The modern girl on the cusp: How did people view female stars in the Republic of China?

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The modern girl on the cusp: How did people view female stars in the Republic of China? - Lujuba

"Oriental Paris" Shanghai created the prosperity of the Shanghai film industry.

As the saying goes, "There is nothing new under the sun." The female star in the entertainment industry has always been an enviable and controversial career, whether it was suicide some time ago. The Korean star Shirley who was at home or the Chinese female star Ruan Lingyu who committed suicide in 1935 were the lucky ones in the entertainment industry but they were also victims of this system. The 1920s and 1940s were the golden age of the old Chinese film industry. Shanghai was the city where countless film companies "made stars" at that time. For a time, becoming a female star became the dream of many girls. But along with wealth and fame and fortune came many criticisms. How did people view such a new profession at that time? From today's point of view, this is also an interesting topic.


The modern girl on the cusp: How did people view female stars in the Republic of China? - Lujuba

The famous film star Ruan Lingyu of the Republic of China

1. After the “modern girl”

of Oriental Paris entered the 1930s, as China entered a relatively stable development of the "Golden Decade", although Shanghai was attacked by Japan in 1932, it was very The armistice agreement was signed soon, and Shanghai is still the fashionable Paris of the East. Along with social stability and economic development, Shanghai’s cultural and entertainment industry has also ushered in a period of rapid development. A large number of movies have been on the big screen, and batches of young and beautiful female movie stars have begun to become a kind of emerging The social profession makes its debut.


The modern girl on the cusp: How did people view female stars in the Republic of China? - Lujuba

The Songhu Anti-Japanese War in 1932. Before the 1930s, because movies had not yet become a mainstream cultural dissemination method, the status of female stars was actually very humble. They were often taken together with the theater actors on stage. People are jokingly called "actors". However, as film culture has gradually become a mainstream cultural communication method in society under the preaching of a large number of left-wing writers, the female stars who starred in movies have also become Chinese society at that time because of their wealth, beauty and great cultural influence. The hottest occupation. This is undoubtedly a huge attraction for countless young girls who are eager to live in a big city like Shanghai but have no money, and the emergence of the "female celebrity" profession undoubtedly provides them with an excellent opportunity.

In 1935, a reporter published an article on the transformation of female celebrities’ social status, saying: " female celebrities are such a noble and sacred profession. If there is a chance to let them show their faces, it would be really deadly. "", but five years ago, it was "The title of female star is not as popular as it is now, just like an actor who sings a civilized drama, it can relieve boredom when people are panicked with her beauty, that's all ." It can be seen that the status of "female celebrity" has undergone tremendous changes in a few years. It no longer only represents the embodiment of wealth and beauty, but more importantly, it symbolizes a tall social status that can make people "Better face."

2. The artificially shaped image of "literary and artistic workers"

The female celebrities in the 1930s were so obsessed, largely because the left-wing cultural figures at the time artificially shaped their identities, which made female celebrities be The original "actress" has become a literary and artistic worker who promotes the spread of positive social culture. In 1932, the Songhu Anti-Japanese War broke out. Shanghai's well-known cultural figures urgently needed a new medium that could quickly spread the patriotic anti-Japanese thoughts, and the film art that had just emerged in China became their best choice.


The modern girl on the cusp: How did people view female stars in the Republic of China? - Lujuba

The title of the movie "New Women" expresses the expectations of cultural figures for the image of women at the time.

Left-wingers who worked in film companies in 1932 issued a call to female stars to encourage them to take off their high heels and silk stockings, and remove their exquisite makeup. "Go to the people", to the real life. They hope to change people's stereotypes of female stars by changing the style, temperament and behavior of female stars. By allowing female stars to play "new women" in the new era, they hope to achieve a conceptual change from "actress" to "artist".

In 1933, the famous film critic Ke Ling once expressed in a magazine his praise of the brand-new female images played by female stars such as Ruan Lingyu on the screen, but he also raised his own doubts whether their transformation was onlyJust because of the passive changes they made in order to play related roles? It would be too bad if it was just a beautiful image "disguised". And Ke Ling’s suggestion is that only a female celebrity can truly become a real "literary and art worker" if she blends with the personality of the outstanding new woman she plays.


The modern girl on the cusp: How did people view female stars in the Republic of China? - Lujuba

Lu Xun is a famous representative of left-wing cultural figures

3. People's "popular lover"

Although people's views on film culture and female stars have changed greatly due to the influence of left-wing culture, movies are still one in essence. A commercialized cultural entertainment method, and the "entertainment nature" of the female star identity still exists. In 1933, Shanghai held a grand selection of film queens, which was quite similar to the queens to be selected in today's film festivals. In this entertainment festival, the 25-year-old famous movie star Hu Die stood out for his beauty and film work and won the crown of the queen. The “Diansheng Daily” at that time had a wonderful description of Hu Die’s influence: “ is a dignitaries from the party country, down to traffickers and pawns. Although many people don’t know who the current chairman of the national government is, no one does not. Know that the current movie queen is Hu Die ". This sentence may really be true at the time. In 1933, the chairman of the Nationalist government was Lin Sen, not Chiang Kai-shek, the Kuomintang veteran, so many people did not recognize Lin Sen, but Hu Die's influence was obvious.


The modern girl on the cusp: How did people view female stars in the Republic of China? - Lujuba

"Movie Queen" Hu Die

once opened up a column called "Movie Fanatic Idiot" in the "Youth Film" magazine, which was used to publish letters from people about their favorite "idol". Many of them are very interesting. Words. For example, someone wrote to Hu Die: "Long live the queen of : how crazy and happy I will be! " someone wrote to Hu Ping: "Miss ping: I will never forget the girl in spirit, in Yintan On a promising silver star, there is someone here who respects and loves you. People say that movie stars are the lovers of the public, so I think I love you as frankly as possible! " These words look like today, and today’s The way young fans express their love to their favorite "idols" is not much different, just saying that the voice has the characteristics of their own era. But there is a word in the letter that can express the status of female stars in the hearts of many fans during the Republic of China, that is, "the lover of the public", which shows how much male audiences at the time liked these young and beautiful female stars.


The modern girl on the cusp: How did people view female stars in the Republic of China? - Lujuba

Ruan Lingyu stills

But behind the countless glamour, the female stars of the Republic of China were linked to "sex" in many people's minds, especially when many female stars at that time exposed various entertainment gossip news. For example, after Ruan Lingyu’s love-hate entanglement with Tang Jishan and Zhang Damin was exposed by various Shanghai entertainment tabloids, Ruan Lingyu went from a "goddess" whom everyone admired to an unbearable woman with corrupt private life and corrupt life style. Many people even regarded her. Linked with "prostitutes" to physically attack her. Under countless ridicule and strong public opinion pressure, Ruan Lingyu chose to end her life by suicide. Ruan Lingyu’s situation clearly reflects the demanding requirements for female celebrities at that time. They are not only required to be beautiful and beautiful, but also to be great and bright "artists", and their private lives are healthy. This is in line with the public's beauty for female stars. Image imagination.


The modern girl on the cusp: How did people view female stars in the Republic of China? - Lujuba

Ruan Lingyu stills

Wen Shijun said :

Today's society is still full of entertainment gossip and all kinds of news about actors and stars, and the speed of celebrity replacement is even more jaw-dropping. The actresses of the Republic of China were the first generation of Chinese people who actually appeared on the "big screen", whether it was their enviable wealth and status, or the identity of a "literary and artistic worker" who was created intentionally or unintentionally , Or the dream lover of many male fans, the female celebrities of the Republic of China also suffered countless criticisms when wearing a halo.

and these criticisms are also very normal today. Of course, there are a lot of so-called celebrities, because of their unscrupulous lives. But everyone who "eats melons" in front of the screen should also think about whether we take too much of the inherently dark side of human nature, such as prying eyes and hatred for wealth."Of course"? Some people always say that it is human nature to love gossip, but should such nature really expand uncontrollably?

References:

1. Wan Xiaonan: "Artists? Popular Lovers?-Film Actresses in Shanghai in the 1930s (1930—1935)", "Lanzhou Academic Journal" 2014, Issue 04.

2. Wang Wujun: "Hundred Flowers Award" during the Republic of China: "Movie Queen" Selection Activity", "Hubei Archives", Issue 06, 2013.

(Author: awe-inspiring literature and history · Liu Yue)

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