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Whether playing the valiant heroine Mulan in the movies or appearing as the exotic modern beauty in the pictorials, Nancy Chan has always exuded her unique charm in various roles. The Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department is holding the exhibition "Charming and Exquisite: Nancy Chan" until July 19 at 1/F foyer of the HKFA. The exhibition showcases numerous valuable film stills of Chan and magazine artefacts featuring her as the cover girl. Admission is free.
Nancy Chan, originally named Chan Man-keung, was born in Hong Kong and started learning performing techniques from the famous opera virtuoso Yik Kim-cheun in Guangzhou when she was young. In 1938, Chan followed movie mogul Zhang Shankun to start her career in Shanghai, and at the age of 16 she first won fame by playing Mulan in "Mulan Joins the Army" (1939). Chan's portrayal of a loyal and filial Mulan became a patriotic model, motivating many to fight for the country during wartime. Screened for 83 consecutive days in Shanghai, the film made a huge splash and led to the blooming of period movie productions, subtly carrying patriotism forward. Chan continued with the patriotic and heroic persona in her subsequent movies, namely "Fei Zhene Stabs a Tiger" (1939), "Qin Liangyu" (1940) and "Su Wu Herds Sheep" (1940).
Thanks to the great success of "Mulan Joins the Army" in Shanghai, Chan became the barometer of the modern female with her every move. She also outshone other qipao-wearing Shanghai movie starlets at the time with her fluent English, exotic demeanour and athletic charm. "The Angel" (1939) was a movie tailor-made for Chan, and it featured her singing talent with dazzling set design and captured her charm with various close-ups on the face. Chan gained an enormous number of fans coming from different walks of life, which made her the first movie star in China to have her own fan club.
Chan won the title of "Movie Queen" of China for three consecutive years starting in 1939. She stepped away from the limelight after marrying prominent doctor Tang Yuhan in 1945 and moving back to Hong Kong. She reappeared on the screen at the end of the 1940s to support Zhang Shankun's career in Hong Kong by starring in his movies "The Goddess and the Devil" (1952) and "Her Secret Past" (1952).
For enquiries about the exhibition, please call 2739 2139 or browse the website at www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/HKFA/en_US/web/hkfa/programmesandexhibitions/highlights/highlights18.html.
Ends/Friday, April 17, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:34
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