Profiles

Legendary singer-actress' life portrayed in TV

By Jin Baicheng (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-04-20 07:16

The story of Zhou Xuan (1920-57), the legendary singer and actress who was a household name in the 1930s, will be retold in a TV drama now being shot in Shanghai.

Shooting of the 40-part TV drama began in late March and is expected to be finished next year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Zhou's death.

The drama will focus on Zhou's prime time when she was between 16 and 28 years old. In order to depict the singer's diverse social circle, many famous celebrities back in that time, including renowned novelist Eileen Cheung, musician Nie Er and playwright Tian Han, will be featured in the drama.

The lead role of Zhou Xuan is played by Hong Kong A-list film actress Cecelia Cheung. According to media reports, the film actress is paid a stunning 200,000 yuan (US$24,660) for each episode in her soap opera premiere. Her salary takes up about one quarter of the total investment.

Cheung is said to have paid great attention to her TV debut and signed a very detailed contract with the project's production company, the Shanghai Film Group.

The contract commits Cheung to completing her scenes within 43 days, while working for no longer than 13 hours every day.

Pan Yueming, a Chinese mainland actor, will be Zhou Xuan's husband Yan Hua. But in the drama the character's name is changed to Qiming and the crew has not given a reason for that.

The head of the TV drama is Hong Kong director Yim Ho, whose previous works include "Red Dust" in 1990 and "A West Lake Moment" in 2004.

The TV drama is mainly based on the biography, "My Mother Zhou Xuan," written by one of Zhou's sons, Zhou Wei. However, Zhou, who has been invited to be the drama's consultant, said he was very unsatisfied with the adapted script.

Some parts of the script, Zhou Wei was quoted as saying, "are fake and do not accord with the historical facts, and could damage Zhou Xuan's reputation."

Zhou Wei also felt unsatisfied with Cecilia Cheung, saying she does not fit the role. Cheung responded to the comment, saying that she would definitely not worry what people think of her in the role.

Zhou Xuan began her acting career in 1935. One of her most famous movies is "Street Angel" (Malu Tianshi), which was shot in 1937. She continued her singing and acting career throughout the war years and by 1949 she had made more than 200 records and performed in scores of films.

Her personal and professional career declined in 1951 when she suffered a nervous breakdown resulting from family problems and a disastrous love affair. She passed away in Shanghai in 1957.

(China Daily 04/20/2006 page13)