In Hong Kong around the 1960s, Xia Meng could be called the most popular female star. Although she retired at the age of 33 and completely disappeared, the two labels she inadvertently left behind could not be removed for a lifetime: "Hepburn of the East" and "Jin Yong's dream lover".
The former one, of course, is to praise her talent and beauty, virtue and art, how to style, how to fall into the country, and how to be sought after by fans. She is the only one in the hearts of the older generation of fans in Xiangjiang who can work with Audrey. Hepburn's comparable female star, Li Hanxiang, said that "Xia Meng is the most beautiful actress in the history of Chinese cinema, which is intoxicating"; Ni Kuanglao came from exposing the troubles of that year, "Lingering in the cinema for three days, just to see Xia Meng, and he could not be driven away", which shows the charm of Xia Meng's past.
Another "nickname" involves a more long-standing celebrity gossip or affair, that is, a relationship with Jin Yong, if there is no half-truth and half-illusion. Some people have long said that Jin Yong has been married for three years in his life, but the only ideal woman he really loves is Xia Meng. This was the most secret piece of old thought buried in his heart, and the fragrant sideburns of the clothes also echoed in his works many times in the future- the immortal sister Wang Yuyan in the "Eight Parts of the Heavenly Dragon", which can confirm that the prototype is Xia Meng. Jin Yong is a Pisces, and the other side of Pisces is serious and subtle, deep and righteous.
Commentators say that Huang Rong and Wang Yuyan both have the shadow of Xia Meng
Jin Yong himself never really denied this. Instead, Xia Meng, after the brilliant to the extreme, only sought to live a quiet life, and in the second half of her life, she always deliberately diluted the ambiguous relationship with Jin Yong, allowing the outside world to make a big fuss, all quietly and silently, not admitting or denying, and its meaning was vague and unclear. However, it is quite interesting that after several decades of transit, her name can still make the world hang on its lips, and to the greatest extent, it is still given by jin Yong, the "gossip boyfriend".
It is not difficult to understand, although she has left more than 40 masterpieces in her 17-year acting career, which is itself a legend of the Republic of China, but after all, they are all "past stars" 60 years ago, and the entertainment industry is the most snobbish vanity fair, is it like "the evergreen tree of literature"?
This old gossip between Jin Yong and Xia Meng is confusing, and the talker is Mei Fei Yue. Now the good thing goes back to at least two very subtle points:
Xia Meng was young
1, more or less as above, that is, the rhyme of this affair, Jin Yong talks very little but does not shy away, and mainly sends affection to the work, which can be called "Si Xun Qi's words are incinerated, and the servants have more residual feelings", and the remaining feelings are long. The other party, Xia Meng, has always been full of words and shadows, if there is a hidden secret; 2, the two seem to be talented and beautiful, and Jin Yong's future achievements are even more eye-catching, but in fact, Xia Meng did not dare to admit that he rejected Jin Yong, which was completely a unrequited love affair of "falling flowers intentionally flowing water".
Yang's Hongnong Yizhuang, No. 8, Chaotang Lane, Suzhou, came forward in the summer of 1995 to raise funds for restoration
Now it seems that around 1958, Jin Yongna would be only 30 years old, not a small clerk, but dared to pursue Xia Meng, a big star who dumped all sentient beings, which was definitely a bit "self-sufficient". Xia Meng, formerly known as Yang Mengmeng , was born in Suzhou in a family of generations (later the dormitory of the Second Dyeing and Weaving Factory in Suzhou was the Yang Family Residence), a descendant of Yang Yangao, the qianlong dynasty leader, whose father was also a famous banker on the beach in the Republic of China. His mother, Ge Luxi, is not an idle person, a school flower, a famous woman, a poetry writer, and a well-known tango artist. This is a rich family, Jin Yong comes from a small landlord family that has declined, and in the past it was also not a good match.
The unit where Jin Yong worked in the 1950s
The Yang family is also an artistic family. Xia Meng's grandfather Yang Shuding loved Peking Opera, and her 4 aunts were all senior ticket fans, and asked Cheng Yanqiu to be a teacher. And Xia Meng himself, when he was in school, liked to read Shakespeare (the stage name "Xia Meng" is derived from the Shakespeare opera "The Dream of Midsummer Night"), loved drama performance, regarded Huang Zongying as an idol, was a peking opera and Yue opera connoisseur, and his talent was too outstanding, and he soon shined in his acting career after going to Xiangjiang, and it was logical to catch it. In the 1950s, she was introduced by her classmates to audition for the newly established "Great Wall Film Company" to "play and play", and was immediately photographed. Under the packaging of the Great Wall, after participating in several films, Xia Meng became a hit without suspense and became one of the most well-known female stars of that era.
It is said that when she starred in "Nyonya" in 1952, Guan Shan was still the "little brother" who ran errands for her, and it was not until 10 years later that she became famous and gave birth to a daughter, named Guan Zhilin.
Guan Zhilin when she was young
Now it is generally said that around 1957, Jin Yong, who was edited in the Ta Kung Pao and had a promising future, would hastily resign, and suddenly changed his career to writing a script, and was willing to commit himself to the Great Wall Film and Television as a small screenwriter, the purpose of which was to get close to Xia Meng. At that time, Jin Yong was 37 years old, while Xia Meng was only 24 years old.
Jin Yong earns extra money for writing film reviews, and he likes Xia Meng when watching movies. In the 1957 edition of "Essays on the Three Swords Building", Jin Yong had an article entitled "Happiness and Dignity - The French Talk about Chinese", which mocked himself: One day, as a journalist, he had dinner with a French producer, and there was a female star Shi Hui. "After a half-day of pleasant conversation", when they were about to separate, people suddenly asked, "Mr. Zha, how come you are always Xia Meng, not to mention Shi Hui", and everyone will laugh in the hall. Judging from this "master's own way", Jin Yong's feelings for Xia Meng are afraid that they have long exceeded the scope of "movie fans".
Shi Hui was born in 1934 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province
From February 1955 onwards, the book "Book of Swords and Vengeance" began to be serialized, and the writer Jin Yong became famous and was heavily relied on in the newspaper. However, in May 1957, Jin Yong suddenly resigned without warning, left the "Ta Kung Pao" where he had worked for 10 years, put away the volunteer of "being a first-rate newspaperman", turned around and entered the Great Wall Film Company with unclear prospects, and demoted Lu Gui to become a small screenwriter, which confused the people around him. This sudden transformation, the writer He Nan later wrote "Jin Yong Biography" analysis, there are no more than three reasons:
1, when the reporter's salary is too low, not enough to support the family - the "Ta Kung Pao" monthly salary of 380, and he writes the script according to the amount of 3000 per film, the disparity is disproportionate; 2, he writes film reviews for 3 years, thinks he is experienced, has a wide network in the entertainment industry, and intends to embark on the road of directing; and the last point, it is inevitable that he can meet with the "dream lover" Xia Meng. "Think of "Tang Bohu Points Autumn Fragrance", Tang Bohu in order to get close to his crush Qiu Xiang, at the expense of selling himself to sneak into the rich as a slave, my move is not nothing, compared to it is far behind", this is the original words of Jin Yong in his later years.
From 1957 to 1959, the three years of Great Wall Film and Television were Jin Yong's most silent years, and it was also the 3 years when he almost frantically wrote the script. Researchers have long investigated that most of Jin Yong's scripts are tailor-made for Xia Meng, which can be seen from the name of "debut work" "Absolute Beauty". Moreover, in order to create more contact opportunities, Jin Yong painstakingly wanted to be a director, and finally got his wish, the famous "Wang Tiger Robs Relatives" is starring Xia Meng, Jin Yong wrote and directed.
At that time, Jin Yong, obsessed with Xia Meng, seemed to be a well-known "secret". In Ai Tao's "New Biography of Jin Yong", Jin Yong did not think about it for Xia Mengcha, and reached the point of being very crazy. The famous writer Shen Xicheng is deeply involved in the Hong Kong literary scene, and his article "Jin Yong and Ni Kuang" said that Ni Kuang had personally told him, "Jin Yong fell in love with a beautiful female star." The most straightforward "evidence" may come from Jin Yong's film review text: "The summer dream in life is really beautiful, and its bright light makes me dazzled; the summer dream on the screen is more beautiful, and the style of the star makes me speed up my heartbeat, and the soul hooks it"... Where can the black and white words be erased?
Xia Meng is 4 years younger than Hepburn, known as the "Hepburn of the East", and has always regarded him as an idol
It is said that around 1957, one night in a café next to the Kowloon Houwang Temple, Jin Yong invited Xia Meng out to dinner. After three rounds of drinking. Jin Yong had the courage to confess, but Xia Meng regretted it. And it was this refusal that made Jin Yong leave the Great Wall Film and Television in disgrace, turn around and found ming Pao, relying on 20,000 yuan of savings, to open the "third career" of his life - so Li Hanxiang would say, "Xia Meng rejected Jin Yong, but Jin Yong did not fail."
Why Xia Meng rejects Jin Yong, many people think that it is "poor and loves rich", and big stars can't look at the "phoenix man" before the beginning. The famous columnist Ha Gongsheng and Jin Yong had a lot of friendship, and once said publicly, "Mr. Jin is dedicated to feelings, and he once loved a female star, who was a first-class big beauty, and our Mr. Cha, at that time, was just a small screenwriter and novelist, of course, he could not get the favor of beautiful people."
Writer Shen Xicheng
Of course, this is a misinterpretation, and it is a matter of taking Xia Meng," the "female star," for granted. Only because, although Xia Meng has been in Vanity Fair for many years, in fact, it proves that she has no interest in fame and fortune. When Xia Meng was red and purple, he also always left his life independent, humble and kind, did not set foot in the place of red wine and greenery, and maintained the record of "0 scandals" in 17 years of art. At that time, she rented a small apartment on Jialin Side Road in Kowloon City alone, and the rent was 300 yuan per month, which was extremely simple compared to her identity.
Therefore, in the pen of the film critic Ishikawa, "Xia Meng is the embodiment of the ideal woman in the heart of the traditional scholar, and also the dream lover of the dream of the Republic of China literati." Xia Meng was very simple until his old age, and Andy Lau also once thanked the predecessor for his "harmonious face" in the reminiscence article, and praised her "simplicity and no hua" - in 1982, the "newcomer" Andy Lau participated in the movie "Running to the Fury Sea", and the producer was Xia Meng behind the retirement curtain.
Andy Lau that year
The main reason, perhaps the Jin Yong of that day is not well understood, is that Xia Meng is already a married woman, and she is a woman who adheres to tradition, and she "hates when she does not meet and is not married". When Xia Meng was 18 years old, she fell in love with Cen Fan, a director who was famous for directing "The True Biography of A Q", and finally because Cen Fan returned to the mainland in 1951 to break the Queqiao Bridge, Cen Fan did not marry for the rest of his life; 4 years later, the disheartened Xia Meng, under the control of his family, married Lin Baocheng, a foreign firm employee who had only one side.
Fortunately, Lin was a highly qualified student at St. John's University, versatile and knowledgeable, and his marriage was enviable for the rest of his life. Xia Meng falls in love with Cen Fan and chooses the small clerk Lin Baocheng, which can prove that her love does not value money. In terms of income, how many people in that era were more generous than her? If she stared at the money, why did Xia Meng, at the most brilliant time of her career, retreat from the rapids, be willing to be a merchant's wife, and grow old with her white head, never gossiping?
In his later years, Xia Meng and his wife
For Jin Yong's character and talent, Xia Meng of course also appreciates it, and in the future, he praised it a lot, and xia and his wife became friends with Jin Yong. Xia Meng's rejection is self-respect and self-love, and it is also right. The so-called Golden Summer Love, clearly speaking, is a crush. Xia Meng's lifelong silence is not so much a cover-up as it is to maintain the dignity of the deceased.
At that time, Jin Yong, who was obviously also a person with a wife and a family, why would he play with fire so much, and it has been criticized for many years. But the hidden feelings in this are also worth mentioning.
One is that the fact that Xia Meng is married may not be known to Jin Yong. The film companies of that era, when packaging stars, also had an unwritten tacit understanding, that is, their signature characters, if they were married, they were also required to keep their mouths shut, so as not to be protested by "fans". In the early days, Xia Meng may have abided by this rule, coupled with her low-key temperament, I am afraid that she will not take the initiative to publicize it. One piece of evidence is that on September 30, 1954, when Xia Lin got married, he did not make a big fuss, but just drove to the court to register the marriage.
Another grievance is more secretive, involving a major sad incident in Jin Yong's life, that is, the "affair" of his first wife. Jin Yong's first wife, Du Zhifen, was met when he was working at the Oriental Daily in Hangzhou in 1947, and Jin Yong went to Hong Kong's Ta Kung Pao, and Du Zhifen also went with him, living a hard and monotonous life in a foreign country. At that time, Jin Yong, a no-name pawn, a newcomer to the press, was extremely busy at work, not only repeatedly working overtime until late at night, but even most of them ate and lived in the unit, and the newlywed wife was bound to be left out in the cold. Du Zhifen was born well, pampered, and lonely, and the marriage naturally cracked, and the feelings cracked, to the point of frequent quarrels.
A marriage leaves only one wedding photo
What is more troublesome is that when Jin Yong began to get involved in film and television, Du Zhifen deeply felt that his life was boring, and he also frequently dealt with people in the film and television circle, thinking that his face was good and he could also be a "female star". In this process, Du Zhifen got to know some male actors "confidants" and had extramarital affairs. This was intolerable to Jin Yong, and the two divorced by agreement, and Du Zhifen returned to the mainland alone. The two did not even have a son and a half daughter. This hidden affair has not been known to the world for a long time, and it was not until Shangguan Shenghong wrote "The Biography of Jin Yong" in 2018 that it was disclosed in more detail.
The psychological trauma caused by this deformity to Jin Yong is enormous. At that time, his main pen name was "Lin Huan", which was actually formed from the side of their respective surnames "Cha" and "Du", "Huan" for "Lin", and "owed" because of Lin, the meaning was clear.
That is to say, it was probably during that time that Jin Yong, who was extremely disappointed in marriage, transferred his feelings to the "dream lover" Xia Meng, and finally ended up lonely.
Jin Yong is a lifelong desire for love. In 1994, Jin Yong gave a speech at Peking University and once said that his favorite love was love at first sight, and then he grew old with a white head.
His love for Xia Meng never seemed to have been put down. When he left the Great Wall Film and Television and founded Ming Pao for many years and achieved great success, one year Xia Meng traveled abroad, Jin Yong even set up a special column, the name is "Summer Dream Travel", public opinion is in an uproar, Jin Yong went his own way. With Jin Yong's steady personality, this is a very "libertine skeleton" side. His martial arts, wrote so much love, almost all of them are true love that disregards the door, breaks the identity, and ignores the status, is it not full of meaning?
He has also written a lot of love triangles, Chen Guanyuan in "Book of Swords and Vengeance", Bai Shi Ding in "Chivalrous Travel", Zhao Qiansun and Tan couple in "Tianlong Eight Parts", Tian Miaonan in the "Snow Mountain Flying Fox" series, etc., all of which are sad and sad endings, is there a shadow of himself in this? When the past is over, Yoshimitsu Kataba's memories are inconvenient to leave, and passion and secrecy will be transformed into the old waters and disappear, the "novel" of "the creation of hearsayers" has become the best outlet. "All works are autobiographies of writers", Yu Dafu's words are not unfounded.
Middle-aged summer dreams
In his later years, Xia Meng was still in contact with Jin Yong, and the two families had close contacts as friends of the past. After she disappeared, she no longer appeared on the screen, but retreated behind the scenes to promote the future, such as Xu Anhua, Andy Lau, Lin Zixiang, Si Qinggaowa and other well-known artists have received many favors from her, and she herself has won various awards as a producer. For example, the New York International Film Festival, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and even the award-winning films such as Cannes and the Academy Awards have her dedication behind it.
However, in the second half of her life, she has always lived in simplicity, especially after 2010, with the departure of her friend Feng Lin and her husband Lin Baocheng, she has become even more isolated. Until October 30, 2016, silently bid farewell to the world, xiang disappeared from the clouds and there was no other word. A few years before her death, once, when the reporter asked about the "scandal" with Jin Yong, she only calmly replied, "I and Jin Yong, in fact, it is better not to say." 57 years and 10 words, it seems that nothing has been said, and everything has been clarified.
Chen Luyu interviewed Xia Meng
Jin Yong also seemed to be getting older and more indifferent. In the original version of "Tianlong Babu", after the immortal sister Wang Yuyan and Duan Yu exchanged heartfelt complaints in the dry well, they both returned to Dali. This is obviously the perfect ending to Jin Yong's fantasy, seeking a spiritual comfort for realistic regrets. In 2005, the 81-year-old man rewrote the "new revised version", Wang Yuyan did not follow Duan Gongzi, but accompanied his cousin Murong Fu away, and the words of "continuing the relationship in the afterlife" were clearly what Xia Meng said to him in the café that year.
Today's Fengling Ferry
Perhaps, until this time, a generation of masters Jin Yong, for the love and hatred of the past, really opened up, the state of mind has been clear.