Xia Meng (16 February 1933 – 30 October 2016), a.k.a. Hsia Moon and Miranda Yang, born Yang Meng, was an actress and film producer from Hong Kong.[1] She appeared in Hong Kong films in the 1950s and 1960s, and was involved in the region's left-wing film scene.[2] In the 1980s, Xia Meng worked as a film producer and was involved in the Hong King New Wave.

Xia Meng
Born
Yang Meng

(1933-02-16)16 February 1933
Died30 October 2016(2016-10-30) (aged 83)
SpouseLin Baocheng
AwardsGolden Phoenix Awards
1993 Special Contribution Award
Hong Kong Film AwardsBest Film
1983 Boat People

Chinese name
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXià Mèng
Wade–GilesHsia4 Meng4
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpinghaa6 mung6
Yang Meng
Traditional Chinese楊濛
Simplified Chinese杨蒙
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYáng Méng
Wade–GilesYang2 Meng2
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingjoeng4 mung4

Early life and education

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Xia Meng was born Yang Meng on 16 February, 1933 in Shanghai.

She was first exposed to drama at McTyeire School, an elite girls' school established by Methodist missionaries in Shanghai. In 1947, she moved with her family to Hong Kong, where she attended Maryknoll Convent School. In 1949, In conjunction with an event at her school, She was chosen to play the leading role in McTyeire School's English-language production of Saint Joan.

Xia Meng's younger sister, Yang Jie, played on the China women's national basketball team from 1954 to 1957.[3]

Film career

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In 1950, Yang Meng (birthname) and her friends visited a film set of the Great Wall Movie Enterprises Ltd. This was where she was first spotted by the crews, as well as studio manager Yuan Yang'an. Through the help of Yuan's daughter, Mao Mei (an actress and ballerina), Yang Meng accepted his invitation and joined the studio at the age of 17. Inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the new actress decided to rename herself Xia Meng (literally "summer dream").

The Great Wall Crown Princess

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Xia Meng shaking hands with Mao Zedong in Beijing in 1957. Smiling behind Mao is Deng Xiaoping.

She was given her first role as the title character in Li Pingqian's A Night-Time Wife (1951). The comedy was a hit and rocketed Hsia Moon to stardom.[4] Many other roles followed, including a tragic demimondaine of Cao Yu's Sunrise and the virtuous widow of A Widow's Tears, both in 1956. She portrayed the scapegoat of the feudal moral value in the critically acclaimed film[5] The Eternal Love (1960), the deprived bourgeoisie in HKFA Archival Gem's Romance of The Boudoir (1960),[6] and played a man masquerading as a woman in The Bride Hunter (1960).

Xia Meng was one of the few Hong Kong movie stars whose films were released in the People's Republic of China before the Cultural Revolution. Xinhua News has compared her to Audrey Hepburn.[7]

Cultural Revolution

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In the summer of 1967, Xia Meng visited Guangzhou and witnessed the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. Hong Kong cinema was soon influenced by the Chinese Communist Party, and Great Wall’s movies no longer had the same cachet as before. Xia Meng, who was pregnant at the time, excused herself from involvement in the political movement. She resigned from the studio in September of 1967, shortly after appearing in Oh, The Spring Is Here (1967), and quietly left for Canada before the film was released.

Return as movie producer

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After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Xia Meng was invited by Liao Chengzhi, then vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC), to attend the 4th National Congress of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles(CFLAC) held in Beijing from 30 October—16 November 1979. This is considered to be her first public appearance after her final screen performance in 1967. Under the encouragement of Liao, she decided returned to the movie industry as a producer after an absence of ten years.

In 1980, Xia Meng formed Bluebird Movie Enterprises Ltd, and produced the debut film Boat People (Ann Hui, 1982), a movie and landmark feature for Hong Kong New Wave, which won several awards including the best picture and best director in the second Hong Kong Film Award. After producing Young Heroes (Mou Dunfei, 1983) and Homecoming (Yim Ho, 1984), Xia Meng sold her film company to Jiang Zuyi. She had no involvement in film production after that.

Other

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Awards

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Xia Meng's performance in Peerless Beauty (1953) and A Widow's Tears (1956) won her the Greatest Individual Achievement Award given by the Cultural Ministry of the People's Republic of China. In 1995, Xia Meng was honored the Chinese Film Stars Special Award, in conjunction with 90 anniversary of Chinese Cinema.

Political activities

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She was also involved in political activities, being selected as a committee member of the Chinese National Cultural Alliance and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Legacy

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For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Xia Meng has a star with a hand print and autograph by the name of Miranda Yang on the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, Hong Kong.

In August 2005, Meng was one of 128 movie stars recognized by China in a commemorative stamp collection marking 100 years of Chinese language cinema.

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  • Law Kar, Hsia Moon: episodes of a summer dream (Hong Kong 1995); ISBN 962-357-773-7
  • Zhu Shunci et al., An age of idealism: Great Wall & Feng Huang days, (Hong Kong Film Archive 2001); ISBN 962-8050-14-1
  • Liu Shu, The Peerless Xia Meng, China Film Press, Beijing, 2007; ISBN 7-106-02637-9

Filmography

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Year English title Original title Role Notes
1951 A Night-Time Wife 禁婚記 Ying Xiazhi
1952 Father Marries Again 一家春
Modern Red Chamber Dream 新紅樓夢
Nonya 娘惹 Yang Yongfen
1953 A Torn Lily 孽海花 Jiao Guiying
Marriage Affair Kung Mei Feng
Day Dream 白日夢
  • Wang Guoying
  • Wang Guozhen
The Peerless Beauty 絕代佳人 Ru Ji
The Gold-Plated Man 花花世界 Mrs Wei
1954 Merry-Go-Round 歡喜冤家 Zhang Qingping
Tales of the City 都會交響曲 Nancy
Joyce and Deli 姊妹曲 Lu Deli
1955 Never Leave Me 不要離開我 Mu Sangqing
1956 Sunrise 日出 Chen Bailu
The Three Loves 三戀 Bai Yiwen
The Wedding Night 新婚第一夜 Lin Fang
A Widow's Tears 新寡 Fang Mei
1957 Forever Waiting 望夫山下 Liu Wanlin
Escape Into Trap 逆旅風雲 Xiao Jiaohong
Whither Spring? 春歸何處 Zhang Ming
1958 Those Bewitching Eyes 眼兒媚 Yan Er-Mei
The Way of Husband and Wife 搶新郎 Zhang Caifeng
The Green Swan Club 綠天鵝夜總會 Qiu Lin
Husband Hunters 夫妻經 Zhang Jingfen
1959 Sweet as Honey 甜甜蜜蜜 Ting Hui-Lan
Feast of a Rich Family 豪門夜宴 Guest at banquet
An Unfulfilled Wish 稱心如意 Wanfen
1960 Bride Hunter 王老虎搶親 Zhou Wenbin Yue opera film, cross-gender acting
A Mermaid's Love 碧波仙侶
  • Jin Mudan
  • Carp Spirit
Musical film
Romance in the Boudoir 香閨春情 Suxuan
Rendezvous 佳人有約
The Eternal Love 同命鴛鴦 Madam Liu
1961 Ah, It's Spring! 滿園春色
1962 The Princess Falls in Love 三看御妹劉金定 Liu Jinding Yue opera film
Let's Get Married 我們要結婚 Liu Ying
1963 Between Vengeance and Love 雪地情仇 Yinzhu
Dong Xiaowan 董小宛 Dong Xiaowan
1964 My Darling Princess 金枝玉葉 Princess Yue opera film
Garden of Repose 故園春夢 Wan Zhaohua
1965 A Heroic Romance 烽火姻緣 She Saihua Yue opera film
1967 The Fair Ladies 白領麗人 Jiang Yuhua
1968 Oh, the Spring's Here! 迎春花
1982 Boat People 投奔怒海 Does not appear Producer
1983 Young Heroes 自古英雄出少年 Does not appear Producer
1984 Homecoming 似水流年 Does not appear Producer

References

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  1. ^ 著名演员夏梦去世享年83岁 曾是金庸梦中情人 (in Chinese). NetEase. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  2. ^ "Photo of Hong Kong actress and producer Hsia Moon/Xia Meng. …". www.nas.gov.sg. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  3. ^ (in Chinese) ["女篮5号"生活原型怀念谢晋杨洁老人结电影缘]
  4. ^ 香港电影史话, Volume 4,余慕雲
  5. ^ "HK Film Archive celebrates 10th anniversary with The Best From the Archive Collection". 7thspace.com. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Hong Kong Film Archive showcases nine rare gems". Info.gov.hk. 19 December 2002. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  7. ^ "中国"赫本"夏梦绝美照——新华网江西频道". Jx.xinhuanet.com. 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 16 April 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2016.