Chen Gexin
Encyclopedia
Chen Gexin was a Chinese
popular music
songwriter
.
. He was jailed during the occupation of Shanghai
by Japanese
forces during Second Sino-Japanese War
(World War II
) for his patriotic songs.
With the Communist seizure of power in China in 1949, popular music was considered ideologically suspect and Chen was labeled a rightist
and imprisoned in a laogai
for "reform through labor" in 1957. He died soon after at the age of 47.
Chen Gexin was the father, with his muse Jin Jiaoli (金娇丽), of Chinese classical composer Chen Gang (陈刚 Chén Gāng) and grandfather of China's first "Miss Internet," Chen Fanhong.
and In The Mood For Love (花樣年華). His song Rose, Rose, I Love You
, sung by American
singer Frankie Laine
in 1951, is the only major popular music hit in the United States by a Chinese composer. When Chen's youngest son went to the United States for advanced education, he was able to meet Laine and thereafter maintained a correspondence. Another of his songs, Wishing You Happiness and Prosperity
, originally written to celebrate the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, has become a popular Chinese New Year
standard. His music continues to be performed and is featured in films such as Eros
.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
.
Biography
Chen was born into an elite family and had a grandfather from IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was jailed during the occupation of Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
by Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
forces during Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
(World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
) for his patriotic songs.
With the Communist seizure of power in China in 1949, popular music was considered ideologically suspect and Chen was labeled a rightist
Left-Right politics
The left–right political spectrum is a common way of classifying political positions, political ideologies, or political parties along a one-dimensional political spectrum. The perspective of Left vs. Right is a binary interpretation of complex questions...
and imprisoned in a laogai
Laogai
Laogai , the abbreviation for Láodòng Gǎizào , which means "reform through labor," is a slogan of the Chinese criminal justice system and has been used to refer to the use of prison labor and prison farms in the People's Republic of China . It is estimated that in the last fifty years more than...
for "reform through labor" in 1957. He died soon after at the age of 47.
Chen Gexin was the father, with his muse Jin Jiaoli (金娇丽), of Chinese classical composer Chen Gang (陈刚 Chén Gāng) and grandfather of China's first "Miss Internet," Chen Fanhong.
Music
Chen was the composer of famous mid-20th century popular standards as Shanghai at Night (夜上海) sung by Zhou XuanZhou Xuan
Zhou Xuan was a popular Chinese singer and film actress. By the 1940s, she had become one of China's seven great singing stars. She is probably the most well-known of the seven, as she had a concurrent movie career until 1953.-Biography:...
and In The Mood For Love (花樣年華). His song Rose, Rose, I Love You
Rose, Rose, I Love You
"Rose, Rose, I Love You" is the standard English title of the 1940 Chinese popular song "Méigui méigui wǒ ài nǐ" , first recorded by Yao Lee . An English-language version whose lyrics have little in common with the original Mandarin was first recorded by Frankie Laine in 1951...
, sung by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
in 1951, is the only major popular music hit in the United States by a Chinese composer. When Chen's youngest son went to the United States for advanced education, he was able to meet Laine and thereafter maintained a correspondence. Another of his songs, Wishing You Happiness and Prosperity
Wishing You Happiness and Prosperity
"Wishing You Happiness and Prosperity" is a popular Mandarin Chinese song and a Chinese Lunar New Year standard. Other English titles for the song include "Congratulations" and "Happiness To You."...
, originally written to celebrate the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, has become a popular Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
standard. His music continues to be performed and is featured in films such as Eros
Eros (film)
Eros is a 2004 portmanteau film consisting of three short films: Wong Kar-wai's The Hand, Steven Soderbergh's Equilibrium and Michelangelo Antonioni's The Dangerous Thread of Things.-Releases:...
.