The Republic of China was an era of talent, especially in the old Shanghai, with the rise of the film and television industry, a lot of hot stars emerged, they not only look beautiful, talented acting skills are also excellent. The most famous of them are Hu Die and Ruan Lingyu, but what many people don’t know is that there was another woman who was famous for her talent and beauty, she was called “standard beauty” by the media, Xu Lai. Unfortunately, her life was full of hardships, and she died in prison in her later years.
A famous woman, but her marriage was in crisis
Xu Lai was born in 1909 in old Shanghai, her father was just an ordinary peddler, due to the poverty of the family, the family’s food and clothing have become a problem, let alone study, so Xu came from a young age without much education, but also without the opportunity to study.
When she was 13 years old, she joined an egg factory in Shanghai founded by a British businessman in order to subsidize her family. Later, when the family became more financially well-off, her father sent Xu to school. But Xu Lai, who was already used to social life, could no longer concentrate on her studies. She did not love studying, but had a great passion and talent for singing and dancing.
At the age of 18, Xu Lai enrolled in the Chinese School of Song and Dance, a specialized school, where she began to receive formal physical training and met her first husband, Lai Jinhui. Lai Jinhui is the founder of the Chinese singing and dancing school, 18 years older than Xu Lai, so act more mature, in life on the basic is Lai Jinhui take care of Xu Lai, he is informed of everything, so Xu Lai feel very warm.
After graduation, Xu Lai entered the Ming Yue Opera and Dance Company, and also entered into a marriage with Lai Jinhui. After the marriage, Xu Lai started to perform with the troupe all over the country. Xu Lai’s professional skills are not the best in the troupe, but her face is very high, especially a pair of big soulful eyes, so she stands out in the crowd of dancers, and therefore also attracted a lot of fans.
In 1933, Xu Lai starred in her first silent film, “Spring”, which featured a nude bathing scene, and it was this bold interpretation that made her a hit at the age of 24 and put her in the top tier of stars.
As Xu Lai’s career became more and more successful, more and more entertainment, she and her husband Lai Jinhui slowly had a gap between them. Xu Lai because of her work often to go in and out of the dance, inevitably with some high-ranking officials close, Lai Jinhui do not want to see his wife long-term exposure, especially some male fans are too enthusiastic, so as the husband of Lai Jinhui dissatisfaction, and these male fans include the Nationalist Party’s Lieutenant General Tang Shengming, Tang Shengming to Xu Lai at first sight.
The outside gossip soon reached Lai Jinhui’s ears, and the couple was often at odds over this, and over time, their feelings became dull, and eventually Xu Lai chose to divorce, ending their brief six-year marriage.
Love with a senior KMT official
In 1935, the news of Ruan Lingyu’s suicide hit the world and had a great impact on the society. Xu Lai, who was also an actress, also suffered a great blow after learning the news, and she made the decision to quit the film industry after being depressed.
In 1935, after starring in The Boatman’s Daughter, Xu Lai said goodbye to her beloved acting career, and this work also became her resting work. However, Xu Lai’s fame remained high in Shanghai, and many people admired her.
After learning of Xu Lai’s divorce, Tang Shengming once again launched a fierce pursuit of her. As a senior student of the Whampoa Military Academy, Tang Shengming was so suave and elegant that Xu Lai soon fell in love with him and soon afterwards they got married. Although Tang Shengming was a man of iron bones, but in the treatment of Xu Lai’s feelings is incomparably tender, he can be said to Xu Lai to answer all the requests, take care of everything, the couple spent a happy and happy time.
For the sake of the country, at the risk of being called a traitor
However, with the outbreak of the war, the marriage between the two also suffered a blow. During the war, Tang Shengming, as a high-ranking official of the Kuomintang, was assigned as an undercover agent to defect to the puppet government of Nanjing established by Wang Jingwei. In order to win Wang Jingwei’s trust, Tang Shengming mixed with the Japanese for a long time, befriending Japanese dignitaries, and was estimated to spend money like dirt in front of the Japanese, a playboy look. The news of Tang’s defection to the Japanese was reported in the major newspapers in Shanghai, and Tang became a “wanted criminal” by the national government, and his brother severed his relationship with him.
For the sake of the country and as the wife of Tang Shengming, Xu Lai chose to stand with her husband, even at the risk of being called a “traitorous woman”. In 1943, she was invited by Hu Lancheng to act in a film about the life of a Japanese spy, but Xu Lai refused without hesitation.
After the victory of the war, Xu Lai and Tang Shengming were reunited, and the identity of Tang Shengming as a wanted criminal was finally cancelled, people also knew that he was ordered to defect to the enemy, but because Tang Shengming did some bad things to please the Japanese at that time, his identity was never recognized by others. Later, Tang Shengming and Xu Lai went to settle in Hong Kong, and originally the family could live a peaceful and quiet life again. It was not until 1956 that the couple returned to Beijing, and what awaited them was another bloody storm.
A tragic death in prison in their later years
When Tang Shengming became a counsellor of the Chinese State Council, Xu Lai followed her husband to settle in Beijing. When that particular era came, Tang Shengming was arrested and imprisoned because of his sensitive identity, and Xu Lai eventually did not escape the fate. The following year, Tang Shengming was released, however, the red face has died, Xu Lai has long since perished.
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