One of the most beloved of all time figures of the Chinese Silver Screen as well as radio and stage is the legendary Zhou Xuan, pictured here on the cover of "New Cinema Forum" magazine.
I must mention that although versions of this cover exist in poster form in flea markets in China, they are copies made from a much older copy showing fading and wear and tear, but the version shown here is no doubt the most pristine image of her in the world, having undergone 5 weeks of exacting digital restoration in order to recapture the precise look and feel of the original artist, and remains part of the collection of digitally restored images for view in the Old Orient Museum, as well as one of her early songs which is imbedded in the museum's flash soundtrack, (which also includes songs from the Club Nissei in Honolulu Hawaii, pre-war days).
Zhou Xuan's story is a phenomenal one, and if she lived in todays world she would undoubtedly be known as a megawatt “superstar”, although, in the world she grew up in, she was probably the closest thing to that status known at the time.
Overcoming extremely impoverished and adverse beginnings, (there were various accounts of being sold by an opium addicted father), she escaped her fate and was adopted by a troupe of singers and musicians. Due to her tremendous natural talent and determination, her story rivaled fiction, and she rose to become not only China’s top pop vocalist at the time, but a great cinema actress, starting in China's silent movie epics, with more than 20 acclaimed movies to add to her success.
Although her career was one of legendary status, her personal life was less than idyllic, and she was beset by tragedies of unprecedented proportions, falling victim to two bad marriages, failed relationships and eventually an institutionalized mental breakdown which slowed her entertainment career to a grinding halt.
She lived from 1920 to 1957, (although her birth year cannot be pinned down due to her being adopted), and in the end, she allegedly snuffed out her own life at the youthful age of 37, earning her the tragic comparison as “The Chinese Marilyn Monroe”, who also allegedly committed suicide at the age of 36. Official controversy and mystery enshrouds the fate of both great ladies to this day, neither one being proved a suicide, or disproved.
Up to to this very day, Zhou Xuan's memory is maintained and preserved by an almost cultlike following, with a miniseries on Taiwanese TV, her songs still being featured in nostalgia movies, and plans for a feature movie on her life in the works. Her legend lives on 52 years after her departure, and shows no signs of fading away.
No doubt remains, though, that when she passed through this world, she left it a better place, and she will always and forever be remembered.
For those interested, her image can be viewed here:
http://oldorientmuseum.com/zhou_xuan_chinese_cinema_movie_star.html
