Bai Hong
Encyclopedia
Bai Hong was born in 1919 under the birth name (白丽珠) in Beijing
. She was a famous movie star and singer. By the 1940s, she became one of the Seven great singing stars
.
, where she entered the Shanghai entertainment industry. She used the stage name (白虹), which translated to "White Rainbow". She is also categorized as one of the "Beiping Three Whites" (北平三白) with Bai Guang
(白光) and Bai Yang (白杨).
, where she won by more than 200 votes taking the crown. She was known for having a mastery of the language and a clarity in expressing lyrics, which helped her gain many fans. In 1936 she toured Southeast Asia with the Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe
. A year later, she then joined the Green Bird Theatre Troupe (青鳥劇團).
In the 1930s, she was recognized as one of the three great mandopop
singers with Zhou Xuan
and Gong Qiuxia
.
Her career peaked in the 1940s, when her music style changed more to uptempo jazz. Some of the songs that propelled her to stardom included "Unworthy of Love" (得不到的爱情), "Drunkard's Lipstick" (恼人的秋雨), "Love and Gold" (爱情与黄金), and "Flowers Don't Bloom Without Rain" (雨不洒花花不红). She was also famous for her tango
style song, "He's Like the Spring Wind" (郎如春日风).
She was married to the composer Li Jin Guang(黎锦光), and they later separated in a divorce in 1950. She stayed in China after 1949 and continued making Communist films. She also performed theatre in Beijing. During the Cultural Revolution her past association with the old Shanghai days caught up to her, and she was subjected to persecution and abuse. She officially retired in 1979.
In 1992, she died at the age of 73.
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. She was a famous movie star and singer. By the 1940s, she became one of the Seven great singing stars
Seven great singing stars
The Seven Great Singing Stars refers to the seven most renowned singers of China in the early 20th century.-Background:Shanghai was occupied by the Japanese in the 1930s. World War II also had an effect on the economy at the time. Several of the stars acted in films, and their music played a...
.
Biography
At the age of 12, Bai was admitted to the Bright Moonlight Song and Dance TroupeBright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe
Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe was a group founded by Li Jinhui from late 1920s to 1930s. It is also referred to as "Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe".-Background:...
, where she entered the Shanghai entertainment industry. She used the stage name (白虹), which translated to "White Rainbow". She is also categorized as one of the "Beiping Three Whites" (北平三白) with Bai Guang
Bai Guang
Bai Guang was a famous movie star and singer. By the 1940s, she became one of the Seven great singing stars.-Biography:...
(白光) and Bai Yang (白杨).
Career
Her music career began at the young age of 13. She acted in her first film (人間仙子) at 15. In the 1930s, she was a popstar icon singing songs like (郎是春日风). By 1934 a singing competition was sponsored in ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, where she won by more than 200 votes taking the crown. She was known for having a mastery of the language and a clarity in expressing lyrics, which helped her gain many fans. In 1936 she toured Southeast Asia with the Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe
Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe
Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe was a group founded by Li Jinhui from late 1920s to 1930s. It is also referred to as "Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe".-Background:...
. A year later, she then joined the Green Bird Theatre Troupe (青鳥劇團).
In the 1930s, she was recognized as one of the three great mandopop
Mandopop
Mandopop is a colloquial abbreviation for "Mandarin popular music." It is categorized as a subgenre of commercial Chinese-language music within C-pop. Mandopop was the first variety of popular music in Chinese to establish itself as a viable industry. As the name implies, Mandopop features songs...
singers with Zhou Xuan
Zhou Xuan
Zhou Xuan was a popular Chinese singer and film actress. By the 1940s, she had become one of China's seven great singing stars. She is probably the most well-known of the seven, as she had a concurrent movie career until 1953.-Biography:...
and Gong Qiuxia
Gong Qiuxia
Gong Qiuxia was born in 1916 under the birth name in Jiangsu, China. She was a famous movie star and singer. By the 1940s, she became one of the Seven great singing stars.-Biography:...
.
Her career peaked in the 1940s, when her music style changed more to uptempo jazz. Some of the songs that propelled her to stardom included "Unworthy of Love" (得不到的爱情), "Drunkard's Lipstick" (恼人的秋雨), "Love and Gold" (爱情与黄金), and "Flowers Don't Bloom Without Rain" (雨不洒花花不红). She was also famous for her tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
style song, "He's Like the Spring Wind" (郎如春日风).
She was married to the composer Li Jin Guang(黎锦光), and they later separated in a divorce in 1950. She stayed in China after 1949 and continued making Communist films. She also performed theatre in Beijing. During the Cultural Revolution her past association with the old Shanghai days caught up to her, and she was subjected to persecution and abuse. She officially retired in 1979.
In 1992, she died at the age of 73.