1990 No. 1 "Popular Film" cover, Zhang Xiaomin
Zhang Xiaomin, a former actor of Beijing Film Studio, was a star in the 80s of the 20th century.
In the film "Very Big President" (1986) directed by Sun Daolin (1921-2007), she successfully played the "mother of the nation" Soong Ching-ling, so she won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 10th Popular Film Hundred Flowers Awards.
A still from the movie "Very Big President" (1986), Zhang Xiaomin
At that time, the Best Actress, Actor, and Supporting Actor of the 10th Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award were all won by the movie "Furong Town", and the competition for Best Supporting Actress was even fiercer.
1986 No. 10 "Popular Film" cover, Zhang Xiaomin
Compared with Pan Hong, Liu Xiaoqing, Chen Chong, and Gong Xue, Zhang Xiaomin is not a top star in the 80s of the 20th century, but she also has her own glorious record. For example, 7 times on the cover of "Popular Movie" and 3 times on the back cover, which is very rare among contemporaneous actresses.
Zhang Xiaomin on the cover of the first issue of "Popular Film" in 1988 was a half-length photo standing on the beach, which caused a lot of controversy at the time because of the exposure of the "navel".
1988 No. 1 "Popular Film" cover, Zhang Xiaomin
The first place in "Popular Movie" is Liu Xiaoqing, who has appeared on the front and back covers of "Popular Movie" 11 times.
【The daughter of Jiangmen, unemployed for one year】
She was born on September 13, 1963 in Beijing in a military family, her father is a "38" style veteran cadre, and her mother was also a volunteer soldier. Although it is said that it is a good root, it is not immune to doom in the ultra-"leftist" era.
Author: Lu Dingyi et al. Publisher: People's Liberation Army Publishing House Publication year: 1987-9-1
Open the large-scale memoir series "Sparks in the Plain", you can find a story: In the Korean battlefield of artillery fire for three months, how the commander of a certain automobile regiment and his comrades-in-arms built a steel transportation line under the indiscriminate bombardment and became a hero, and how he jumped over more than 100 bomb craters overnight and escaped death......
Stills from the movie "Love and Hate the Sea" (1980), Zhang Xiaomin
More than ten years later, the regiment commander of that year added another daughter named Xiaomin; more than ten years later, the regiment commander, who was already a general, had a headache about his daughter's choice of life path: how could such a family act in a play?!—— of course, the author who wrote this memoir did not know the latter half of the matter at the time.
When he was in the second grade of primary school, Zhang Xiaomin followed his father to the northwest to build the Qinghai-Tibet line.
Stills from the movie "The Third Goddess" (1982), Zhang Xiaomin and Lin Qiang
He made his home on the Qinghai Plateau. Cold eyes and discrimination, tears and insults have honed her tenacity and unyielding character until the goal is achieved.
When she was a child, she was obsessed with sports with her slender legs and toned body. When she was in high school, she was selected for the Qinghai Provincial Sports Team and became a track and field pentathlon athlete.
In the Qinghai Provincial Youth Track and Field Competition, she also won the Xining regional championship, in early 1978, her father implemented the policy to return to Beijing, and Zhang Xiaomin was admitted to the Qinghai Provincial Repertory Theatre before leaving Qinghai with her parents.
Stills from the movie "The West Girl" (1983), Zhang Xiaomin and Zhang Xiaolei (left)
After returning to Beijing, she was unemployed for a year, and her mother asked an acquaintance to get a temporary job brushing bottles in the hospital, but she didn't go.
apprenticed to learn art, practiced every day, and then rode a bicycle to test all over Beijing's literary and art groups.
In 1979, she applied for the All-China Federation of Trade Unions Art Troupe. In the examination room, she recited Lao She's (1899-1966) "Crescent Moon", and many people in the audience wept about it.
1983 No. 8 "Film and Audience" cover, Zhang Xiaomin
With a simple student blue and solid skills, she got one of the two admission places recruited by the All-China Federation of Trade Unions Art Troupe in 1979, and the other was Ge You, who became famous later than her.
In the ACFTU Art Troupe at that time, Zhang Xiaomin was the youngest, only 16 years old. Among the actors, Ge You is the youngest.
By the age of 17, she was 1.69 meters tall and no longer tall. Zhang Xiaomin began to play tricks in the troupe, and at this time she met Lu Jianhua and Yu Zhongxiao, two film directors from Changying, in the ACFTU Repertory Theatre.
Zhang Xiaomin and Ge You
Among them, director Yu Zhongxiao said to her: "You should be an actor, you will definitely become a star." The speaker has no intention, but the listener has a heart, and from then on she was like a demon and wanted to be an actress.
One by one, she wrote letters to the film studios to recommend herself. But they are all like a stone sinking into the sea without news, her companions laugh at her, and some persuade her not to die. She didn't think so, and made up her mind in her heart, anyway, I should be an actor.
1980 No. 11 "Film Introduction" cover, Zhang Xiaomin
After that, she was seconded to Changying for 3 consecutive years, and made 3 movies in a row, "Love and Hate the Sea" (1980), "The Third Goddess" (1982), and "Xizi Girl" (1983), although they were all protagonists, they were not recognized by the audience. Among them, "Xizi Girl" was directed by Lu Jianhua and Yu Zhongxiao.
She understands that hard work is not the same as art, and her artistic skills are too weak. So, she put forward a request to apply for the Beijing Film Academy, but she did not get the consent of the unit.
Promotional photo of the movie "Love and Hate the Sea" (1980), 17-year-old Zhang Xiaomin and 25-year-old Liang Tongyu
Someone said: "You are the big protagonist, why do you still have to go to school?" Zhang Xiaomin's strength came up: "If you don't agree with me to apply for the exam, I'll stay here all night!"
The unit had no choice but to agree, but the ACFTU did not approve it, because she had made meritorious contributions to the ACFTU and served as a youth commando, and people were reluctant to let go.
【College Love, Applying for Marriage】
Zhang Xiaomin looked for leaders everywhere and found the Ministry of Education until he was approved.
Zhang Xiaomin and her classmates and teachers gathered at Li Ranran's house
But after failing in the second test, she actually cried for half an hour in front of Li Ranran and her husband Ma Jingwu (1937-2023) at the home of the main examiner, Li Ranran. This pure and stubborn little girl finally touched the two teachers.
In the end, Zhang Xiaomin was admitted to the film academy as a probationary student in 1982, and became classmates with Lin Fangbing, Na Renhua, Li Yun, and Yan Xiaopin.
Zhang Xiaomin (bottom right) took a group photo with classmates Lin Fangbing and Zhao Jun
However, when Zhang Xiaomin, a first-year acting student, and Hasbargen, who was 6 years older than her, met on the basketball court of the college, a hot-blooded boy and a young girl who was pregnant with spring, so it was love at first sight as described in the novel.
Frequent trysts skyrocketed the relationship between the two, and finally, their whereabouts were finally discovered.
Art photo by Zhang Xiaomin and Hasbargen
The news of Hasbargen and Zhang Xiaomin, a junior girl, who was the head of the national undergraduate class of the acting department of the film school at the time, spread quickly.
So the film academy called names at the conference, criticized the small meeting, asked Hasbargen to write an inspection, removed the squad leader, and a series of "rescue measures" began.
Art photo by Zhang Xiaomin and Hasbargen
But the strange thing is that while receiving education, Hasbargen and Zhang Xiaomin not only did not show "repentance", but instead asked the hospital to get married.
A couple in love, in order to prove to people that they are not "fooling around", actually showed the last trump card of marriage.
How could the leaders of the academy at that time allow this "unprogressive" man and woman to legally marry while they were studying at the school? Their marriage request was naturally not granted.
Art photo by Zhang Xiaomin and Hasbargen
For this sincere love, Hasbargen was "granted" two warnings by the school, paying a heavy price.
However, Zhang Xiaomin's "treatment" at school was not much better, although under the "preservation" of the teacher Li Ranran, and under the sense of crisis similar to "probation", she made several times more efforts than others, and she did 11 of the 3 sketches made by others, and only in the 3rd grade did she change from a probationary student to a regular student, and became the only "five-point student" in the acting class in the acting class.
Life photos taken by Zhang Xiaomin and Hasbargen
[After 7 years of love, we finally broke up]
Unexpectedly, how deep the love is, how painful it is, Zhang Xiaomin and Hasbargen finally separated after 7 years of love.
Later, Hasbargen recalled the relationship, "The academy did not allow me and me to be in the twilight, and for this reason the academy wanted to punish the two of us, and I felt that I was a man, and I was older than her, so I should naturally be responsible." So I told the leader that this has nothing to do with Zhang Xiaomin, and the responsibility lies with me. As a result, I received a warning and an administrative demerit. ”
Hasbargen at the Beijing Film Academy
Speaking of this, he breathed a sigh of relief and added: "Now that I think about it, I don't regret it, it was a mark of our love." ”
In the years after graduation, the two of them showed their talents in film and television dramas, but for the sake of art, they never went out of the hole.
They have worked with many directors, and they get along well with others, and for some improper artistic treatments, both of them have the mind of "the prime minister can support the boat in his belly", and they can endure and obey the overall situation, but between the two they are incrediblely blamed and intolerant of each other.
1986 No. 11 "On and Off the Screen" cover, Zhang Xiaomin
They are both very straightforward and sincere, and there are many close friends around them. With friends, they can always bring endless joy to each other, but when they are together, they often can't make things stiff at every turn.
Over the years, the two have not been able to work together in a single film. However, when he first became the director of the TV series "Paradise on Fire" (1985), he asked Zhang Xiaomin to be the heroine of the play.
Stills from the TV series "Paradise on Fire" (1985), Zhang Xiaomin
The opening credits of the TV series "Paradise on Fire" (1985).
The quarrel hurts people's hearts, and the frequent quarrels often make the two of them feel unhappy, so they both offer to correct their shortcomings.
But the horses on the grassland lose the grace of the horse if they don't gallop, and the eagle on the plateau loses the heroic posture of the eagle if they don't fight.
"Sometimes when I see Zhang Xiaomin wanting to quarrel and holding back tears, I want to cry. Hasbargen sighed bitterly.
Hasbargen
No one wants to suffer, and no one wants to hurt the paying party. Both of them were sensible, and finally brought the question up and broke up indifferently.
Before the breakup, neither of them loved anyone else. The reason for the breakup is never the involvement of a third party.
At the time of the breakup, Zhang Xiaomin was filming "Yoshiko Kawashima" (1989), when she was in Shenyang. Hasbargen finally fulfilled her boyfriend's duties and rushed to Shenyang to give her her work permit and other things, and then left.
Stills from the movie "Yoshiko Kawashima" (1989), Zhang Xiaomin and Gao Fa
Both of them were sad after they broke up, but they were both calm in their hearts. There was love in the past, and love came so hard, and they all kept this history in their hearts.
Zhang Xiaomin said: "Life and death are just enough to love once." ”
Hasbargen believes: "Those who have loved have good memories." "In the past he shed a lot of tears for happiness, never for pain, but this time he shed tears.
A still from the film "The Daughter's House" (1985), Hasbargen
Both knew that the past would not come back, but on any occasion, neither had said anything bad about the other.
[The audience loves me, I love the audience]
During her studies at film school, she had a TV sketch collection "Farewell Girlfriend", a TV chamber drama "The Secret of a Diplomat's House", and also wrote, directed, and acted in the TV series "Foggy Night".
1986 No. 4 "Film Illustrated" cover, movie "Black Temptation" (1986) promotional photo, Zhang Xiaomin
What is particularly impressive is her film works during this period, such as the actor Tang Lianlian in "An Actress's Dream" (1985), the prisoner Fangfang in "The Last Winter Day" (1986), the TV reporter Xu Ying in "84.85 Years in T Province" (1986), Song Qingling in "The Very Big President", and the singer in "Black Temptation" (1986......
At this time, the audience discovered a new star, the critics found an innocent girl, and the choreographers found a good seedling.
Stills from the movie "The Last Winter" (1986), Zhang Xiaomin and Tao Zeru
"Very Big President" was written, directed, and acted by Sun Daolin. Director Sun Daolin's choice of Zhang Xiaomin to play the mother of the country was very unexpected.
When many actors were not liked, Sun Daolin accidentally found a photo of a hairstyle model in the "Yangcheng Evening News", the appearance was very similar to Song Qingling, and according to the map, Suoji found Zhang Xiaoli of the Guangzhou Repertory Theatre, but it was still inappropriate to see that his face was too long.
Stills from the movie "Very Big President" (1986), Zhang Xiaomin and Sun Daolin
Soon, someone recommended Zhang Xiaomin, who was studying at Beijing Film Academy, and when I inquired, it turned out to be Zhang Xiaoli's sister.
However, can an innocent and charming innocent girl coincide with the image of the "mother of the country"? Zhang Xiaomin is full of confidence, and the director is also full of hope, and the two of them are together.
As soon as the movie was released, people were convinced. The screen image of the "Mother of the Nation" is dignified, beautiful, and calm, and has the demeanor of a leader's wife. She succeeded, so she won the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 10th Popular Film Hundred Flowers Awards.
Stills from the movie "Very Big President" (1986), Zhang Xiaomin and Sun Daolin
She also played the main role in the TV series "Paradise on Fire" and "I Am a Cloud" (1985). There has been a noticeable improvement in acting skills.
Zhang Xiaomin played the heroine Yin Wanxia in the TV series "I Am a Cloud". This role has also been played by Lin Qingxia.
However, she is not affected by the Hong Kong and Taiwan model, and according to her own understanding, she lets go of her hands and feet to perform.
A still from the TV series "I Am a Cloud" (1985).
Immerse yourself in the role, grin and cry when you cry, laugh when you laugh, and don't care if you are beautiful in the camera or not. So much so that after filming the play, the excessive tragic performance made her feel as if she had a serious illness, her eyes were dark, and her face was haggard, as if she was 10 years older.
But she was loved by the audience, and when she went out into the street, people shouted "a cloud, a cloud".
Zhang Xiaomin can play roles with great emotional ups and downs and great personality contrasts, and she has grown from a true character actor to a character actor in a short period of time.
Stills from the TV series "I Am a Cloud" (1985), Qin Yi
Qin Yi (1922-2022), who filmed "I Am a Cloud" with her, praised her and said: "I rarely see a girl who works so hard. ”
Zhang Xiaomin began to impact the film, television and wall calendar markets with a temperament, feeling, and image that people were quite unfamiliar with and willing to accept.
Not to mention anything else, it is rare for students to make films and win the Hundred Flowers Award. The thousands of votes are by no means something that can be contained by a trophy, and there are audiences in it who recognize Zhang Xiaomin's dedication and her rise.
1988 No. 6 "Shanghai Film Pictorial" cover, Zhang Xiaomin
In this regard, Zhang Xiaomin said: "The audience likes me, and I also like the audience. For an actor, it is the best for people to like you, which shows that you are really 'Tao'. ”
[Assign North Shadow and fade off the screen]
In 1986, Zhang Xiaomin graduated with honors and was assigned to Beijing Film Studio.
She went on to shoot the films Anonymous Phone (1987), Yoshiko Kawashima and The Female Thief (1989), and the television series Dead Water (1988) and Soong Ching Ling and Her Sisters (1991).
A still from the TV series "Dead Water Breeze" (1988), Zhang Xiaomin
In the TV series "Dead Water Breeze", she played the role of Jing, a 90-year-old rural woman Cai sister-in-law, and the difficulty can be imagined. In the selection of the first Expert Award for TV Drama and the first National Video Awards, her performance in the play was recognized.
And "Song Qingling and Her Sisters" is a gift play by the China TV Drama Center for the 40th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, with a strong cast.
Stills from the TV series "Song Qingling and Her Sisters", from left: Zhang Xiaomin, Li Ling, Wang Fuli
This time, she no longer played Song Qingling but Song Meiling, and the ones who played Song Qingling and Song Ailing were Li Ling and Wang Fuli, who won the Golden Rooster Award and the Hundred Flowers Award. The trio's performances have their own merits and have been well received by connoisseurs and audiences.
Interestingly, she won the Hundred Flowers Award for playing Song Qingling, but she still felt unconfident, although she also knew Song Qingling's various advantages and charm as a woman, but after all, she was the mother of the country, a model, and a revolutionary leader, so she was a little confused.
Stills from the TV series "Song Qingling and Her Sisters", from left: Zhang Xiaomin, Li Ling, Wang Fuli
It's different for Song Meiling, Zhang Xiaomin seems to have found a kind of telepathy, and she can play her completely as a mortal, which is very relaxed.
She repeatedly studied Song Meiling, abandoned the facial and conceptual expression of the "military women" in the past, and experienced the mentality, words and deeds and inner world of a highly educated, Chinese and Western woman, erudite and keen, who played a pivotal role in the Jiang dynasty.
Stills from the movie "The Big Collision" (1992), Zhang Xiaomin
So, as an actress, she found the character to be charismatic and cute: "I love this character so much! This is an amazing woman, and I want to express the value of her existence and her charm." ”
After filming "Song Qingling and Her Sisters", Zhang Xiaomin prepared to make her directorial debut "The Big Collision" (1992), which is a film full of masculinity and the subject matter is quite sensitive.
Stills from the movie "The Big Collision" (1992), Zhang Xiaomin
Four years later, Zhang Xiaomin directed his second film, Red Marriage (1997). The two films showed Zhang Xiaomin's ambition and ability, but they did not fit in with the Chinese film environment at that time and did not succeed at the box office.
With the rise of a new generation of movie stars, Hong Kong and Taiwan stars have triggered a frenzy of star-chasing, and Zhang Xiaomin, who became popular in the 1980s, gradually faded out of the film industry after the 90s of the 20th century.
From left: Zhang Xiaomin, Shen Danping, Lin Fangbing
[Become a director and settle abroad]
Zhang Xiaomin met her second husband, Jerry, while directing her first film, The Big Collision (1992).
Jerry is a little-known director of Western Film Studios. But sometimes fate is just that.
Zhang Xiaomin later recalled: "In 1989, I adapted a novel, originally titled 'Black Dream', and the author trusted me very much. He decided I could understand his work. A generation has something of its own. ”
1987 No. 5 "Popular Film" cover, Zhang Xiaomin
"I spent 15 days adapting the literary script, and then worked hard for more than a year, running around the Western Film Studio every day, persuading leaders at all levels to accept me, sometimes going up and down more than 100 flights of stairs a day, not even taking care of washing my face and eating, and I became dark and thin. I handed over the director's explanation I wrote, directed the storyboard script, and fought for the opportunity to direct this film with sincerity and strength. ”
1987 No. 1 "Shanghai Film Pictorial" cover, Zhang Xiaomin
"Finally touched God. The leaders of the Western Film Studio repeatedly studied and demonstrated, and under the circumstance of financial difficulties, approved the hiring of me as the director of "The Big Collision". ”
"The old director Teng Wenji gave me a lot of help and support, he said that I have strong understanding, high artistic quality, and feel good. It's just that I don't have enough experience, so the factory specially sent an old photographer to give me on-site guidance. ”
"Western Film Studios have always invited famous directors, and this time it is unprecedented to invite a hairy girl. ”
1986 No. 12 "Movie Story" cover, Zhang Xiaomin
When Zhang Xiaomin directed "The Big Collision", Jerry, as a staff member of Western Film Studio, often assisted Zhang Xiaomin in the filming work on the filming set, and gave her a lot of selfless help.
In this way, during a few months of filming, the two unconsciously began to fall in love.
Later, Zhang Xiaomin's father strongly opposed the relationship between the two after finding out, and in the end, despite the opposition of her parents, she gave birth to her daughter in March 1997, and then registered her marriage with Jerry.
Zhang Xiaomin and her daughter
In 2002, she went abroad with her husband to settle in Vancouver, Canada, and in the same year, Zhang Xiaomin gave birth to her son Thomas in Vancouver. Here, she sheds all her star halo and becomes a mother of two children
In those years, she barely even watched TV and took care of her children full-time. Some of the clothes she wore for more than 10 years.
During this time, she also studied financial knowledge for two years, which gave her a lot of understanding of investment.
Zhang Xiaomin and son Thomas
In 2010, the couple chatted with a friend and talked about the idea of opening a film school in Vancouver, "You can be a teacher", waking up the dreamer.
Zhang Xiaomin said that he would do it, and on February 15 of that year, the school opened, and they rented the venue and hired three staff members.
More than 20 students and parents came, all of whom were people who loved movies. But at this juncture, the partners retreated.
张晓敏和好莱坞导演奥利佛·斯通Oliver Stone
There was no way, Zhang Xiaomin had to pay all the money himself. "I don't want to be a deserter. ”
Her film school started as a business training class, but in just four years, Zhang Xiaomin got a special official document from the government, which allowed her to officially register, take out "indefinite loans", and more importantly, "students from poor areas can also come to study at this school." ”
Now Zhang Xiaomin has established the Canadian Film and Television Media Group.
And her film school's fame grew, and in 2018, a large corporation acquired a stake in the academy, and Zhang Xiaomin was elected president of the North American Film Association.
Zhang Xiaomin's daughter is 26 years old and her son is 22 years old. My daughter has graduated from the international class of Beijing Film Academy.
Zhang Xiaomin's image when he sent blessings for the 1000th issue of "Popular Movie" in October 2022
Due to his work, Zhang Xiaomin has often returned to China in recent years to engage in cultural exchange activities between China and foreign countries, and often gets together with his old classmates and filmmakers he has worked with in his spare time.
Now 61 years old, she seems to be going further and further on the road of medical beauty, although she looks younger on the outside, but she seems to be like Zhang Xiaomin we knew before.
1991 No. 6 "Popular Film" cover, Zhang Xiaomin
- Before and after Mao Amin filmed the movie "The Secret History of Female Stars", the market was bullish, but he proposed to break up with his boyfriend
- At the age of 29, she died in a traffic accident! After being abandoned by her boyfriend, her temperament changed greatly, and she didn't act as a non-heroine
- From a rural girl to a movie star, she chose to retire from the circle and choose to be divorced by her family, and remarried to a wealthy businessman to live a happy life
- Li Ling, who controls his own destiny, does not have many works, marries a 13-year-old husband, and is enthusiastic about public welfare
- Her husband, who was 9 years older than Yue Hong, filed for divorce, raised the baby alone, defeated cancer, and has not remarried