The movie "Mui Yanfang" is like a stone, stirring up ripples in the inner world of Hong Kong people, which will not disperse for a long time, because it evokes many memories that seem to be near and far away - it was an era of openness, no one engaged in ethnic hatred, no Hong Kong people denied that they were Chinese.
Mei Yanfang's glory years spanned the return of 1997. She is passionate about public welfare and never hides her voice on public issues. During the 1991 flood in East China, she and many celebrities in the entertainment industry participated in fundraising for disaster relief.
Originally from Hepu, Guangxi, she always has a Chinese heart, does not support "Hong Kong independence," and has no separatist ideas. Later, she also performed on CCTV and the Great Hall of the People several times, which was welcomed by the broad masses of the people. She has established a deep friendship with friends Chinese mainland showbiz, including directors such as Zhang Yimou and Feng Xiaogang. They can't forget Mei Yanfang's alcohol and boldness, saying that she is a female Haojie, righteous and thin.
This time the movie "Mei Yanfang" was screened in Chinese mainland, and many famous actors such as Sun Li and HaiQing were tearful and missed this big sister in the art world.
Mei Yanfang's influence has also expanded to the global Chinese community. Her songs and films are also all the rage in Southeast Asia. The movie "Mei Yanfang" is also very popular in Malaysia, evoking the memories of her singing and Qianying's wild ride in Nanyang in the past. In fact, in the 1980s, Hong Kong pop songs and movies dominated the Cross-Straits and the global Chinese community, and many female students in Taiwan were still "star chasers" of Hong Kong films, worshipping the free-spiritedness of Hong Kong stars, and Mui Yanfang was the most personality and image-changing idol-level artist.
The history of Mei Yanfang's personal growth is also the history of Hong Kong people's struggle to break through, even if she is humble, she can rely on her own efforts to break through the barriers of class with her songs, so that acting skills can resolve discriminatory eyes. Although she only has a second year of secondary school, she has taught herself English and Japanese, and has swept the international music scene. This all shows that the spirit of hard self-study and perseverance of Hong Kong people in those years has become an invisible driving force for the soaring competitiveness of the city.
Her personality is very grinning, and she is a righteous and unscrupulous person. She often lent money to her friends and didn't care if they paid it back. She is very supportive of the younger generations in the art world and does not ask for anything in return. Most of her eleven relationships were vigorous. The Japanese singer Makoto Kondo whom she met when she debuted became the favorite of her life. Although he is a "scumbag" in the eyes of fans, he is circling between different beautiful female singers, including Nakamori Akira and Matsuda Seiko. However, before her death, Mei Yanfang flew to Japan to meet him, but did not disclose that she would soon die.
The movie "Mui Yanfang" is not only a collective memory of Chinese people around the world, but also a collective psychological healing effect for Hong Kong people. In a movie theater wearing a mask, relive a passionate era without political rifts, without yellow-blue strife, and without social media to spread hatred.
This article was originally published in Asia Weekly, No. 48, 2021, and the original title was "Hong Kong People Need Collective Psychological Healing Effect".