三年(San Nien - Three Years) - The story of Li Xiang Lan (李香兰)

This song was made famous by Li Xiang Lan in the 40s. She has a very interesting life. "Born in 1920 to Japanese parents in Manchuria, Yoshiko Yamaguchi. Adopted by a local warlord and began singing while still in high school. During the Japanese occupation of China, she was hired as an actress by the Manchu Film Studio, which produced her first film, Honeymoon Express, in 1938. The Manchu Film Studio essentially made propaganda films promoting friendship between China and the occupying Japanese, with Yamaguchi usually playing a young Chinese girl who meets and falls in love with a Japanese man. In order to give her characters more authenticity, the bilingual Yamaguchi was given a Chinese name, Li Xiang Lan. She made more than 20 movies under this name before Japan's surrender six years later. A few months after the surrender, Yamaguchi was arrested by the Chinese government and charged with collaborating with the enemy. The charges were dropped, however, when her Japanese nationality was revealed". She later went to Hollywood and became a member of Japanese Parliament.

This version, which I like very much, is by Taiwanese singer Fei Yu Qing (费玉清).

Also dedicated to the many love lives of Chairman Mao.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Li
• Xiang
• Lan
• Shirley
• Yamaguchi
• Chairman
• Mao