhou Xuan was TVB's Song Bird (天涯歌女) in 1989, starring Nadia Chan as Zhou Xuan and Leon Lai as her lover. In this series, Xuan's songs were re-written in Cantonese, sung by her in solo. In duets, she sang with him in the serial while (under the limits of Crown Records) Deric Wan replaced Lai's vocals in the soundtrack album.[citation needed]

Another adaptation, based on Zhou Wei's biography, is China serial titled Zhou Xuan (周璇), starring Cecilia Cheung. This version of the story was accused by Zhou Wei as false representation of Zhou Xuan, and damaged the reputation of Zhou family.[8]

[edit] Movie Credits

  • 狂歡之夜 (1935)
  • Street Angel (馬路天使, 1937)
  • 西廂記 (1940)
  • 孟麗君 (1940)
  • 夜店 (1947)
  • 長相思 (1947)
  • 清宮秘史 (1948)
  • 花外流鶯 (1948)
  • 歌女之歌 (1948)
  • 莫負青春 (1949)
  • 花街 (1950)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Baidu. "Baidu." Bai Guang. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
  2. ^ ent tom.com
  3. ^ Atkins, Taylor. [2003] (2003) Jazz Planet. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 1578066093
  4. ^ 周璇两儿子爆出几十年恩怨纠葛(图)
  5. ^ 越洋连线专访周璇次子周伟：真实的周璇 (图)
  6. ^ “地铁王子”---周璇之子在加拿大
  7. ^ Zhuo Wei (2004-07-09). 周璇两子为何结怨半生 几十年恩怨纠葛后的秘密. netandtv.com.
  8. ^ 张淳 (2006-03-28). 张柏芝版“周璇”面目全非 周家后人三大不满. Xinhua News.

[edit] External links