Farewell, Li Xianglan

This film (drama)Also known asさよなら李香蘭，is aJapan, Mainland ChinaProducerbeauty live，At1989Released in year 。The dialogue language isMandarin Chinese, Japanese，Current Douban rating8.5(For reference only)。

Li Xianglan, originally named Yamaguchi Shuko, was affectionately called Dou Dou by her family. She was Japanese, born on February 12, 1920, near Beiyantai in Liaoning Province, China (now Shenyang), and shortly afterwards, her family moved to Fushun. Yamaguchi Shuko was born into a scholarly family in Japan; her grandfather was a Sinologist in Saga Prefecture, and her father went to study in China in his youth under his influence, later working for the "Manchurian Railways." Growing up in Shenyang and later Fushun, she was deeply affected by the bloodshed she witnessed in her youth—specifically in 1932, when she saw several bound Chinese men shot dead on the spot by Japanese military police, a scene that left a lasting impression on her. Later, she learned that this was related to the Pingdingshan Incident, where 3,000 Chinese civilians were massacred by Japanese troops. After her father was detained for "collaborating with the enemy," the Yamaguchi family moved to Shenyang. At the age of 13, Yamaguchi Shuko acknowledged her father's Chinese classmate, the pro-Japanese president of a bank in Shenyang, Li Jichun, as her adoptive father, thus acquiring a beautiful name—Li Xianglan. In 1943, the young and naive Li Xianglan, filled with love for both China and Japan and hope for the future, arrived in Beijing, where she attended Yijiao Girls' School under the name Pan Shuhua. "Pan" was the surname of her one of her adoptive fathers—Pan Zhengsheng, who was then the mayor of Tianjin; "Shu" was derived from Yamaguchi Shuko's name; and "Hua" signifies her birth in China. This name also encompassed the hope for a friendly coexistence between the peoples of China and Japan. Yijiao Girls' School in Beijing was a complete secondary school for girls. It was here that she received a good education, laying the foundation for her future career in the performing arts. In her memoir "My First Half of Life—The Biography of Li Xianglan," she recorded her study experience: "I came from the Northeast to find relatives, and as a Chinese person—Pan's goddaughter—I attended Yijiao Girls' School, where I was called Pan Shuhua... Often, three of us walked to school together, but sometimes I was the only one left after school. At that time, I often detoured to Beihai Park, where I practiced my Chinese pronunciation or checked the dictionary on an uninhabited island, and I had also visited the distant Temple of Heaven." Due to her natural beauty, fluent Chinese, and enchanting singing voice, when "the daughter of the Li family came of age," her artistic talent and unique background quickly attracted the attention of the puppet "Manchurian Film Association," orchestrated by the Japanese invaders. They urged her to join and decided to promote her heavily as a Chinese singing star to support their aggression policy. Young and ignorant, she harbored boundless hope for the puppet "Manchukuo" and sang Chinese songs such as "Fisherman's Girl," "Zhaojun's Complaint," and "Meng Jiangnv" in the "New Manchukuo Songs" program on the Japanese Fengtian Radio Station, gaining fame with the song "Night Jasmine." Thus, "singer Li Xianglan" was thrust into the spotlight and quickly became a household name, a "superstar." After achieving stardom, she starred in several films that promoted Japanese propaganda or glorified the Japanese invasion. At that time, everyone believed she was Chinese, which later brought her misfortune. As the Japanese invasion of China escalated and the Pacific War broke out, Britain and the United States declared war on Japan. Japan became the enemy of the world, deep in a quagmire. On one side was hostility, while on the other side was the illusion of peace; amidst the clash of swords, her songs were like wine blended with a seductive potion, soothing people's spirits while dulling their fighting spirit. Although she lived in tumultuous times, her popularity only grew. Early in the Pacific War, she performed at the "Japanese Theatre" to enthusiastic audiences, with as many as seven and a half rings of fans surrounding her, causing chaos and becoming newsworthy. At that time, she received a letter from Matsumoto Hiroshi, the eldest son of Japanese Foreign Minister Matsumoto Yōsuke. The letter stated, "A person's worth cannot be measured by their fame. A person's value is not reflected on the surface; you should treasure yourself. Now is an era where personal value is mocked; you must respect yourself even more or risk being manipulated by national affairs. I hope you will always have self-respect and self-love." These words are thought-provoking. During one of the darkest periods in Japanese history, the son of a post-war war criminal wrote such a letter to a starlet posing as a Chinese woman (or "Manchurian"), serving Japan's Far East policy. This evokes both the power and weakness of liberalism—it serves only as a resistance that will not come to fruition. Fluent in both Chinese and Japanese, with stunning beauty and a European vocal style reminiscent of the Hollywood star Diana Lynn, she epitomized the Japanese aspiration for Chinese women. Thus, Li Xianglan became a "sugar-coated bullet" in the Kanto Army's wartime policy. ◆ The Years of the Singer: Li Xianglan's experiences are unique. Although she was a faux Chinese actress created by the Japanese, filming propaganda films to comfort Japanese troops, and became a pro-Japanese goodwill ambassador for the puppet Manchukuo, these do not detract from her artistic achievements. Her singing was melodious and deeply intricate. During her student years, she studied coloratura soprano with the famous soprano Madame Podoretsov and later became a singer at a radio station, marking the beginning of her singing career. She sang countless classic love songs throughout her life. According to her memoir "My First Half of Life," the three songs most beloved by the audience were "When Will You Come Again," "Suzhou Night Melody," and "Night Jasmine." "When Will You Come Again," from the 1930s film "Three Stars Accompanying the Moon," was originally sung by Zhou Xuan, but her rendition took on a different charm. Just like her old photos, with a bewitchingly beautiful face dressed in a qipao, she embodied an Eastern essence yet was not entirely Chinese, with an ambiguous gaze. "Suzhou Night Melody" was composed by the Japanese composer Hattori Ryoichi, based on Chinese melodies and inspired by American love songs, specifically written for her. "Night Jasmine," perhaps the most well-known, was composed by the record company Bai Dai and was based on Chinese folk melodies but entirely adopted Western musical styles, turning it into an upbeat slow rumba, spreading throughout the neon-lit urban areas of occupation. Unfortunately, this song remains banned, and although it is enjoyable, many can only sing it in private. In her autobiography, she remarked, "Despite the popularity of this song, it did not enjoy a long-lasting resonance; the Japanese and Chinese versions were later banned from sale... The reason given was that any foreign soft love song could disrupt public morals." Furthermore, in 1945, she was summoned by the Municipal Government in Shanghai for singing this song. She said, "They suspected that I was hoping for the return of the Chongqing government or the Communist government by singing this song." Even in her later years, she remained nostalgic for the song's lyricist, Li Jinguang. In 1981, she specially invited him to visit Japan, and at a cocktail party, they sang "Night Jasmine," while a throng of "Night Jasmine" fans sang along. In her autobiography, she also mentioned another song that was banned for being labeled as "decadent and demoralizing enemy music"—"The Blues of Departure." This song was very popular among Japanese soldiers, and when a performer sang it at their request, officers pretended to leave the venue but secretly wept as they listened. Her songs like "Three Years," the theme from "A Night of Passion," and "Regret Not Meeting Until After Marriage" made her fans enamored. In June 1945, when she sang this song at a concert in Shanghai, both Chinese and Japanese fans, despite being on opposing sides due to the ongoing war, were enchanted by her. This marked her last public performance in Shanghai; two months later, following the end of the war, she was arrested on charges of "colluding with the Japanese army." In addition to singing, she also appeared in many films produced in puppet "Manchukuo," Shanghai, Japan, and other regions. In April 1991, she personally selected seven films she acted in to showcase at the Hong Kong Film Festival. The seven films included: "A Night in China," "The Bell of Sion," "My Nightingale," "The Brightest Days of My Life," "Escaping at Dawn," "Scandal," and "The Enchanting Love of Madame White Snake." Among them, "My Nightingale" was shot during the puppet "Manchukuo" era, taking nearly two years to complete and costing 250,000 yen, five times the average investment for a film. The film depicts the ups and downs of a father-daughter relationship, and she believed it to be "a universally appealing musical film and a true musical work in the history of Japanese film." "The Brightest Days of My Life" was her representative work after returning to Japan post-war, produced by Shochiku Film Company, depicting a dancer in love with the murderer of her father; it was once rated fifth among the ten best films. "Escaping at Dawn" was a romantic tragedy scripted by Akira Kurosawa, which was rated third among the ten best films of the year. "The Enchanting Love of Madame White Snake" was adapted from the Chinese folk tale "The Legend of the White Snake." "A Night in China" left audiences with the impression of a beautiful Chinese woman and her sweet singing voice. Her songs inspired dreams and her films caused a sensation. She filmed "Mulan Joins the Army" and "Immortal Fame," where she gained fame in the Chinese film industry for portraying Lin Zexu's daughter. She provided different interpretations for these two films, believing they could be understood by Chinese audiences in the context of patriotism and resistance against the Japanese; she even stated that they were films acceptable to both Chinese and Japanese audiences. However, her true success came in the 1950s after starring in Hollywood films and Broadway musicals, at the invitation of a Hong Kong film company, where she shot several films such as "Golden Lotus," "A Night of Passion," and "Mysterious Beauty," with all the interludes personally performed and recorded by her. Although some criticized her films for being filled with militaristic Japanese ideology, art cannot solely serve as a tool for military propaganda. Additionally, she participated in shooting "documentary-style art films" like "Yellow River" and music films with Russian styles like "My Nightingale," for which she was tracked by spies from both the Soviet Union and Japan. Regarding these, she said: "Japan will definitely lose the war, but precisely because of the defeat, we must leave behind good artistic films. When the American forces occupy Japan, they can demonstrate that Japan did not only make war films but also produced excellent artistic films that rivaled Western classics..."