Shanguan yunzhu

Shanguan Yunzhu was born in 1920 in Changjin City (长 泾), Jiangsu Province. Her birth name was Wei Junluo (韦 均 荦). She was the fifth and youngest child in the family of her parents. In 1936, she married her brother’s friend, art teacher Zhang Dayan (张大 炎) and, at the age of 17, gave birth to a son, Zhang Qijiang (张其坚).

Soon after her marriage, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out . In November 1937, the Japanese invaded Jiangsu, and Wei Junluo and her family were forced to flee to Shanghai. In Shanghai, Wei Junluo got a job in a photo studio owned by He Zuoming, who was a photographer at the Mingxing Film Company. Under the influence of many clients of the studio from the film industry, she became interested in acting. In 1940, she entered the school of theater art. She took the name Shanguan Yunzhu as suggested by the famous director Bu Wanzang. The actress made her debut in 1941, playing in the movie "Withered Rose."

In 1942, Shanguan joined the Tianfeng drama troupe, where she met playwright Yao Ke (姚 克). The following year, the actress divorced Zhang Dayan and married Yao. In August 1944, she gave birth to a daughter, Yao Yao (姚姚). However, her new marriage was just as short-lived, this time because of her husband’s infidelity. The couple divorced before their daughter turned two years old. Shanguan subsequently had a short-term relationship with actor Lan Ma (蓝 马).

In the postwar period, the actress successfully continued her acting career, playing the main role in the film "Dream in Paradise" directed by Tang Xiaodan and the supporting role in the film "Long Live My Wife" directed by San Hu . She later starred in several films, including The River Flows East (1947), The Myriad of Lights (1948, directed by Shen Fu), Crows and Sparrows (1949, directed by Zheng Junli), and Women Side by Side (1949). Her masterful play in these films brought her widespread fame and recognition from critics.

After the victory of the Communists in the Civil War and the creation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Shanguan Yunzhu continued her acting career. In 1951, she married Chen Shuyao (程述尧), the manager of the Shanghai Theater Lyceum, for the third time. The couple had a son named Wei Ran (韦 然). However, Cheng Shuyao was soon criticized during the Three and Five Against Campaign, which launched in 1952. He was charged with embezzlement and admitted to the charges under pressure. Shanguan was forced to file for divorce, and this time her marriage lasted less than two years.

Communication with Cheng Shuyao affected the career of the young actress, who for several years did not appear on the screen in the lead roles. The situation changed in 1955, when she starred in the film “The Storm on the South Island”. Director Bai Chen (白 沉) chose her for the leading role of a heroic nurse, whose image was very far from the current role of the actress, who before that played mainly secular ladies and rich wives. Since then, Shanguan began to act in various roles, actively demonstrating multifaceted acting talent. Her last role was an episodic appearance in the film “Sisters on the Stage”, where she played a middle-aged actress, who in the new communist society cannot give up old feudal habits, but at the same time she cannot fit into the realities of new life. She gradually loses popularity among the public and eventually commits suicide.

Shanguan Yunzhu was credited with an intimate relationship with Mao Zedong . On January 10, 1956, Shanguan and Mao held a private conversation, during which Mao admitted that he was a fan of the actress. According to rumors, Mao repeatedly requested a meeting with Shangguan.

In 1966, Shanguan was diagnosed with breast cancer, and a successful operation was performed. However, two months later, cancer metastases were detected in the brain. At the same time, a “cultural revolution” unfolded in China. Shanguan was brutally attacked by the Hongweibins, who were supposedly coached by Jiang Qing's wife, Mao Zedong. After another brutal beating at 3 a.m. on November 23, 1968, Shanguan Yunzhu committed suicide by jumping out of the window of her apartment.