Wang Renmei, nicknamed "Wild Rose" and "Little Wild Cat".
She is not a standard beauty, but her temperament is unique:
Enthusiastic and cheerful, spicy and unrestrained, full of vitality and wild beauty, injected a healthy and fresh fresh air into the Chinese film industry in the 30s of the 20th century!
So, when "Wildcat" Wang Renmei meets "actor" Jin Yan and "cartoonist" Ye Qianyu, what kind of love sparks will collide?
In the middle of the back row is Wang Renmei
01
In 1914, Wang Renmei was born in Changsha, Hunan Province to a family of scholars.
Because she is the youngest child in the family and the character of a hot girl, Wang Renmei has been loved by her family since she was a child.
Where there is her, there is laughter.
Wang Renmei's father, Wang Zhengshu, taught at Hunan First Normal School, so he attached great importance to the education of his children.
He once sent his eldest son to study in Germany and instructed:
"Learn more advanced foreign technology, go home to develop national industry, and revitalize China!"
Under the influence of a scholarly family, Wang Renmei entered school, received education, and read poetry.
However, Wang Renmei's life is destined to be extraordinary.
The fate of strange women is mostly bumpy -
When she was 7 years old, her mother died of a sudden cerebral hemorrhage;
When she was 12 years old, her father was stung by a wasp in the yard, unfortunately suppurated, and died!
At this time, Wang Renmei had just put on her middle school uniform - gray blouse and black skirt, and was preparing to work hard at the Provincial No. 1 Girls' Normal School to become a math teacher like her father in the future.
But her father died suddenly, and the family's breadwinner fell, forcing her to interrupt her studies.
Later, Wang Renmei recalled this difficult time and said:
"A girl can become an old woman in one night."
Wang Renmei and the second and third brothers
02
At the age of 13, Wang Renmei defected to her brothers in Shanghai.
By chance, she entered Li Jinhui's "Bright Moon Song and Dance Club".
It is a professional cabaret performance group founded by Li Jinhui, the founder of Chinese pop music.
Here, Wang Renmei studied singing and performing arts, laying the foundation for her future star career.
Wang Renmei especially likes to laugh, and a neat white tooth has become her signature.
The signature smile and the temperament from the scholarly family made director Sun Yu fancy her.
Sun Yu immediately invited Wang Renmei to serve as the heroine of "Wild Rose" Xiaofeng, once this movie was broadcast, it not only made Wang Renmei famous, but also made her gain love.
What's going on?
Golden Flame
"Movie Emperor" Jin Yan plays Wang Renmei's young lover in "Wild Rose".
In reality, he is really in love with her, and often sneaks to find her in song and dance troupes.
Jin Yan's original name was Kim Delin, and his parents were originally Korean, because they were persecuted by Japanese imperialism, they traveled thousands of miles to exile with their children to China.
Jin Yan has experienced hardship and poverty since he was a child, but he does not admit defeat in his bones, and he changed his name to the word "Flame", which is to be as energetic and passionate as a flame!
One is a sunny and cheerful big boy, and the other is a girl with a strong heart and a righteous and sunny girl, Jin Yan and Wang Renmei are in love, and they believe that each other is their soul mate.
On New Year's Day 1934, 20-year-old Wang Renmei married 23-year-old Jin Yan.
"Wang Renmei and I fell in love when we co-produced Wild Rose. I admire her honest character, pure and simple, but also spicy and bold, and she quietly occupies a place in my heart, always bringing happiness to those around her. The two of us were happy and like-minded, and the two of us soon came together. "—Golden Flame
03
As can be seen from this group photo, the two are very husband and wife-
They are all thick eyebrows and big eyes, laughing with white teeth, innocent, male and female appearance, exuding an atmosphere of happiness and joy from the inside out.
The combination of "wild cat" and "actor" used to be a good story in Shanghai.
However, it is easy to fall in love, but it is too difficult to stay together.
Shortly after marriage, Wang Renmei became pregnant.
However, she was too young to know how to be a mother, so she went to play ball, swim, and even filmed the movie "Fishing Light Song" while pregnant.
In "Fishing Light Song", Wang Renmei played the heroine "Kitten", and also sang the theme song herself, and the film immediately caused a sensation in the entire Shanghai Beach as soon as it was screened, and became the first film in mainland China to win international honors.
Wang Renmei became popular and has since become a household star!
However, at the peak of her career, Wang Renmei gave birth to a premature baby.
The poor child died 8 days after birth because of his weak physique due to premature birth ...
Perhaps out of guilt for her children, or perhaps out of love for her husband, Wang Renmei had the idea of being a little woman at this time.
She gradually converged on her personality, put her film career aside, and devoted herself to housekeeping.
So much so that many friends quipped:
"Feral cats become house cats!"
That's right, Wang Renmei at that time lost some self for Jin Yan:
"I thought for a long time that a woman should silently give everything to her loved ones. So, after getting married, I followed him for almost a year. He contacted the studio and signed the contract for me. What about me? If there is a film to shoot, I will shoot it seriously, and I will not complain if there is no film to shoot. ”
04
However, her husband is busy making movies and is often not at home, so Wang Renmei is inevitably a little distressed and troubled.
In the end, she decided to go out of the house and continue filming.
Fortunately, from "Children of the Wind" to "Unstoppable Spring Light", Wang Renmei's masterpieces are one after another.
This made the somewhat macho Jin Yan a little dissatisfied, he thought:
"A man who earns money outside to support his family, a woman cooks at home, and then takes the man's opinion as his opinion on everything, which is a model couple."
He did not approve of his wife going out, which hurt Wang Renmei's self-esteem, and the couple gradually had differences.
In 1937, the Anti-Japanese War broke out in full force, and the Japanese invaders occupied Shanghai.
The Japanese wanted Jin Yan to make a movie for them, but Jin Yan of course refused.
In order to escape the entanglement of the Japanese, Jin Yan fled Shanghai with his wife and began an 8-year life away from home.
In the turbulent displacement, the couple lost their source of livelihood and searched for work in order to make ends meet.
In the end, Jin Yan chose to participate in the Chinese Opera Art Society in Chengdu, and Wang Renmei went to Kunming to join the Dapeng Opera Society.
The couple got together less and separated more, and the relationship slowly faded.
At this time, the Dapeng Opera Club was disbanded, and the unemployed Wang Renmei was admitted to the base of the material supply department of the US military headquarters in Kunming and became an English typist.
Jin Yan couldn't stand his wife working for the United States and filed for divorce after an argument.
"After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Jin Yan and I lacked to live together and understand each other. Jin Yan has a strong patriotic heart and wants to contribute to the war of resistance, but he also believes that his husband should support his wife. He disapproved of me joining the Dapeng Opera Club alone, and even more opposed me taking the liberty of applying for the English typist exam. He didn't understand the change in my mind after going through exile. With smoke all over the ground and mourning everywhere, how can I be a domestic cat with peace of mind? How can there be nothing ... He didn't understand me and thought I hurt his self-esteem. - Wang Renmei
In fact, both sides have some truth, but there is a lack of communication.
It was precisely because of the lack of communication that the two embarked on the road of no return to divorce.
In 1945, Wang Renmei and Jin Yan officially divorced, ending their 11-year marriage.
Middle-aged Wang Renmei
05
After the end of the Anti-Japanese War, Wang Renmei returned to Shanghai alone and lived alone for 10 years.
The breakdown of her marriage with Jin Yan deeply stimulated her.
She was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a time, but eventually survived.
After 2 years of divorce, Jin Yan married Qin Yi, who was 12 years younger than him.
At this time, Wang Renmei completely broke her thoughts, she entered the Beijing Film Studio, and since then she has devoted herself to the drama stage.
Fast forward 10 years, her friend matched her with the 47-year-old famous cartoonist - Ye Qianyu to form a new family.
This year, Wang Renmei was 41 years old and changed from a gorgeous girl to a middle-aged woman.
This is Wang Renmei's second marriage and Ye Qianyu's third marriage.
Ye Asa Yu when he was young
So, what happened to Ye Qianyu's first two marriages?
His first wife is called Luo Caiyun, and the two are arranged marriages by their parents.
Ye Qianyu did not love Luo Caiyun, but had 1 son and 1 daughter with her.
During this period, Ye Qianyu lived with the female painter Liang Baibo, and 3 years later, Liang Baibo turned around and married someone else because he could not get a title, and left Ye Qianyu.
His second wife is Dai Ailian, a returned overseas Chinese dancer.
The two have been together for 10 years, but Dai Ailian cheated on Xiao Xianrou's colleagues and filed for divorce from Ye Qianyu.
Therefore, Wang Renmei and Ye Qianyu did not marry because of love, but two people who were both in love and hurt, partnering with each other to live.
Without love in marriage, even if the husband and wife eat the same pot of rice and sleep in the same bed, the two hearts will still not be half close.
Wang Renmei Ye Qianyu
06
On the wedding day, Wang Renmei and Ye Qianyu had a conflict——
At that time, Wang Renmei instructed:
"When our old man and old lady get married, don't make a noise."
Who knows, the wind still leaked out.
Friends came and sent congratulatory gifts.
Ye Qianyu was excited and said:
"Then I'll invite my old friends to dinner!"
As a result, dozens of people flooded into the hotel, and Ye Qianyu spent nearly 200 yuan.
On his way back in the evening, he said to his wife in a mocking manner:
"I'm broke."
It turned out that Ye Qianyu spent a little money on hand, and he didn't save money at all on weekdays.
Wang Renmei was angry and funny, and scolded:
"Why should you treat you if you don't have money?!"
She had to pay for the necessary daily necessities and furniture.
At the time, a friend joked:
"Ye Qianyu made a wife's fortune!"
Kano Asayo manga work
In her later years, Wang Renmei commented on Ye Qianyu in her oral autobiography "My Fame and Misfortune":
"Ye Qianyu is a good painter, but not a good husband. I don't know anything but painting, and I have to worry about everything inside and outside the house. ...... You look at this home, how dirty and messy. Well, there are many, many other things that annoy me, don't say anything. Ye Qianyu is a person who is too immersed in his career, and it is really not easy to be the wife of this kind of person! ”
She also once discussed the reasons for the disharmony in life with Ye Qianyu in a letter:
"We are married, but in fact you love Dai Ailian and I love Jin Yan, which is why I am sick."
07
Rao is so, the two still stumble and quarrel for 30 years.
In a special era, Ye Qianyu squatted in prison for 7 years, and Wang Renmei once recurred from an old illness and became insane again.
However, her last sanity prevailed over everything.
In 1975, Wang Renmei took Ye Qianyu out of prison and took him to the photo studio to take a photo.
The couple in the photo is solemn and serious, as if it were a wedding photo of a pair of old military cadres.
"Between two people, what is revealed is the inseparable mutual companionship, and the companionship of each other."
Later, in her autobiography, Wang Renmei called her husband so affectionately:
"Stubborn old man Ye Qianyu!"
A few words that seem ordinary, but they hide true feelings and love.
It can be seen that the long years have finally smoothed out these barriers, and although the half-way couple has more quarrels in life, the true love between them is increasing day by day.
It's a pity that such a mutual affair did not last until the end of life -
In 1980, 66-year-old Wang Renmei fell on a bicycle, resulting in a stroke and paralysis, and had to use a wheelchair;
In 1986, 72-year-old Wang Renmei accidentally fell and as a result, she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and became a vegetative person, unable to speak, just looking at people with her eyes open.
During this period, Ye Qianyu has also been accompanying his wife and taking good care of her.
Until Ye Qianyu's health was not as good as before, he asked Ye Mingming, the daughter born to his first wife, to take care of Wang Renmei.
Ye Mingming has always lived by their side, and she calls Wang Renmei's mother.
On April 12, 1987, Wang Renmei died in Beijing at the age of 73.
In his later years, Ye Asanyu
At that time, Ye Qianyu failed to send Wang Renmei the last ride because of his sudden myocardial infarction, and he has always felt guilty and self-blamed.
On the same day, he wrote in his diary:
"As I lay on the hospital bed, thinking about this partner who had lived together for more than thirty years, I couldn't help but feel sad in my heart, and I could only silently wish her soul liberation."
In 1991, Ye Qianyu returned to his hometown of Tonglu and chose a piece of land.
He said:
"Bury me here after death, and bury Wang Renmei with me."
Looking back on Wang Renmei's life, she experienced 2 marriages and left no offspring.
However, her two husbands are both big figures that can go down in the annals of art history.
In this way, Wang Renmei can also be regarded as witnessing history, and it is not in vain to walk in life!
And Wang Renmei herself is also a scenery and a legend in the lives of the older generation of Shanghainese:
"She belongs to old Shanghai, that is, that flower, although it blooms brilliantly, but also withers desolation. But no matter what, every step you take, bring the wind and dance with it. ”
Reference book: "My Fame and Unhappiness" - Wang Renmei oral narrative Xie Bo collation