I recall reading a newspaper nine years ago and, coming upon something new and fresh, thinking, what is this? It was an ad recruiting for the Zhonghua Film Company's Shanghai film school. I had been thinking at that time that motion pictures were so important in society, responsible for educating the public and transforming society, and I wanted to be a part of that. So I abandoned my goal of getting a degree and left school, then came to Shanghai to sign up.
The good part was I passed the entrance exam, but unfortunately after months of study, and going through successive screen tests, I wasn't offered any work. So I moved over to Mr. Wang Xuchang's (汪煦昌) Shenzhou Film Studio, and made several pictures for them. My first of these, my debut effort, was "Nanweile Meimei" 难为了妹妹 (Embarassing Sister), directed by Li Pingqian (李萍倩) and playing opposite Ding Ziming.
Not long afterwards, when Shenzhou announced it was shutting down, I moved over to the Da Zhonghua Baihe studio, then to Changcheng (Great Wall), and then to Tianyi. One could say that, from my first [starting college] through my work with these studios, I have wasted nine years of my life with no artistic progress to show for it. All the movies I have been in were sentimental trifles, of no great significance, and as it happens, there have been people in the audience who actually curse [when I come on screen]. On the other hand, a lot of friends [in the industry] have praised and encouraged me, saying things like "Sun, you're a very good actor," "You will be a star", or "You have very bright prospects", etc. And, at the same time, I also get fan letters from men and women who write to me singing my praises. These have made me feel very grateful, but at the same time, a bit ashamed.
I feel that if someone who makes movies wants to be admired, then he must satisfy those conditions that people admire. And what are those conditions? He must have a suitable level of artistic skill, or really embody those things that oppressed people long for in their hearts, and gives them some hope through his performance and model.
But do I meet those conditions? In all candor, I have to say I do not! At the same time, to those who have been cursing me, I want to say in all sincerity: a movie actor, no matter how surpassing his art, is someone with no free will; he is a puppet in the hands of the director. If he tells you to face east, you face east, there is no facing west! And in order to live, he has no choice but to accept roles he would rather not, and perform them as well as he can. So how can you then curse him behind his back?
In short, other than being a means of earning a living, my nine years in movies have accomplished nothing at all!
However, I want to say this to my friends (including those who despise me): although I have no artistic foundation, although I have no record of accomplishment, my heart is still in my art, it has not stopped beating. I will continue to exert my ability to the utmost, I will keep going forward, keep struggling, hoping the future will be brighter. All I ask of my audience is not blind flattery or praise, only that whether they offer me guidance or critcism, they do it politely. That is something I would welcome wholeheartedly and sincerely. I'm not a writer, and I'm starting to ramble in this article, so good-bye.
[Source: Sun, Min (孙敏) "Recalling how I got into movies" Film Art (电影艺术), v.1, no.3, July 22, 1932]
