In the long history of film in Shanghai and even across the whole country, the name Ruan Lingyu is like a bright star, shining with unique radiance. In her short life of 25 years, she made 29 films but also passed away at this flowery age. She was elected as one of the "25 greatest Asian actors in history" by CNN. The China Film Association held academic seminars for her, and the University of Hong Kong even set up courses on her and Chinese films. She is Ruan Lingyu.
On April 26, 1910, Ruan Lingyu, whose ancestral home is Guangdong, was born in Shanghai. Her father, Ruan Yongrong, was a worker at the Asia Oil Depot in Pudong, Shanghai. Due to overwork, he died of tuberculosis at the age of 44 when Ruan Lingyu was only 6 years old. A year later, Ruan Lingyu's mother took her to work as a maid in a large family surnamed Zhang in Shanghai. It was here that 7-year-old Ruan Lingyu met Zhang Damin, the fourth young master of the Zhang family, for the first time. At that time, Zhang Damin was probably around 14 years old. His specific date of birth is unknown, but inferred from his date of death, he was probably about seven years older than Ruan Lingyu.
This encounter became the first nightmare in her life. Since she couldn't move around freely, Ruan Lingyu's childhood living space was confined to the backyard where the servants lived, and she spent her days in loneliness and restraint. However, Ruan Lingyu's mother was a woman with ideas. She deeply understood that Ruan Lingyu couldn't live as the daughter of a servant all her life. She must find a way to make her stand out.
So, when Ruan Lingyu was 8 years old, her mother sent her to a nearby private school. She got a formal name, "Ruan Yuying." A year later, the enlightened mother felt that the "Three Character Classic" and "Lessons for Girls" in the private school were too outdated. So, she begged the eldest master of the Zhang family by all means to let Ruan Lingyu enter Chongde Girls' School founded by American missionaries at half price (the eldest master of the Zhang family was a school trustee).
In 1925, 15-year-old Ruan Lingyu was already graceful and beautiful. At this time, Zhang Damin, the fourth young master of the Zhang family, had obtained a diploma from a diploma mill and was unemployed at home. He idled around during the day and went to dance halls at night, becoming a standard "young master" (a local term in Shanghai referring to a rich young man without any survival skills and relying on his family).
Zhang Damin met Ruan Lingyu by chance and immediately fell in love with her at first sight and launched a passionate pursuit. His pursuit methods were nothing new. He just followed Ruan Lingyu to the park and pretended to encounter her by chance. After knowing the books she liked, he bought them and put them where she could see them, claiming that he was also reading them. He also often helped Ruan Lingyu's mother. But for 15-year-old Ruan Lingyu who grew up in a humble and insecure environment, Zhang Damin was fair-skinned and handsome, and soon she fell in love with him.
The news that the fourth young master of the Zhang family was in love with the daughter of a servant spread to Zhang Damin's mother, that is, the eldest wife of the Zhang family. Just like in all love dramas, the mother couldn't accept this relationship at all and demanded an immediate end. Zhang Damin chose to obey his mother but also claimed to "defend love." He suggested that Ruan Lingyu move out and live with him in secret. So, the mother and daughter of the Ruan family were arranged by Zhang Damin to live in Hongqingfang on North Sichuan Road in Shanghai. At the age of 16, Ruan Lingyu chose to drop out of school and began to live with Zhang Damin.
However, what could Zhang Damin bring to Ruan Lingyu? Except for some pocket money and sweet words, there was nothing else. How long can love maintained by sweet words last? A few months later, Zhang Damin returned to his dissipated life, and the living expenses he gave Ruan Lingyu became less and less. If Zhang Damin had abandoned Ruan Lingyu when they were financially strapped, it might have been a kind of luck for her.
But just then, a person who changed Ruan Lingyu's fate appeared. He was Zhang Huichong, Zhang Damin's elder brother. Zhang Huichong was also a well-known figure in the history of the Republic of China. He had a small film company. To help Ruan Lingyu make a living, he suggested that she go for an interview as a film actor. Ruan Lingyu followed his advice and participated in the interview of the Star Film Company. Without any acting experience, she was spotted at a glance by director Bu Wancang and was cast as the leading actress in "Nominal Couple." Later, she starred in a series of films and began to emerge.
Stepping onto the road of acting was both a stroke of luck and the beginning of a tragedy for Ruan Lingyu. At first, most of the films she took on at the Star Film Company were low-budget ones with little influence. She was even called a "vase" and a "seductive woman" due to frequently taking on martial arts films. Also, due to a feud with the film company boss, she once fell into a situation where there were no roles for her. It wasn't until she received an invitation to film from Lianhua Company in 1929 that her film career took a turn for the better.
At the end of 1929, director Sun Yu, who had returned from studying in the United States, adapted the French novel "Camille" into the film "Spring Dream in Old Capital" and boldly cast Ruan Lingyu and Jin Yan as the leading actors. After the film was released, it received rave reviews. Ruan Lingyu was also hired as an actor by Lianhua Film Company. Before the "January 28th Songhu Battle" broke out in 1932, she successively filmed several popular films and got rid of the image of a "vase" with her excellent acting skills and became a first-line female star.
Director Sun Yu evaluated her: "Making films with Ruan Lingyu is the greatest pleasure for any director. With a little guidance before shooting, she quickly understands the director's intention. In most cases, she always succeeds in one take and rarely needs retakes. The scenes she shoots in front of the camera are often much better and more brilliant than what the director imagined before entering the shooting site." Famous actor Zhao Dan said: "When Ruan Lingyu puts on a nun's robe, she becomes a nun. When she changes into a female worker's clothes and holds a lunch box in her hand and goes to the group of female workers in the factory to work with her sisters, it's almost impossible to tell that she is an actress." Director Zheng Junli evaluated: "During the shooting time, Ruan Lingyu is usually casual and relaxed: sometimes joking, sometimes knitting, sometimes eating snacks. On the surface, she seems to be listening to the director's simple instructions casually. But as soon as she stands in front of the camera, in an instant, her expression, emotion, and movements naturally and improvisationally flow out according to the needs of the role. There is no forced or exaggerated behavior, nor any trace of conscious design. Everything appears pure, fresh, and appropriate. At this time, she and the role have merged into one. But as soon as the director gives the order to stop, she effortlessly takes off her mental makeup and returns to her cheerful and relaxed original appearance." Zheng Junli concluded that the reason why Ruan Lingyu could act so freely and naturally was not only due to her talent but also because the roles she played were always closely related to her own life experiences, such as weak women oppressed by feudal forces, women in the dust played by rich men, and women who break traditional marriage concepts.
If suffering is an experience, then Ruan Lingyu's "experience" road has just begun. The first trouble she encountered was Zhang Damin. Zhang Damin had no survival skills and relied on his family for support. After the eldest master of the Zhang family passed away, he spent all the inheritance he received and became addicted to gambling and owed high-interest loans. So, he set his sights on Ruan Lingyu. At first, Ruan Lingyu was willing to support him, but soon she found that he was a "rogue + bottomless pit." Gradually, Ruan Lingyu didn't want to give him money anymore. Then Zhang Damin showed his ugly face and threatened to expose to tabloid reporters that she had lived with him since she was 16 years old. He even intimidated her with tidbits about the movie star Hu Die's divorce lawsuit.
Ruan Lingyu cared about face and was a star. Afraid of Zhang Damin's threat, she could only satisfy his demands again and again. She also tried to find solutions. For example, she asked the boss of Lianhua Film Company to help Zhang Damin get the position of manager of Guanghua Theater with a monthly salary of 120 silver dollars (at that time, the monthly salary of ordinary performers and staff of Lianhua Film Company was only 40 silver dollars). She thought that if a man had a proper job, he would calm down. But she underestimated the fighting power of a scumbag.
In 1932, the "January 28th Songhu Battle" broke out. Ruan Lingyu, like many actors, went to Hong Kong to avoid the war and took Zhang Damin with her. In Hong Kong, before she could get rid of the first scumbag, she met the second scumbag - Tang Jishan.
Tang Jishan was a wealthy businessman famous throughout Southeast Asia. He was in the tea business and was also a major shareholder of Lianhua Film Company where Ruan Lingyu worked. They met at a social occasion. Tang Jishan was charmed by Ruan Lingyu and launched a passionate pursuit. At first, Ruan Lingyu evaded him. But Tang Jishan was far superior to Zhang Damin in terms of appearance, wealth, and tenderness. Ruan Lingyu, who longed for a support, gradually developed feelings for him and started dating.
At this time, Ruan Lingyu received a letter from Zhang Zhiyun. Zhang Zhiyun was also a movie star once. She had a similar temperament to Ruan Lingyu. She was Tang Jishan's "current girlfriend." In the letter, Zhang Zhiyun told Ruan Lingyu that Tang Jishan had a legal wife in Guangdong. Because he made his fortune relying on his wife's family's financial and political power, he didn't dare to divorce. Her today would be Ruan Lingyu's tomorrow. But Ruan Lingyu, who was in love, thought this was just a woman's jealousy and didn't take the letter seriously. She believed that Tang Jishan sincerely wanted to spend his life with her.
After returning to Shanghai, Ruan Lingyu left Zhang Damin and moved into a beautiful three-story small western-style building bought by Tang Jishan on Xinzha Road and began to live with him. As for Zhang Damin, he was also restless in Hong Kong. Through Ruan Lingyu's relationship, he became a comprador on the Ryan of the Taikoo Steamship Company. But he misappropriated public funds and squandered them all in Macau casinos. Helplessly, he could only return to Shanghai to find Ruan Lingyu. Ruan Lingyu found him a lucrative job as the director of the tax office in Fuqing County, Fujian Province.
In April 1933, Zhang Damin returned to their former residence and found that Ruan Lingyu had moved out. After learning that she had moved into Tang Jishan's small western-style building, Zhang Damin found Ruan Lingyu and demanded compensation for "breakup fees." To get rid of him, Ruan Lingyu signed an "Agreement on Ruan Lingyu and Zhang Damin's Separation from Cohabitation," agreeing to give Zhang Damin 100 yuan per month for two years. She thought she could finally live happily with Tang Jishan. But she didn't know that the days of being abused by two scumbags in turn had just begun.
First of all, 100 yuan per month couldn't satisfy Zhang Damin's appetite. Soon he blackmailed Ruan Lingyu again and demanded 5,000 silver dollars. Ruan Lingyu consulted Tang Jishan. Naturally, Tang Jishan was reluctant to pay and didn't recommend her to give it either. He also said that Zhang Damin was a rogue. Ruan Lingyu hardened her heart and didn't give him any money. Zhang Damin then sued her in court, falsely accusing Ruan Lingyu of stealing valuable things from the Zhang family when she lived there and giving them to Tang Jishan. To prove his innocence, Tang Jishan asked Ruan Lingyu to publish an announcement in the newspaper stating that although they lived together, they were financially independent and she had never given him anything. Because she loved Tang Jishan, Ruan Lingyu weakly did as he asked.
But she didn't expect that Tang Jishan soon had a new girlfriend, who was also her friend in the same circle named Liang Saizhen. From then on, Tang Jishan began to beat and scold Ruan Lingyu. Ruan Lingyu felt that she was on the verge of collapse.
Just then, she met the third man in her life - Cai Chusheng. Cai Chusheng was a director. You may not know his name, but you should know the movie "The Fisherman's Song." That was the first Chinese movie to win international acclaim. When Cai Chusheng was not famous, he once invited Ruan Lingyu to make a movie, but she declined. After he became famous, he invited Ruan Lingyu to star in his directed movie "New Women."
"New Women" was based on a true story. The prototype of the leading actress was Ai Xia, an actress of the Star Film Company. Ai Xia broke with her family due to opposition to an arranged marriage. She then experienced a heartbreaking love affair and committed suicide by taking poison at the age of 23. Cai Chusheng was Ai Xia's good friend. To commemorate her, he decided to make this movie. The first person he thought of for the leading actress was Ruan Lingyu.
After reading the script, Ruan Lingyu burst into tears, feeling that the leading actress was herself. When shooting the scene of the leading actress's suicide, all the staff were in tears. Ruan Lingyu was also so deeply involved in the role that she couldn't calm down after the shooting ended. Cai Chusheng asked the staff to leave and silently accompanied her. After chatting, they found that they had a lot in common. Like Ruan Lingyu, Cai Chusheng also climbed up from the bottom. Unlike most directors who returned from studying abroad, he started as a volunteer in a film studio and gradually made his way up.
Ruan Lingyu confided in Cai Chusheng about her story, including Zhang Damin and Tang Jishan. She said to Cai Chusheng: "How I wish to be a new woman, a new woman who can break free from her fate, but I am too weak." Only then did Cai Chusheng know that behind this glamorous big star was such a tragic story.
After the release of "New Women," it attracted much attention due to being directed by Cai Chusheng and starring Ruan Lingyu. But because there was a negative image of a tabloid reporter in the film, it was boycotted and attacked by the "Shanghai Press Association." Some newspapers also began to slander Ruan Lingyu. Ruan Lingyu, who was frustrated in both love and career, felt that she couldn't go on anymore. She regarded Cai Chusheng as her last straw and hoped he could take her far away. But although Cai Chusheng admired her, it was difficult for him to give up his film career. Moreover, he had a legal wife in the countryside. Ruan Lingyu, who had just finished acting in "New Women," had a premonition that her life had come to an end.
On the evening of March 7, 1935, Ruan Lingyu and Tang Jishan attended a gathering of Lianhua Film Company. During the banquet, Ruan Lingyu was chatting and laughing. At the end of the banquet, she bid farewell to everyone present one by one and warmly hugged all the female actors. Everyone thought she was a bit drunk and didn't think much of it. After returning to the small western-style building on Xinzha Road, Ruan Lingyu told her mother that she was hungry and wanted to eat a bowl of noodles. After her mother made the noodles, Ruan Lingyu took the bowl of noodles and walked into the bedroom. After one o'clock in the middle of the night, she wrote two suicide notes and poured three bottles of 30 sleeping pills into the bowl of noodles and ate them.
According to Ruan Lingyu's mother's recollection, Tang Jishan soon discovered that Ruan Lingyu had taken sleeping pills. At that time, Tang Jishan discussed with Ruan's mother how to send Ruan Lingyu to the hospital. At that time, there were many well-equipped church hospitals in the downtown area of Shanghai. If sleeping pill overdose was discovered early and handled properly, it could be saved. But Tang Jishan chose a Japanese-run Fumin Hospital in the suburbs because it was relatively secluded and not many people knew about it. Tang Jishan was afraid that if he sent Ruan Lingyu to a big hospital, it would cause a big commotion.
Tang Jishan drove all the way to Fumin Hospital. He found that there was no doctor on duty at night. After being transferred to a German hospital, there was also no doctor on duty. At more than five o'clock in the morning, more than four hours after Ruan Lingyu took the pills, Tang Jishan invited two private doctors. After gastric lavage by the private doctors, it was useless. When finally sent to the Zhongxi Sanatorium on Pushi Road, the best time for rescue had passed. At 6:38 pm on March 8, 1935, Ruan Lingyu's heart stopped beating.
When the news of Ruan Lingyu's death spread, it caused a great uproar throughout Shanghai and even the whole country. Everyone was eager to know what was exactly written in her suicide notes. At first, Tang Jishan was reluctant to present the notes. Only after being urged for a long time by the outside world did he take out two letters. One was addressed to Zhang Damin, stating that she had done nothing wrong to him and that she gave him one hundred yuan every month. At the end was the famous line: "Alas, my death is nothing to regret. However, I am still afraid of the power of public opinion. The power of public opinion is truly terrifying." The other letter was written to Tang Jishan, entrusting him to support her elderly mother and foster her adopted daughter. But these two suicide notes have always been questioned. Soon after, the "Siming Commercial News" came up with two other letters claiming to be "Ruan Lingyu's real suicide notes," which were said to be provided by Liang Saizhen, Tang Jishan's new lover. (After providing the suicide notes, Liang Saizhen and her sister disappeared.) In these two suicide notes, Ruan Lingyu's tone was even more intense.
There has always been a debate about the authenticity of the suicide notes. Nevertheless, Ruan Lingyu's funeral still had to be held. On March 14, 1935, Ruan Lingyu's coffin was moved from the Shanghai International Funeral Home to the Lianyi Mountain Villa Cemetery in Zhabei. Almost all of her friends before her death were present, nearly 300 people. At 1:10 pm, twelve big names in the Chinese film industry, including Jin Yan, Sun Yu, Fei Mu, Zheng Junli, Wu Yonggang, Cai Chusheng, and Li Minwei, carried the coffin onto the hearse. That day, the funeral procession was extremely long. Wherever the hearse passed, there were as many as 300,000 movie fans and ordinary people lining the streets. The correspondent of the New York Times in Shanghai, in astonishment, wrote a report saying, "This is the greatest funeral in the world." An illustration was also attached. In the funeral procession, there was a strong man with a white cloth tied on his head and wearing a dragon robe, implying that "if there were still an emperor in China, he would also come to attend the funeral." What is even more puzzling is that many movie fans followed Ruan Lingyu in death. Ms. Xiang Fuzhen from the Shanghai Institute of Drama and Film Research, Xia Chen's family, a movie fan in Shaoxing, and Zhang Meiying, a waitress at the Lianhua Cinema in Hangzhou, all committed suicide out of grief for Ruan Lingyu. On March 8, 1935 alone, five young girls in Shanghai committed suicide. Many fans in other places also committed suicide. The content of the suicide notes they left was mostly the same: "Ruan Lingyu is dead. What's the point of us living?!"
After Ruan Lingyu committed suicide, Lu Xun specially wrote an article titled "On the Power of Public Opinion." At the beginning, he mentioned Ruan Lingyu's death: "It's just like adding a few grains of salt to the boundless sea of people. Although it gives those who talk nonsense a little taste, soon it will be diluted, diluted, and diluted again."
Jean-S Says
For a long time, people have been keenly discussing "the power of public opinion" regarding Ruan Lingyu's death. For now, let's not discuss the authenticity of the suicide notes. I want to talk about Ruan Lingyu's character. Her experience is indeed worthy of sympathy, but her character also has flaws. Of course, this is related to the environment and background in which she grew up, and we can't blame her entirely. By extension, let's just talk about three symptoms that some women often have in relationships.
The first symptom is "love Stockholm syndrome." Just like "Stockholm syndrome," also known as "hostage complex" or "hostage syndrome," hostages will develop a psychological dependence on their captors. In relationships, some scumbags clearly torture women to death, but when others criticize that man, women will be the first to jump out and defend him: "This is my man. Mind your own business?!"
The second symptom is "Scheherazade complex." Scheherazade is the leading actress in "One Thousand and One Nights." In order to end the killing, she voluntarily told stories to the emperor and finally moved the emperor. Many girls have a "Scheherazade complex" in their hearts, hoping that they can be the one who moves and reforms a scumbag, becoming his last woman and the destination of love.
The third symptom is "Romeo and Juliet effect." Just like Romeo and Juliet, their love is opposed by their families, but they love each other even more deeply. Some girls, when their families and friends advise them to break up with a scumbag, instead become more determined to be with him. In the end, they don't even know if it's for love or to prove their rebellious spirit.
Compared to the social environment in which Ruan Lingyu lived more than 80 years ago, today's society is much more tolerant of women's requirements and shows much more respect for women. But overall, this society is still unfair to women and there are many discriminations. One of the manifestations is that in terms of emotional and marital issues, social public opinion is much more tolerant of men than women. Therefore, girls should be more vigilant, learn lessons, protect themselves, and stay away from scumbags.