Zhou Xuan (1920-1957) was an iconic Chinese singer and actress. Nicknamed, “Golden Voice,” she recorded more than 200 songs and appeared in more than 40 movies.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan, and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
All month, we’ve been talking about musicians. Women who dazzled and changed the course of musical history.
Our musician of the day was an iconic Chinese singer and actress. Nicknamed, “Golden Voice,” she recorded more than 200 songs and appeared in more than 40 movies. Let’s talk about Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan was born Su Pu in 1920. Her early life was marked by tragic intrigue. Later family research suggests that when Zhou Xuan was 3 years old, she was taken to another city by a relative of hers who was an opium addict. The relative sold her to another family. That family then gave her up and she was adopted by a family named Zhou. She changed her name to Zhou Xiaohong.
Though she searched tirelessly, Zhou Xuan never again found her biological parents. The history I just described wasn’t uncovered until after she died.
In 1932, at just 12 years old, she became a member of Li Jinhui’s Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe. That same year, she participated in a singing contest in Shanghai. Her performance, which included seemingly effortless high pitched sections, earned her second place and the nickname “Golden Voice.”
In addition to her new nickname, Zhou Xiaohong also changed her name to Zhou Xuan at the age of 13. She decided to adopt a stage name, changing the second part of her name to Xuan, meaning beautiful jade.
A couple of years later, in 1935, Zhou Xuan decided to push onto the silver screen. Her foray into film brought her notable fame in 1937 when she was cast as one of the leads in the movie Street Angel. While she would go on to make a total of 43 movies, Street Angel remained her favorite. The songs she sang for the film, including “Four Seasons Song” and “Wandering Songstress” remained popular for quite some time.
From 1946 to 1950, Zhou Xuan spent a lot of time traveling to and from Hong Kong to act in movies. In 1949, she appeared in the film, Shanghai Nights, and sang the movie’s eponymous title song.
Zhou Xuan achieved real stardom during this period. Between her appearances singing on screen and her musical recordings, her songs had widespread appeal, affording her a large and devoted fanbase.
While her career took off, her personal life was trying. She had unhappy relationships and she struggled with mental health issues. After the release of Shanghai Nights, she spent a few years in and out of psychiatric facilities seeking treatment.
Zhou Xuan had two sons with two different fathers. One of the fathers is said to have taken all of Zhou Xuan’s savings and disappeared. The other son is thought to be the child of designer Tang Di.
Despite Zhou Xuan’s personal trials, she remained one of the most marketable and popular singers of Mandarin music of the era. She recorded more than 200 songs including “When Will You Return?”, “Yellow Leaves Dancing in the Autumn Wind,” and “Where can the Soul Mate Be Found?”
In 1957, Zhou Xuan died. The cause of death is not certain but may have been encephalitis following a nervous breakdown. She died in a psychiatric institution. She was just 37 years old.
Despite her life being cut so short, Zhou Xuan left an indelible mark on Madarin music and film.
All August, we’ve been talking about Musicians. Tune in tomorrow for the first episode of a brand new theme. For September, we’re talking about Activists.
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Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!