Brigitte Lin's classic image in the movie "The Swordsman: The Invincible". Data map
In October 2023, the 60th Golden Horse Awards opened and ended in Taipei. Immediately, a new wave of "Brigitte Lin Cyclone" set off in the Chinese-speaking world. Texts, pictures, and videos were overwhelming. Today, more than a month later, Qingxia's The image and sound still dominate the screen. The world of movies and the ocean of the Internet are full of people talking about Qingxia's return to the spotlight, sighing that her condition is so perfect, how can time not do anything to her, time will only make her beauty more mellow. Will the "Invincible from the East" back then turn around and jump onto the screen again to re-interpret her best cross-dressing?
Everyone saw Qingxia's confidence, chic, and strong aura when she received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Only a few good friends knew the hard work behind her. Sitting among Qingxia's relatives and friends, from the moment she gracefully appeared on the stage to her graceful retreat, I could really see her refinement, her accumulation, and her cultivation. It’s hard to find someone more persistent and dedicated than Qingxia in the world. News of the award came a few months ago, and intense work began immediately. Qingxia requires herself to enter the most perfect state mentally and physically at the same time. She must be worthy of the word "lifelong", but she cannot be limited by it. In that short acceptance speech, every word was her own, and she carefully considered every word. The words seemed simple, but behind them was conciseness, and the echo was sonorous. The words "towards the next new milestone" in the last sentence are not empty words. It is too early to say "lifetime". This award is nothing more than another opportunity to turn around. Qingxia's genius was naturally seen more clearly by the audience. A stumble on the stage was smoothly integrated into her skillful performance that night. On that stage, she was a star, an idol, and a role model. She left easily and cleanly, leaving behind a textbook that only she could write, titled "How to Be a Star, How to Be a World".
The Peak Star
After returning from Taipei, I returned to my desk in Hong Kong. I dug out "The Swordsman: The Invincible East" and reread it. The first time I saw this movie was in the 1990s, when I was studying in the United States and the United States. I got started with Hong Kong and Taiwan movies and entered a multi-dimensional time and space in the Chinese-speaking world. The image of Brigitte Lin has been in my memory from the beginning. As for the "innocent beautiful girl" in her early years, I only realized it later and took up the course of romantic literary films very late. She took extra classes, but from beginning to end she was convinced that she in "Er Qin Er Lin" was a phantom, while Brigitte Lin under Tsui Hark's lens was a down-to-earth person.
Back then, I never would have imagined that one day I would become friends with Qingxia. The origin of our friendship coincided with the beginning of the epidemic of the century. At the turn of spring and summer that year, we met and became hiking partners every week. I am on the HKU campus at the foot of the mountain, and she is my "neighbor" on the second half of the campus. During the epidemic, most Hong Kong people stayed at home, and the cold Victoria Peak was our exclusive stage. After we walked for an hour and a half, we would sometimes order brandy with ice cream at the restaurant on the top of the mountain, but more often we would return to Qingxia’s mid-level study to continue our conversation over mellow aged Pu’er. This has been going on for more than three years, and I am the friend she sees the most, and she is also the friend I see the most. While walking and talking regularly, I often forget about her "larger than life" star aura. To me, she is actually a fun girlfriend who has endless stories, loves to tell stories, and dances with joy when she tells them. We started talking about Eileen Chang and other modern Chinese literature, but then we became less serious and started sharing our observations on various people and things, talking about men and women, parents and family relationships, children, clothing, makeup, and everything from the world. We talk about everything from big things to trivial matters.
I have written about her, and she has written about me, but we both forgot to write down the scene of our first mountain hike more than three years ago. It was a calm day, but there were some dark clouds in the sky. We said an umbrella would be enough. Unexpectedly, halfway through, the sky suddenly darkened and a heavy rain hit. The wind on the top of the mountain was strong, blowing from all directions, the umbrella was smashed into a fan, and the two of them were drowned in an instant, with a river and lake in each shoe.The top of the mountain has indeed become a vast river and lake amid the torrential waves. Between the sky and the earth, there is no one near or far, except for two chivalrous ladies in black, laughing and walking quickly.
The past few years of the epidemic have been a bit difficult. Qingxia is by my side and I can see clearly. I am lucky to have her wise company. Our respective calligraphy careers are intertwined and parallel. I watched her publish two books in succession, "In front of the mirror" and "Qingxia sketches", and mine "Origin from Hong Kong: Zhang Ailing's foreign land and world" "" was finally completed and published at her urging. In February 2023, at the lecture hall of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Hong Kong, she and I talked about our respective writing lives in front of an audience of 800 people. In early April, Qingxia was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Hong Kong, and I was the one who wrote and read the eulogy. Standing on one side of the stage of Loke Youtang and reading out the eulogy, Qingxia stood on the other side. She looked at me, and I looked back at her from the corner of my eyes. She couldn't help but be happy, but as for me, I read the eulogy with great joy. . The three and a half years of walking on the top of the mountain formed a solid timeline. How lucky I am to have such intersection and parallel life with her.
Brigitte Lin and Huang Xincun took a group photo at the 209th Degree Conferment Ceremony of the University of Hong Kong. Photo provided by the author
The epidemic is over and our weekly hiking continues, but the crowds at the top of the mountain have returned. Starting in 2023, tourist buses full of cars also drove up to the top of the mountain with hula hula. When I see a noisy group of people coming from the opposite side, I will remind Qingxia, hurry up, put on your mask and pull down the brim of your hat. Qingxia loves hats. There are all kinds of hats. The most useful one on the top of the mountain is the one with a wide brim. If you pull it down, you can pass through the crowd without wearing a mask. Generally, you will not be recognized. But of course there are surprises. Even though we were wrapped up tightly, we could still hear the surprised calls from the other side, "Wow, that's..." Sometimes we were dancing and walking, and I felt something strange behind me. When I looked back, I saw someone following me more than ten meters behind. A timid girl holding a camera in her hand. At this time, the best first aid is to pick up the pace. I walked fast, and Qingxia walked faster than me. When the two of them walked the fastest, they almost felt like they were walking over a wall. Rivers and lakes are everywhere.
folding rivers and lakes
When traveling in disguise, it is inevitable to be recognized in the crowd. The recognition of Qingxia's face and figure has been engraved in the genes of Chinese culture for generations. The movie image of The Invincible Dongfang is naturally engraved in the gene pool of Chinese-language movies. Since I first watched this movie in the 1990s, every time I watch it again, it seems to be related to some kind of encounter in my life. Back then, Tsui Hark used strong pen and ink to demonstrate the interweaving of gender, ethnic groups, and countries. The cross-border master of thirty years ago is still ahead of his time today. The gray area between good and evil found an opportunity to transcend the binary opposition of gender. Tsui Hark met Brigitte Lin, creating a brilliant chapter in Hong Kong cinema. The scene that fascinates me the most in the
movie is the debut of Dongfang Invincible nearly six minutes into the game. Thirty years ago, I was shocked when I first saw this film. Thirty years later, I was still shocked at the same moment when I revisited this film that had an enlightening significance in my student days. Tsui Hark, a genius, actually staged such an unparalleled appearance. A red phantom flew past Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan hanging on the cliff. The camera turned to focus on Dongfang Bubai in flight. He/she turned their head and stared at the camera. Above the red mask, sharp and bright Eyes and forehead, a moment of concentration in flight, a few short seconds were photographed into eternity. Such a boy/girl encounter is unique in the history of cinema.
In the straight flight, the horizon of the rivers and lakes was stretched very long, and Linghu Chong's confused eyes followed this long horizon. In the next set of shots, Dongfang Bubai, who was standing on the treetops, turned around and continued flying, facing the camera directly. The rustling branches swept away his mask, revealing a gender-fluid face. This was almost a declaration-like display, with his eyebrows raised, The look in his eyes is determined, capturing the peak of the golden age of cinema.
and Qingxia were walking on the top of the mountain and asked her to talk about the shooting situations of these scenes. Only then did she learn that this initial appearance was the last additional shot.On the day when all the scenes in "The Invincible" were completed, Qingxia invited Tsui Hark to dinner and thanked the director, and it was finally done. A trace of weirdness flashed across Tsui Hark's face, and he asked Qingxia, what time will we leave for the airport tomorrow morning? Nine o'clock, Qingxia answered. good! The director made a decisive decision, and before dawn the next day, the team returned to the location to shoot an additional set of Dongfang Invincible's debut. In fact, Tsui Hark and Cheng Xiaodong have already shot several different sets of appearance scenes. How to finally set the tone is a new concept after completing all the sub-shots of Invincible Oriental. Where can the iconic face be presented in a straightforward way? The red mask is a mechanism. After it is removed, the character shows his complete face in a suspended state, which creates a historic moment. Interestingly, Brigitte Lin, who was galloping in the air early in the morning, was thinking about her trip back to Taipei. Branches hit her and snatched her mask away. "At that time, I didn't even care about scratching my eyes and face. I just wanted to finish the filming quickly. Don't miss it." Got a flight."
Eastern Invincible's several classic shots are like a folded river and lake. When revisited thirty years later, one by one they are unfolded and taken a closer look. What is illuminated at this moment is not only the shooting situation, but also the youth. Xia's mental journey that year. When I was traveling with Qingxia, I also talked about how in the early 1990s, her life and career were in a "bottleneck" state, and she had been depressed for a long time. According to her own words, it was almost a deep "sadness." All the emotions erupted like a volcano in Dongfang Invincible's explosive character designs. The explosiveness of her acting skills is because the self that has been imprisoned for a long time has completely broken free from the shackles of the "innocent beautiful girl". The narrative of the film is naturally fictional, and the historical background is somewhat fictitious. However, the emotional communication in Qingxia's performance is absolutely true, accurate, and thorough. Both male and female, both good and evil, indistinguishable between male and female, good and evil, this character setting is tailor-made for Brigitte Lin at that critical juncture in her life. The catharsis of the role gave Qingxia an opportunity to reborn, which was a sublimation of her acting skills. It was also a decisive break away and a complete turn around in her personal life history. After Invincible in the East, "Brigitte Lin" as a cultural icon truly transcended the physical Lin Qingxia.
Unparalleled beauty is a gift from God. Qingxia's own saying is that "God rewards you with food", but in her enduring personal charm, there is no ambiguity about acquired skills. Brigitte Lin became "Brigitte Lin" step by step, originating from life and attributed to Life is bigger than life. In addition to the screen and stage, there is also the obsession and persistence for words and art in the past twenty years. Every raise of a hand and every smile are forged every word, every stroke, and every stroke. Bai Liusu, who was also an all-powerful heroine and had a wonderful comeback in Hong Kong after the war, stood up with a smile and kicked a mosquito coil tray off the table. From then on, the legend ended and there was no next chapter. Qingxia's legend has its own endless vitality and originality. In the continuous reversal and reconstruction, the "Brigitte Lin Qingxia whirlwind" is always lingering, and her popularity can be ignited at any time. Qingxia's world is foldable, stretchable and extendable. At this moment, the hostess in the study room on the mountainside stood up, laughed, put away half of the Jianghu spread on the table, and placed it on the bookshelf behind her. The world of
has always been hers.
(The author is a professor at the Department of Comparative Literature, University of Hong Kong)
Huang Xincun
Editor-in-chief Xing Renyan
