Zhou Xuan, known as “Golden Voice” or jin sangzi for her beautiful singing voice, was born in 1918 in Changzhou in Jiangsu Province. Unfortunately, she spent her childhood in the care of various foster parents due to her birth parents’ opium addiction (Stock, 1995). When she was only ten, she joined the Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe created by Li Jinhui, composer and impresario of Shanghai popular song; she began acting in Shanghai in 1935 when the Yihua Film Studio recruited her (Wang, 2009).

Her breakout role in Street Angel or Malu Tianshi in 1937 made her a household name, especially the song “Song of Four Seasons” (Siji ge). During the Second Sino-Japanese War, she worked for Guohua Film Studio, acting in 17 films between 1939 and 1942; she also released 36 songs written by musicians like Chen Gexin and Chen Dieyi (Wang, 2009). In 1943, she joined United China Film and continued to act in movies, though she was most prized for her singing skill in her roles.

After the war, she and many other actors traveled between Shanghai and Hong Kong to make films, though she only stayed there for two years before returning to the People’s Republic of China. By the end of her life, she had acted in over forty films and performed songs like “When Will You Return,” “Night Fragrance,” and “Shanghai Nights” (Wang, 2009).

Tragically, after a decline in her career starting in 1951 due to a nervous breakdown and schizophrenia, she passed away in Shanghai in 1957 from encephalitis. Zhou Xuan received multiple recognitions posthumously, such as the Chinese Film Century award in 1995 and a commemorative TV drama in 2007 (Jin, 2006). She, like Li Xianglan, is one of the Seven Great Singing Stars of shidaiqu.

Jin, Baicheng. 2006. “Legendary Singer-Actress’ Life Portrayed in TV.” China Daily, April 20, 2006.

Stock, Jonathan. 1995. “Reconsidering the Past: Zhou Xuan and the Rehabilitation of Early Twentieth-Century Popular Music.” Asian Music 26, no. 2: 119-135. https://www.jstor.org/stable/834436

Wang, Yiman. 2009. “Zhou Xuan.” Encyclopedia of Modern China, v. 4. Charles Scribner’s Sons/Gale, Cengage Learning.