Actress and singer, 白虹 (Bai Hong) was one of the “七大歌星” (Seven Great Singing Stars) of the 1930s and 1940s, along with Zhou Xuan, Yao Lee, and Bai Quang. She was part of Shanghai’s “Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe,” founded by composer, Li Jinhui.
Image source: Douban
[tw: suicide attempts]
Zhou Xuan is a Chinese shidaiqu singer and film actress, the best known out of the 七大歌星.
She was born Su Pu and was raised by adoptive parents after a relative who was addicted to opium sold her to a family called Wang, and she was later adopted by the Zhou family (the identities of her biological parents was not established until after her death, though she looked for them her whole life).
At fourteen, she started acting with the 明月歌舞团, a well-known performance troupe at the time, and, five years later, achieved fame with her role as one of the leads in Street Angel. In Shanghai, she was known as the “Golden Voice.” Her life was very tragic, riddled with frequent stays at asylums, breakdowns, failed marriages, illegitimate children, and suicide attempts.
She died in 1957 at the age of 39 after starring in 43 films, including the 1944 version of 红楼梦, and releasing multiple records, which remain a staple of Mandarin music today. She has two sons, Zhou Wen and Zhou Wei.
Chinese actress Michelle Yip (Ye Xuan/Yip Suen) is named after her, as Zhou Xuan was a favourite actress of her mother.
“Tonight, the clouds are pale and the stars scarce. There is only you, only me - barely escaping from the darkness. But the darkness closely follows you. Tonight, the streams flow and night winds blow. There is only you, only me. Together in this time of calamity.”
Bai Guang 白光 (1952)
