Zhao Xuan: Soft Moments in Shanghai by Night

Author: Han Chen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Zhou Xuan, a name that cannot be forgotten, a dual-star active in the music and film industries during the 1930s, a genius singer hailed as the "Golden Voice," and a lonely soul constantly seeking true love in the world. Zhou Xuan was born around the 1920s in a family, according to her own recollections. Before the age of six, she spent her days in a lotus temple in Shanghai. Later, she was adopted and changed her surname to Zhou. At the age of 12, she was introduced to a singing and dancing troupe to learn the arts. Over time, she gradually became a renowned singing star both domestically and internationally, and was celebrated as the "Golden Voice." During her over film career as the "Golden Voice," Zhou Xuan starred in more than forty black-and-white and color films and was once hailed as the "Empress of Cinema." Her representative works include Street Angel, Meng Jiangnu, Meng Lijun, Dream of the Red Chamber, Singing in the Rain, Deep Night, Fisherman's Daughter, Each Has Their Own Way, Remembering Jiangnan, and Secret History of the Qing Palace. Throughout her life, Zhou Xuan performed over two hundred songs, with representative works such as Seasons Song, Singing in the Rain, Shanghai at Night, and When Will You Return Again. Her voice captivated half a century and influenced generations. Even today, her classic songs like Seasons Song, Singing in the Rain, Shanghai at Night, and When Will You Return Again are still covered by countless Chinese and overseas singers. Long before the opera The Golden Voice Zhou Xuan and its namesake television series were in the planning stages, the selection of the actress to portray this iconic singer from the 1930s and 1940s had become a hot topic in the Chinese media. Half a century later, this book, based on historical records, the context of the era, and descriptions of her surroundings, aims to authentically reflect the brief yet turbulent forty-year life of this talented yet solitary artist. It also seeks to comprehensively document how the turbulent times shaped Zhou Xuan's winding path in life and how an indifferent society led to her tragic fate, ultimately resulting in her madness and death. Through this book, we hope to let future generations know: many artists who shared Zhou Xuan's path once wrote a precious page in the dark years for their country, for art, and for their own history.