A bright star in the film industry - Ruan Lingyu. Her name is synonymous with beauty, a symbol of acting skills, and a sign of the times. She was born in Shanghai, her ancestral home is Guangdong, she was hired by Coca-Cola as the first Chinese spokesperson at the age of 17, was named one of the four beauties at the age of 20, and was respected as the "movie goddess" at the age of 24.
In her performances, she can accurately feel the emotions of the characters, capture the feelings of the characters, and accurately express them with appropriate eyes, expressions, and movements, showing her outstanding artistic talent and extraordinary acting skills.
She is a gem of the ** period films, a classic of an era!
Ruan Lingyu had a bad fate and lost her father when she was a child. However, her natural beauty cannot be concealed, and her fair face and delicate facial features are eye-catching. Her presence brought endless joy to her impoverished family.
Her father, Nguyen Yong Vinh, a worker at the Asia Oil Warehouse in Pudong, aptly named her "Fenggen" and regarded her as the jewel of his palm, doing his best to provide for her livelihood.
However, fate was not kind to Ruan Lingyu, and she lost her father when she was 6 years old, leaving her and her mother in a miserable situation. The family's brief tranquility was shattered, and her mother had to take her to a large family surnamed Zhang to work as a servant and start a life under the fence.
The Zhang family has four sons, namely the eldest Zhang Huichong, the second Zhang Qingpu, and the third Zhang Huimin, and Zhang Damin ranks fourth. Although he is good-looking and looks elegant, he is a lazy and talentless rich kid.
He was six years older than Little Agen, and at that time, although they had the opportunity to meet, one was the son of the master's family and the other was the daughter of a servant, and they knew each other, but they were not impressed.
Ruan's mother saved money and sent her to a nearby private school to study, and took the academic name Ruan Yuying. The mother told her that she could not say that she was the daughter of the nanny so as not to be discriminated against.
And her tragic childhood experience also forged Ruan Yuying's melancholy and sad character.
A year later, Ruan's mother considered letting Ruan Yuying enter the foreign academy to study. At that time, the tuition fees of foreign schools were high, which was beyond the reach of ordinary poor children. Ruan's mother learned that the owner, Mr. Zhang, was the director of Chongde Girls' School, so she went to sincerely request, and finally let Ruan Yuying enroll in Chongde Girls' School with half a fee.
In 1925, 16-year-old Ruan Ngoc Anh was born beautiful and unearthly, as if she was independent from the world. Although she is a girl, her feminine charm is becoming more and more prominent. Zhang Damin, who was indulging in love, never expected that the daughter of the maid who was once despised by him was an ordinary ugly duckling; Now she has grown into a slim girl and has become a beautiful white swan.
He had evil thoughts in his heart and kept on with it.
Zhang Damin is good at seizing opportunities, he often "meets" Ruan Yuying, and tries his best to get closer to her. Upon learning that she admired the dancer Duncan, he immediately purchased Duncan's biography as a gift for her.
At the same time, he often visited her mother in the backyard and occasionally gave subsidies to win their favor. After some hard work, Zhang Damin successfully won the love of the Ruan family's mother and daughter.
He took advantage of Ruan Yuying's inner inferiority complex and self-esteem, and often drove her to and from school, took her to a high-end dance hall to learn dance, and went to high-end restaurants to enjoy food to satisfy her vanity.
Ruan Yuying, who lost her father's love since she was a child, could not resist the care brought by this opposite sex. And her mother often reminded her that she could consider changing her origin through marriage.
Ruan Yuying and Zhang Damin met not long ago, and fell in sweet love. However, when their relationship was learned of by the Zhang family, it caused strong opposition. The Zhang family is a large family in Shanghai, and they cannot tolerate that their future daughter-in-law is a servant, which is the misfortune of the family in that era of paying attention to the right family.
They used various excuses to drive the mother and daughter of the Ruan family away, trying to cut off Ruan Yuying's contact with Zhang Damin. However, Zhang Damin hid it from his family and arranged the mother and daughter of the Ruan family, who had nowhere to go, to temporarily settle down in Hongqingfang, North Sichuan Road, showing a heroic feat of saving beauty.
In the end, with the unremitting efforts of Zhang Damin, 16-year-old Ruan Yuying had a relationship with him and lived with him.
The livelihood of the Ruan family's mother and daughter almost depends on Zhang Damin's help, but he can't provide them with a stable economy**. His income was limited to the monthly expenses he received from his family, and his habit of spending and drinking made it impossible for him to continue to provide enough for his living expenses.
In desperation, Nguyen Ngoc Anh was forced to drop out of school, hoping to work to support her family. Although she and Zhang Damin lived together and married prematurely, their relationship did not resemble a normal marriage and love, which planted a tragic seed for her future.
1. Ruan Lingyu: From a bumpy life to a celebrity in the film industry In the early days of Chinese films, there was a big brother named Zhang Huichong, who was also one of the founders of Chinese films.
He knew that his younger brother Zhang Damin and Ruan Yuying lived a difficult life, so he encouraged Ruan Yuying to become an actor. At that time, Chinese films were still in the silent film period. In 1927, 16-year-old Ruan Yuying changed her name to Ruan Lingyu and was admitted to the Star Film Company, and her first starring role in the movie was "Named Couple".
Since then, she has starred in movies such as "Beijing Yang Guifei", "Blood and Tears Monument", "Luoyang Bridge" and "White Cloud Tower" in the star company. In the film industry, Ruan Lingyu gradually gained a firm foothold with her extraordinary artistic understanding and acting talent, and quickly became popular and began to emerge in the film industry.
In addition, she also adopted a daughter named Xiaoyu to accompany Ruan's mother, making the family look more complete. Although life was difficult, Ruan Lingyu finally shined in the film industry with her hard work and talent.
Zhang's father died, and Zhang Damin took the nameless Ruan Lingyu home for funeral. Ruan Lingyu hoped that this was the Zhang family's acceptance of her, but as soon as she arrived at the Zhang family, she was ashamed of Zhang's mother's blame.
She expected Zhang Damin to stand up and help her say something, but he was submissive and didn't dare to speak up. Soon, Zhang Damin's mother died, he inherited a rich inheritance, began to gamble wildly, and lingered in Willow Lane, Flower Street when Ruan Lingyu went out to film, and did not return all night.
A few years later, his inheritance had been squandered.
Ruan Lingyu's trust was abused and became a tool for him to accumulate wealth. He used business failure and loan sharking as an excuse to squeeze out Ruan Lingyu's hard-earned savings and then squander them at the casino.
He constantly extorted money from Ruan Lingyu and even threatened to spread her scandal at the film company as a way to control her. However, Ruan Lingyu unfortunately entrusts her life to such a selfish villain, she is physically and mentally exhausted and miserable.
One day in 1928, Ruan Lingyu swallowed a large amount of sleeping pills, but fortunately, she was found and rescued in time.
Five years after her debut, Ruan Lingyu has become the leader of the "Lianhua" film company, and her reputation is on par with the actress Hu Die, and her salary has reached a high level at that time.
Eager to live a more independent life, she decided to move out of her apartment in Zhang Damin's name and live in Dasheng Hutong, Huagezhen Road, in Shanghai's French Concession. Seeing that his "swan" was about to fly away, Zhang Damin had mixed feelings in his heart.
He immediately handed Ruan Lingyu the news of "movie star Hu Die suing her fiancé Lin Xuehuai" published in the newspaper, and said on fire: "Hu Die's emotional turmoil has been published in the newspaper.
However, the story of you being 16 years old and my ** can definitely be compared to it. Do you want me to tell the tabloid reporters the details? I believe that this love history of yours will definitely sell for a good price. ”
Ruan Lingyu looked very nervous after Zhang Damin's request, but she still chose to try to help him find a decent job. She naively thought that as long as he had a stable income, he would no longer pester her.
As a result, Chairman Luo Mingxin saw her face and arranged a position for Zhang Damin as a manager, with a monthly salary of 120 yuan, which was higher than most employees of Lianhua Company.
During that time, Zhang Damin's behavior improved, and Ruan Lingyu was relieved. However, she later discovered that Zhang Damin's personality had not changed in the harsh environment.
Ruan Lingyu had entrusted Sir Ho Tung of Hong Kong to help Zhang Damin get a comprador position on the Ryan ship, but a few months later, Zhang Damin embezzled thousands of dollars and eventually lost the position.
At this time, Ruan Lingyu was bored and hated by Zhang Damin, so she decided to entrust him to her fellow Guangdong countryman and finance director Fan Qiwu, hoping that he could stay away from Shanghai and trouble.
After a letter, Zhang Damin was offered the position of director of the tax office of Fuqing County, Fujian Province, a position he was willing to accept despite the long way off.
After sending Zhang Damin away, Ruan Lingyu breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Hu Die's tragedy had not been repeated on her. She made a special trip to visit Hu Die, and the two talked about Hu Die's lawsuit that annoyed her.
Hu Die told Ruan Lingyu that she had been questioned in court, and that the judge and lawyer had asked many questions about personal privacy, which she had to answer one by one.
The courtroom was so entertained by the spectators that they watched the privacy of the stars more excitedly than they did in the movies, bursting into laughter and booery from time to time. This made the black-robed judge have to bang on the desk with a magic hammer and shout loudly.
Hu Die's character is more tenacious than Ruan Lingyu's, but she still has lingering palpitations when she recounts her humiliating experience. She hated the shameful behavior of those tabloid reporters even more.
Ruan Lingyu took refuge in Hong Kong with her adopted daughter and met the second man in her life, Tang Jishan. He is a well-known tea merchant in Southeast Asia and a major shareholder of Lianhua Company.
At a dance party, Tang Jishan was attracted by Ruan Lingyu's dignified beauty, affectionate eyes and charming figure. Although Ruan Lingyu didn't take Tang Jishan to heart at first, Tang Jishan's feelings for her became deeper and deeper.
Just when the "January 28" incident broke out and Shanghai was facing the threat of war, Ruan Lingyu was once again troubled by a scumbag. However, Tang Jishan's appearance was like a double ghost knocking on the door, bringing her some comfort and hope.
Tang Jishan broke up with his girlfriend Zhang Zhiyun, Zhang Zhiyun is a well-known movie star with a similar temperament to Ruan Lingyu, both full of suppressed sadness. Although Tang Jishan has a wealthy original wife in Guangdong, his first pot of gold came from the Yue family.
Therefore, he messed with flowers and grass outside, but did not dare to divorce. And the appearance of this middle-aged man, together with Zhang Da**, pushed Ruan Lingyu into the abyss of death.
Tang Jishan is good at seizing opportunities, knowing that Ruan Lingyu is in a window period of affection, and likes to dance, so she often invites her to dance together in the most luxurious places. The frequent interaction between the two made them quickly develop feelings.
Tang Jishan has a successful career and a prominent position, which gives him a clear advantage over Zhang Damin. Soon after, Tang Jishan purchased a three-story small western-style building on Xinzha Road in Shanghai as a gift to Ruan Lingyu, and the two began to live together.
However, when Zhang Zhiyun learned about Tang Jishan's relationship with Ruan Lingyu, she wrote a letter to Ruan Lingyu to warn her that Tang Jishan was not a good person, but she didn't care about it.
On April 9, 1933, Zhang Damin suddenly appeared in Shanghai. When he returned to his empty home and saw Tang Jishan, a tea tycoon, sitting in Ruan Lingyu's new home, his heart ached, as if a gold mine and a cash cow had been dug up.
He decided to claim compensation from Ruan Lingyu, and Ruan Lingyu offered to dissolve the cohabitation relationship and give some financial compensation, as long as Zhang Damin no longer had any demands. As a result, at the end of April 22, the two parties signed the "Ruan Lingyu and Zhang Damin's Agreement on the Separation of Cohabitation Relationship", which clearly stipulates that A (Zhang Damin) needs to give B (Ruan Lingyu) a certain allowance as appropriate because of his old love, but a maximum of 100 yuan per month for a period of two years, and B shall not have any more requirements after the expiration of the period.
Zhang Damin was compensated and temporarily calmed his anger.
Ruan Lingyu was deeply disgusted by Zhang Damin's shameless behavior, and she decided to resolutely draw a line with him. However, Zhang Damin began to blackmail her, demanding a high ransom of 5,000 yuan.
Ruan Lingyu felt helpless about this, but she knew Zhang Damin's personality, he forgot his righteousness when he saw profit, and did anything bad. Although she wanted to calm things down, Tang Jishan was resolutely opposed, thinking that giving money would only allow Zhang Damin to gain an inch.
In the end, Ruan Lingyu was resolute and uncompromising and decided not to give a penny.
Zhang Damin didn't expect that Ruan Lingyu, who had always been obedient to him, would be so resolute this time. He threatened that if you don't give me money, I'll go to court and sue you. He accused Ruan Lingyu of stealing his belongings and giving them to Tang Jishan when she moved out of Dasheng Hu, and also took Tang Jishan to court.
It turned out that when Ruan Lingyu moved out, she sold his clothes and property without notifying Zhang Damin, including many items that Ruan Lingyu had purchased for him. Although these things are not valuable, they are true.
The court quickly accepted the case.
Zhang Damin leaked Ruan Lingyu's private life, causing her glorious image to collapse in an instant. The major ** frantically reported her entanglement with two men, and the title was full of filthy words, such as "Zhang Damin accused Ruan Lingyu of adultery", "Ruan Lingyu's adultery case", "Back Zhang marrying Tang for property", etc., every word made 25-year-old Ruan Lingyu miserable.
In order to protect her reputation, Tang Jishan also accused Zhang Damin and forced Ruan Lingyu to issue a statement to prove that Zhang Damin's accusations were framed.
This statement not only made Ruan Lingyu admit that she had an improper relationship with the young master of the owner's family, but now she is suspected of colluding with a married man. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to Ruan Lingyu, who has always paid attention to face and is a movie star.
Ruan Lingyu was betrayed by two untrustworthy men, one for her own interests and the other for her own reputation. Despite Tang Jishan's ruthless and unrighteous behavior, Ruan Lingyu still believes that he loves herself.
Therefore, she chose to sacrifice her reputation and interests and publish the newspaper publicly according to Tang Jishan's request to protect his interests and maintain their relationship.
After Nguyen Lingyu's statement was released, rumors swirled around the city about her illicit relationship with her servants, ingratitude, love triangles, and confusion in her private life.
Her reputation was greatly damaged and she was embattled. Tang Jishan was originally dissatisfied with Ruan Lingyu's relationship with Zhang Damin, and now he himself is in trouble and feels very anxious.
Tang Jishan's attitude has changed a lot, often yelling at Ruan Lingyu and committing domestic violence even in front of her mother and daughter. What broke Ruan Lingyu's heart even more was that Tang Jishan's old illness** began to date the famous dancer Liang Saizhen in Shanghai.
This made Ruan Lingyu's emotional world a mess.
The heroine of the movie "New Woman", an intellectual woman, finally chose to end her life with sleeping pills because of the breakdown of her marriage, the hardships of her life and the condemnation of the outside world.
Director Cai Chusheng invited Ruan Lingyu to play this role, she was deeply touched by the plot, and her performance was so devotional that she couldn't calm down even after the filming, crying all over her body convulsions.
This film reveals the cruel reality of human words, and makes the audience lament the fragility of life.
Cai Chusheng deeply understood Ruan Lingyu's inner torment, and he ordered the staff to leave and accompany her alone. As time passed, Ruan Lingyu noticed that the distance between herself and Cai Chusheng was gradually shortening.
Their similar life experiences have given them many topics in common and have a deep resonance. Ruan Lingyu once cried to Cai Chusheng: "Zhang Damin regards me as a cash cow, Tang Jishan regards me as a patent, and neither of them knows what love ...... is."After the filming of "New Woman" ended, Ruan Lingyu, who was at the peak of her acting career, and Cai Chusheng, an up-and-coming director, quietly bred a comprehension emotion.