The House of Literature and Art cultivates the goddess
In the cold winter of 1954, a light snow fell in the Chifeng Mountains of Tonghua City, Jilin Province. Song Xiaoying, who was wearing a white cotton jacket, was just one year old and was wrapped in a warm quilt by her mother.
Her father, Song, is an amateur actor who participates in literary and artistic activities, and often takes the whole family to watch his performances. The five children have been exposed to it since childhood, and they have also developed a strong interest in stage performances.
Whenever his father has a performance, the Song family will work together to support him. Song Xiaoying remembered the first time her father performed on stage, she held her mother's hand tightly, stared at her confident and flamboyant father on stage with wide eyes, and jumped up and clapped her hands happily.
Since then, the seeds of performance have been planted in a small field of hearts.
However, the good times did not last long, and the family was in a state of decline, and my father had to take the whole family back to his hometown to farm to make ends meet. Although 15-year-old Song Xiaoying was reluctant, she had no choice but to follow her father to the countryside.
She farmed with her father during the day, and at night she recited ancient texts in the moonlight and practiced Xi Peking Opera figures. Finally, when the Jilin Provincial Academy of Arts enrolled in 1971, Song Xiaoying mustered up the courage to take the exam and sang a few of her best folk songs.
She was gifted and had already been admitted, but she was unable to enter the school due to her family background. Fortunately, the admissions tutor discovered her potential and strongly recommended her to enter the Jilin Provincial Ji Opera Troupe to learn Xi performance.
Song Xiaoying embarked on the road of no return as an actor.
The film industry struggles and grows
In 1979, 25-year-old Song Xiaoying began her struggle in the film industry. The filming conditions of her first film "Suffering Heart" were extremely difficult, the crew tossed and turned in different places, Song Xiaoying constantly adapted to the new environment, and at the same time had to face the lack of her acting skills.
After the daytime shooting, she spends all her free time learning Xi acting skills, watching the excellent works of her predecessors, and humbly consulting the older generation of film artists.
Subsequently, Song Xiaoying began to shoot another starring movie "Yaya". This story, which tells the story of the peaceful liberation of Tibet, requires Song Xiaoying to play a Tibetan woman with a lively and optimistic personality.
To learn more about the character, she lived in a modest guest house in Lhasa, where she lived with the locals and experienced their culture and Xi. On the cold plateau, Song Xiaoying walked barefoot on the cold bluestone road with difficulty carrying heavy burdens, her body was overwhelmed, and she soon fell ill.
But for the sake of the seriously ill director, Song Xiaoying gritted her teeth and insisted on completing the shooting.
Later, Song Xiaoying starred in two main roles in the two movies "Suffering Heart" and "Wedding on the Execution Ground" at the same time. She was physically and mentally exhausted from traveling between shoots, and only had three hours of sleep a day.
Despite this, Song Xiaoying still devotes herself to every character, digs into the inner world of the characters, prepares carefully, and does not let go of any detail. In the end, both films were sensational and artistically successful.
The double trough of career and life
In 1981, Song Xiaoying, whose career reached its peak, finally got married and had children, realizing her dream for many years. However, the good times did not last long, and after giving birth, she broke down emotionally and fell into an unprecedented trough.
Song Xiaoying, who was originally cheerful and optimistic, became pessimistic and negative, unable to raise her interest in doing anything, and became emotional when she heard about work-related things. She looked much haggard, pale, and rapidly losing weight.
Song Xiaoying was diagnosed with severe postpartum depression. Her husband and friends advised her to see a psychiatrist, but she refused. The studio contacted her several times and wanted her to star in a new movie, but Song Xiaoying didn't want to answer a single phone call because she was extremely depressed.
At this time, the new film "Sunset Street" directed by his old partner Zhang Guomin was struggling to find a suitable heroine. He visited Song Xiaoying many times and persuaded her softly, saying that only she could play this role.
Under Zhang Guomin's repeated pleas, Song Xiaoying finally reluctantly accepted the role. She has not acted for a long time, and her state cannot return to her peak for the time being, but with her professionalism, she still delivered an excellent performance.
This performance became an important turning point for Song Xiaoying to get out of the trough and regain her passion for her career.
Career peaks and emotional ups and downs
Since "Sunset Street", Song Xiaoying has once again regained her enthusiasm and devoted herself to her acting career. In the 21st century, she has participated in a number of well-received movies and TV series, which are widely welcomed by the audience.
Among them, Song Xiaoying won the Best Actress Award at the 12th China Film Golden Rooster Awards for her role as a village woman in "Smile in the Candlelight". 5 years later, she was nominated for the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actress with "Lover's Knot".
At the age of 66, Song Xiaoying was nominated for the Golden Rooster Award for the third time, and was the oldest nominee of the year.
When her career was in full swing, Song Xiaoying's love life was not smooth. In 1981, she married Xin Ming, who was a choreographer at the Central National Song and Dance Troupe at the time. Both are outstanding filmmakers, and their feelings and careers complement each other.
However, the good times did not last long, and Xin Ming died of illness in 2021, which dealt a heavy blow to Song Xiaoying. This tacit, loving couple could have grown old together.
Xin Ming's sudden death once again plunged Song Xiaoying into great grief. A closed door, an unaccompanied dining table, and countless memories with nowhere to tell...... Song Xiaoying sat in Xin Ming's favorite armchair with tears in her eyes all night, looking at his photos and fascinated.
The goddess still shines
After experiencing many lows in her life and career, 66-year-old Song Xiaoying is still full of vitality and radiance. With her excellent acting skills and rich life experience, she has created three-dimensional and plump and vivid screen roles.
Whether it is an indifferent and restrained intellectual woman in the city, or a simple and kind mother in the countryside, Song Xiaoying can accurately grasp the characteristics of the characters and make the audience moved after watching them.
In 2021, Song Xiaoying was nominated for the Golden Rooster Award for Best Supporting Actress for the third time, becoming the oldest nominee of the year. This is enough to prove that the performance strength and charm of senior actors are still unmatched.
At the peak of her career, 66-year-old Song Xiaoying experienced the death of her husband Xin Ming and fell into grief again. We sincerely wish this "goddess" of the 80s to come out of her grief and regroup soon.
There are countless wonderful movies and TV series waiting for her to join; There are also countless audiences looking forward to her superb performance. We firmly believe that Song Xiaoying will continue to shine brightly on the screen with more surging passion.