The Chinese Mirror

Zhao Wei: Tokyo Film Festival "Very Cordial"

[This is a translation of an interview published October 20, 2008 by the Xinhua [New China] News Agency's NewsNet (link is to original article)

Tokyo, October 20, 2008 – Byline:  NewsNet reporters Ma Jie 马杰 and Chen Xi陈曦

          From the vivacious and lovable Xiao Yan of "Princess Pearl" to the dignified and gentle Madame Wang of "Painted Skin," which has already done more than 200 million yuan [US$29 million] at the box office, Zhao Wei [Vicki Zhao] in the past decade has seemingly undergone a total transformation in her performing style, as well maintaining her high popularity.  Now in Japan doing publicity at the Tokyo International Film Festival, Zhao granted our reporters a special interview.

[right, the "Red Cliff' cast arrives on opening night]

Yang Naimei: a playgirl's brief candle

    There is an old Chinese folk saying which says, contemptuously, that "actresses are false, prostitutes untrue."  What is expressed between the lines is the scorn people in olden times had for these two major service professions, and even more so indicates the principal targets of that disdain were women.  So when this new cultural form of motion pictures unexpectedly became a popular form of entertainment, it is not surprising the image of this new profession of movie actress appeared in the eyes of much of the public as ranking similarly low with that of brothel inmates, if not merged.  And while actresses naturally had many admirers, traditional attitudes barred them from moving up to a higher social status.
    By the mid-1920s, Chinese movie stars of both sexes were becoming celebrities.  Their names began showing up frequently in newspapers, especially those of actresses, for whom the public had a particular fascination.  As mentioned in an earlier post, in 1926 a popular Shanghai magazine conducted a fan poll to choose the top female stars, the Mingxing studio's "four great dan."  The small quantity of film that survives from that era provides only a faint glimpse of their beauty and acting ability, which as representatives of their generation of film actresses, makes their life stories even more sad.     
    We have already discussed three of the four:  Wang Hanlun, Xuan Jinglin and Zhang Zhiyun.  Today we discuss the last of the four, the survey's first runner-up, Yang Naimei.

Zhang Zhiyun: a tragic first "empress"

After they formed the Da Zhonghua Film Company at the beginning of 1924, Gu Kenfu, Lu Jie and Bu Wancang placed recruitment ads for actors in Shen Bao, a leading Shanghai newspaper, and borrowed an unused post office box from the paper to use as an address for receipt of applications.  After 10 days, they opened the box to inspect the results, but found that out of more than 10,000 photos received, there was not one they could use.  Somebody tipped them off that a certain reporter on the newspaper had previously had access to the mailbox for his personal mail, and had gone in and removed some of the most attractive photos for himself.  Gu Kenfu confronted the reporter about this, and the latter turned over 10 photos to Gu.  One of these was of a young woman named Zhang Zhiyun.  She was not especially attractive, but the filmmakers paid particular attention to the stolen photos, and as a result of this closer inspection Zhang Zhiyun was accepted into the studio's new film school.  After completion of her training, Zhang was cast as the female lead in the studio's first two movies, "Public Opinion" and "Battlefield Exploits."
     Zhang Zhiyun 张织云 (1904-197?) was born Zhang Ahxi (some sources say Zhang Ahshan) in the Guangdong village of Panyu, now part of the city of Guangzhou.  Her father died when she was three, after which she and her mother moved to Shanghai.  Her appearance in the Da Zhonghua company's first two features brought her to the attention of the Mingxing studio, and this larger and better-funded studio recruited her.  Playing the lead in a string of three popular films for Mingxing quickly made her one of what the press termed the Mingxing studio's "Four great dan" [actresses], along with Wang Hanlun, Xuan Jinglin and Yang Naimei.  In 1926, the Shanghai magazine "New World" conducted a fan poll, which resulted in Zhang Zhiyun's being named No.1 among Mingxing's four "great dan." 

Motion Picture Review - the first movie magazine

     "Yingxi Zazhi" 《影戏杂志》 ("The Motion Picture Review") is generally recognized as the earliest Chinese film magazine.  Volume 1, number 1 [cover at left; click on for larger image] was published on April 1, 1921, and the second issue on January 25, 1922.  It ceased publication on May 25, 1922, after the last issue, v.1, number 3 came out.  Director Gu Kenfu 顾肯夫 ("Yan Ruisheng") was editor-in-chief, writer (and future director) Lu Jie 陆洁was in charge of the translation section, and Zhang Guangyu was the art editor.  The Chinese Motion Picture Research Association published the first two issues, and the Mingxing studio the third.  In his foreword to the first issue, Gu Kenfu wrote the new publication's objectives were to:  1) develop motion pictures as a literary and art form; 2) introduce readers to worthwhile films; 3) guard against the distribution of harmful films; and 4) strive to uphold the dignity of Chinese people in the cinema world.  Since most motion pictures shown in China at that time were U.S. imports, that was the focus of the magazine, with the much smaller number of Chinese productions secondary.  Although there were only three issues, the magazine left a significant legacy via Lu Jie's translations of Western (English) film terminology, and then coining unified Chinese terminology for use by Chinese filmmakers.  For example, he was the first Chinese writer to use the expression "daoyan" 导演as a translation for "direct" or "direction."  The two Chinese characters literally mean "to lead [or guide] performance," and this was the first instance of its usage in China in connection with cinema.

Classic Theaters: The Carlton

[below, the Carlton in the early 1920s.  Click on picture for larger image] 

As movies grew in popularity as a form of urban entertainment, it was inevitable that someone would have the idea of building a theater specifically designed for the showing of motion pictures.  On February 9, 1923, the first such theater in China opened its doors, the Carlton 卡尔登, built by a British entrepreneur, and located at No.2 Park Road (now Huang He 黄河 Road).  The first feature shown was an American import, the 1922 Metro production "The Prisoner of Zenda," followed on February 19 by an interesting choice for showing to a Chinese audience, D. W. Griffith's "Broken Blossoms," the Chinese title of which was "Can hua lei" 残花泪 (literally "Broken Blossom Tears").  In the mid-1930s the Carlton became a popular venue for premiering top Chinese-made productions, including such notable films as "Song of Hate" (1936), "Back to Nature" (1936) and "Wedding Night" (1936).  The Carlton also hosted major stage productions, such as the road company of Cao Yu's classic play "Sunrise" in April, 1937.  During the "Orphan Island" period the Carlton showed a selection of American movies on a rotating basis, then later converted to stage productions only.  On February 1, 1954 the Carlton's name was changed to the Changjiang 长江 (Yangtze River) Theater, and in 1984 it underwent a major renovation, with its seating capacity expanded to nearly 1000.  While the theater's emphasis has been changed to stage productions, it occasionally shows films and videos as supplements to music concerts, private events, etc.  Its address now is 21 Huang He Lu (Yellow River Road).

"The Consummate Villain": Wang Xianzhai

     One of the hoariest theatrical cliches is the show-within-a-show story of the young unknown called on at the last minute to step in for the star who cannot go on, but steps up and gives a truly starmaking performance, often eclipsing the star he or she replaced.  ("Kid, you're going out there an unknown, but you've got to come back a star!")  But like all cliched situations, it actually happens sometimes:  in 1954, veteran musical performer Carol Haney was starring on Broadway in the hit "Pajama Game."  Since Haney was renowned for never having missed a performance in her life, a 17-year-old high school student theater intern was employed by the company as Haney's understudy, rather than a more experienced professional.  But during the play's run, the seemingly indestructible Haney broke an ankle, and the understudy had to go on lest the show be cancelled, at huge cost.  Her first performance wasn't perfect, but the audience, aware of the circumstances, rose to give her a standing ovation at the end, bolstering her confidence sufficiently that she carried on capably until an experienced replacement could take over.  (The gutsy youngster's name was Shirley MacLain; gee, I wonder what ever became of her.)  In China's classical movie era, there was a similar incident.
    In our discussion of the 1922 megahit "An Orphan Rescues his Grandfather," we mentioned that in addition to saving a struggling studio, it was the screen debut and starmaking role for its leading lady Wang Hanlun.  It was also the initial screen appearance for Zheng Xiaoqiu, the child actor playing her son, who went on to a fine career.  After being one of China's first juvenile stars, he matured into leading man roles, then later became a director, specializing in documentaries and educational films.  But "Orphan" also marked the first credited role for a bit player called upon at the last moment, and whose performance was the breakthrough to a long, successful movie career, not as a leading man but as Chinese cinema's top villain.  His name was Wang Xianzhai.

Liu Zhonghao (1910 - ?)

Liu Zhonghao 柳中浩 (1910 – ?) was born in Shanghai, his ancestral home being Yin Country, Zhejiang.   His father Liu Yutang 柳钰堂was from Ningbo, a city whose natives are renowned for their business shrewdness.  In the late 19th century, Liu Yutang found work on a boat that shipped duck eggs to Shanghai, and seized that opportunity to rise rapidly to the top levels of the industry.  Although he died young, he left his three sons a sizable inheritance.  In 1926, Liu Zhonghao and elder brother Liu Zhongliang 柳中亮 established the World Theater in Nanjing as a cinema house, and by 1934 Liu Zhonghao had amassed enough capital to found the Gold City Theater in Shanghai, to specialize in showing Chinese-made films.  In 1937 he established the Gold Capital Theater, which also specialized in Chinese productions.  In 1938, he and Liu Zhongliang started the Guo Hua 国华 ("Chinese Language") Film Company, and in less than 4 years their studio turned out more than 40 motion pictures, most of them in ancient costume.  When the Pacific War erupted in December, 1941, the Liu brothers refused to cooperate with the Japanese army, so their studio was shut down and the two theaters converted to stage production facilities.  After the war, the brothers established a new film studio, Guotai 国泰 (National Safety).  In 1948 the brothers agreed to part ways commercially, with Liu Zhonghao continuing to operate "Guotai" and Liu Zhongliang setting up a new studio, "Datong," (Great Unity) in partnership with his son Liu Heqing 柳和清.  The two studios continued after the founding of the People's Republic, until January 1, 1952, when as part of its transition to socialism the new government ordered all private and jointly state-private studios be consolidated into one studio, which eventually became the Shanghai Film Studio.