Wang Renmei: The Wildcat of Shanghai

CHAPTER 3: Overnight Stardom

CHAPTER 3 Overnight Stardom ang Renmei was excited that the filming of Double Stars Shining in the Milky Way had been W completed. When she saw the finished film, she was horrified to discover that most of the sequences she had Àlmed were eliminated because of technical problems. Another disappointment for her was the dismissal by Lianhua of their singing and dancing group, which formally had been the Bright Moon Troupe. Fortunately for her, Li Jinhui reestablished the Bright Moon Troupe and Wang rejoined. What could have been a happy occasion with the reformation of the troupe became a tragedy. The Japanese army, on September 18, 1931, planted a bomb, which blew up on the tracks of the Japanese railway in Manchuria. The explosion gave their military an excuse to occupy that part of China. Chiang Kai-shek told the Manchurian warlord, Zhang Xueliang, not to resist the invaders. The generalissimo wanted to save his army to Àght the Communists who had set up a Soviet-style government in Jingxi the previous year. At the same time, Mao was elected chairman in 1931.1 The citizens of Shanghai were appalled by the events in the 20 Wang Renmei: The Wildcat of Shanghai north. They all joined in an anti-Japanese boycott. Japanese goods were not purchased. By the end of 1931, their merchandise dropped to three percent of the city’s total imported goods, from a high of almost one-third previously. Most Japanese-operated factories closed or stopped operations on a temporary basis. The Tokyo government was losing its patience with the unruly metropolis. Soon after, the Japanese placed Puyi, the Manchu, on the throne, as emperor of the puppet state of Manchukuo.2 Wang Renmei continued performing with the Bright Moon Troupe and joined their tour of the lower Yangtze Delta. At one of the performances, filmmaker Sun Yu saw Wang Renmei perform and remembered he had worked with her on Double Stars Shining in the Milky Way. He went backstage and asked her whether she would like to be in a Àlm that he was writing. She, of course, was thrilled and wanted to know more. He told her that he was planning another Àlm with Jin Yan and needed a co-star because Ruan Lingyu, who had been a famous co-star of Jin Yan, Áed to Hong Kong when the Japanese, annoyed with the boycott, attacked Shanghai in early 1932. Sun and Jin were horriÀed by the imperialistic and aggressive attitude of the Japanese. They wanted to portray the Chinese in a film as strong in order to inspire the populace to Àght the invaders. And yet, they hoped to do a Àlm which would not be banned by Guomindang censors. Wang Renmei had an opportunity to become the new face of Lianhua and was thrilled to play opposite a heartthrob like Jin. Sun decided to cast Wang Renmei as Xiao Feng in Ye Meigui (Wild Rose). Once again, the poet of Àlm demonstrated his talent in Ànding and developing inexperienced actors.3 While waiting for shooting to begin, Wang continued to work on other projects. The Bright Moon Troupe, after its tour of the Yangtze Delta, participated in two primitive sound films one of which entitled, Bajiaoye Shang Shi (Poetry on Palm Leaves) was shot by the Tian Overnight Stardom 21 Yi Movie Company, but was a box office flop. The small film studio even tried to insert color during the musical performances orchestrated by Li Jinhui.4 Poetry on Palm Leaves, while a commercial failure, demonstrated the tensions between Chinese and American technicians. Tian Yi Movie Company had hired American sound technicians with American equipment but had to pay large amounts of money which they could ill afford. One of the American technicians always locked the recording equipment after its use. Situ Huimin, a Chinese assistant, asked if he could look at the equipment and was refused. Situ asked the main manager of Tian Yi to help him, but the manager also refused. One night, Situ and his cameraman opened the door to the recording room, trying to take a look at the machine. The American technician happened to pass by, saw the light from the window and entered the room with a handgun, forcing them to leave immediately. Situ, facing the handgun, said to him, “You were hired by the Chinese and the machine is in a Chinese studio...