Xie Jin: 4 children and 3 disabled, only to find out when they were dying that they were self-inflicted, and they have suffered a lot in their lives

For many, the name Xie Jin represents part of the glorious history of Chinese cinema.

His works, such as "Opium War", "Furong Town", "The Old Man and the Dog", etc., have not only won the love of the audience, but also left a strong mark in the history of Chinese cinema.

In stark contrast to his artistic achievements, there are unspeakable pains and twists and turns in his personal life.

In 2023, when Dragon TV broadcasts the documentary "Only One Xie Jin", countless viewers were moved by the upheaval of the great director's life.

From a cultural family to the pinnacle of movies, the twists and turns and tenacity of life

Xie Jin, he was born in a cultural family, and his ancestor was Xie An, a famous minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, such a family background destined his starting point in life to be different.

Instead of becoming a scholar or writer, as his family had hoped, he resolutely chose theatre and dreamed of becoming a director.

This decision caused strong opposition from the family at the time, especially his father, a Hong Kong accountant, who was angry and disappointed with his son's choice.

In those days, actors and theater workers did not have a high status, were regarded as "actors", and their incomes were unstable.

Xie Jin was not shaken by this, he firmly pursued his dream, applied for the Sichuan Jiang'an National Drama College, and then voluntarily dropped out of school to work in the Chongqing China Youth Drama Society.

In the days of the drama club, Xie Jin started from the most basic work, and he was involved in field affairs, actors, drama affairs, etc.

Although these experiences were difficult, they also accumulated valuable experience for him. He firmly believes that "I am born to be useful" and believes that he will shine one day.

In 1950, Xie Jin's opportunity finally came. He rose to prominence as an assistant director in the romantic movie "Dumb Wife", and in the same year, he independently filmed "Blue Bridge Club", officially starting his directorial career.

His talent has been recognized and his work has won numerous awards. "Red Detachment of Women" won the Volkswagen Hundred Flowers Award for Best Feature Film, and "Wrangler" won the Volkswagen Hundred Flowers Award for Best Film. These accolades are a testament to his talent and prowess in the field of film.

While succeeding in his career, Xie Jin also has a happy family. He married Xu Dawen, a girl he fell in love with when he was 19 years old, and the two have been together for a lifetime and have experienced the ups and downs of life together.

The light of cinema is intertwined with the pain of family

Xie Jin and his wife, Xu Dawen, have three sons and a daughter. Among them, the eldest daughter Xie Qingqing and the eldest son Xie Yan are both healthy and intelligent, but the third son Ah San and the fourth son Ah Si are both mentally handicapped patients.

Whenever these two children were mentioned, Xie Jin's eyes were always full of distress and guilt. Behind Ah San and Ah Si's intellectual disabilities, there are endless tears hidden by Xie Jin and Xu Dawen.

When Ah San was born, because Xie Jin was busy with work, they hired a nurse who suffered from asthma to take care of him.

As a result, Ah San also suffered from asthma, which affected his intellectual development as a result. The situation of Ah Si is similar, he has a fever that causes epilepsy and acute hepatitis, which leads to intellectual impairment.

Some speculate that the intellectual disability of the two children may be related to Xie Jin's love of drinking. Xie Jin was born in Shaoxing, the hometown of liquor, and has been drinking a lot since he was a child.

During the rising period of his career, he drank frequently for entertainment, and even won the title of "King of Moutai". However, this is only speculation from the outside world, and we have no way of knowing the real reason.

Despite facing the misfortune of his family, Xie Jin did not give up on caring and educating his children. He tried his best to put off his work and spend more time with and take care of Ah San and Ah Si.

He taught them to do the chores they could, played simple games with them, and took them on trips so that they could get in touch with and learn about the world as much as possible.

Fate did not let Xie Jin go because of this. His eldest son, Xie Yan, later also contracted cancer and eventually died.

The blow was fatal for Xie Jin, and he fell into deep self-blame and guilt. He has said on several occasions that he is responsible for the tragic fate of his children.

Despite going through so many hardships and pains, Xie Jin still did not give up his love for life and his dedication to movies.

He continues to devote himself to filmmaking, using the lens to capture those neglected social phenomena, and using images to awaken people's conscience and sense of justice. His works not only won the love of the audience, but also left a strong mark in the history of Chinese cinema.

Brilliant and ill-fated intertwined

Xie Jin's eldest son, Xie Yan, not only inherited his father's intelligence, but also took over his mantle as a director. He has always been the pride of Xie Jin and the pillar of his family.

Although Xie Jin neglected him because he was busy taking care of other children, Xie Yan never complained, but took the initiative to take care of his younger brother.

Fate was so unfair to him that he died of cancer at the age of 59. What's even more heart-wrenching is that he also made future arrangements for his two younger brothers before he died, and this deep brotherhood made Xie Jin feel guilty and sad.

Shortly after Xie Yan's death, Xie Jin experienced another time when a white-haired person sent a black-haired person. His third son, Ah San, died suddenly due to asthma, which was undoubtedly another heavy blow to Xie Jin.

Having lost two sons one after another, Xie Jin's grief is indescribable. But he was not crushed by grief, because he knew that he still had his wife Xu Dawen and his fourth son Ah Si to take care of.

In order for Ah Si to be able to live alone after he and Xu Dawen left, Xie Jin tried to send him to work in a factory. However, Ah Si's intellectual disability prevented him from adapting to life in the factory and he soon went missing.

This incident made Xie Jin and Xu Dawen realize that they had to reconsider Ah Si's future. But unfortunately, Xie Jin did not wait for that day, and he left this world in October 2008.

Xie Jin's death brought great grief to Xu Dawen, but she still remembered Xie Jin's last wish, took care of Ah Si, and lived well. Under Xu Dawen's careful care, Ah Si spent a relatively stable old age.

Shortly after his mother's death, Ah Si also died of illness at the age of 66. So far, Xie Jin and Xu Dawen's four children have all passed away.

And Xie Jin's only daughter, Xie Qingqing, although she did not experience intellectual disability like her brothers, her life was not easy.

After the death of her parents and brothers, she endured the grief of her family alone. Finally, on November 26, 2023, Xie Qingqing also passed away in Shanghai due to illness at the age of 76.

Talent is like Li Bai, but life has become a tragedy

Xie Jin is an outstanding director, and his work always gives a sense of what he believes in. In "The Shepherd", he shows a consistent view of love.

In "The Opium Wars," he promoted patriotism, and in "Red Detachment of Women," he conveyed the value that women can also achieve great things. His works not only won the love of the audience, but also left a strong mark in the history of Chinese cinema.

At the same time, Xie Jin is also a good husband and father. He and his wife Xu Dawen are close to each other, never give up, and have experienced the ups and downs of life together.

He never regarded Ah San Ah Si as a stain on his brilliant life, but spent his whole life planning for the children. Before he died, the last thing he could not let go of was the future of the children.

For Xie Jin, death may be a relief. He has experienced too many twists and turns and pains in his life, and has lost too many precious things.

We also know very well that if there is a future life, he must hope to live a simple and smooth life, and not be as tortuous.

Xie Jin's departure is deplorable, but his talent and work will forever remain in the history of Chinese cinema. May he find true peace and happiness in heaven, and may his family be able to get through the painful time of losing him.