Musicians: Zhou Xuan

Episode Summary

Zhou Xian was a famous Chinese singer and actress active in the 1930s-1950s known as "Golden Voice". She had a tragic childhood, being sold by her opium-addicted relative and adopted by the Zhou family at age 3. She joined a song and dance troupe at 12 and came in 2nd place in a Shanghai singing contest, earning the nickname "Golden Voice". She began acting in films in the 1930s, with her breakout role in 1937's Street Angel. Zhou recorded over 200 popular songs and appeared in 43 films in her career, achieving great fame and a devoted fanbase. But she struggled in her personal life with unhappy relationships and mental health issues, spending time in psychiatric facilities. She had two sons with two different fathers before tragically passing away in 1957 at only age 37, likely due to encephalitis. Despite her short life, Zhou Xian made a huge impact on Mandarin music and film in the 1930s-50s. Her songs like "Four Seasons Song" and films like Street Angel remained hugely popular. She is remembered as one of the most influential Mandarin singers of her era.

Episode Show Notes

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.

Episode Transcript

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Right now, for a limited time, Blinkist has a special offer just for our audience. Go to blinkist.com slash encyclopedia and try it free for seven days and save 25% off your new subscription. That's Blinkist, spelled B-L-I-N-K-I-S-T. Blinkist.com slash encyclopedia to start your free seven-day trial. You'll also save 25% off, but only when you sign up at blinkist.com slash encyclopedia. Check it out. Hello. From Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Encyclopedia Wamanica. 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 Xian. SPEAKER_09: ["Xiaozhian and the White House of the Sun"] ["Xiaozhian and the White House of the Sun"] SPEAKER_06: Zhou Xian was born in Supu in 1920. Her early life was marked by tragic intrigue. Later family research suggests that when Zhou Xian was three years old, she was taken to another city by a relative of hers who was an opium addict. The relatives 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 Xian 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 the Li Jinhui 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 in the nickname Golden Voice. In addition to her new nickname, she also changed her name to Zhou Xian at the age of 13. She decided to adopt a stage name, changing the second part of her name to Xian, meaning Beautiful Jade. A couple of years later, in 1935, Zhou Xian 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. ["The Sun Is the Sun"] From 1946 to 1950, Zhou Xian 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 Xian 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 fan base. While her career took off, her personal life was trying. She had unhappy relationships and struggled with mental health issues. After the release of Shanghai Nights, she spent a few years in and out of psychiatric facilities seeking treatment. She had two sons with two different fathers. One of the fathers is said to have taken all of her savings and disappeared. The other father is thought to be designer Tang Di. Despite Zhou Xian'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 Soulmate Be Found? In 1957, Zhou Xian 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 Xian left her mark on Mandarin 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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