Xu Qing Explained

Xu Qing
Native Name:许晴
Other Names:Summer Xu
Birth Date:22 January 1969
Birth Place:Beijing, China
Alma Mater:Beijing Film Academy
Occupation:Actress
Years Active:1990–present
Agent:

Xu Qing (; born 22 January 1969),[1] also known as Summer Xu,[2] is a Chinese actress.

Early life

Xu was born at the 301 Hospital in Beijing. Her mother, of Tujia ethnicity, was the dance leader in the Central Military Commission Political Work Department Song and Dance Troupe, while her father, of Han ethnicity, was originally a guard for He Long. Due to his handsome appearance, he joined the art troupe on He Long's suggestion. Xu has an older sister, Xu Ye, who participated in the television series Journey to the West (1986), enlisted in the army at the age of 15, and earned a bachelor's and master's degree in dance in Japan, where she lived for over a decade with her Chinese husband and children. Xu Qing's grandmother and several uncles and aunts were diplomats. Her maternal great-grandfather, Xiong Wenqing, sold his family property to support the Xinhai Revolution and was a close friend of Huang Xing, serving as a key figure in the Tongmenghui and as the last Speaker of the Hubei Provincial Assembly.[3]

Due to her parents' reluctance to keep her in contact with the performing arts, Xu lived with her grandmother at the China Foreign Affairs University from nine days old until her third year of high school. She attended the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, where she excelled academically. In her third year of high school, she returned to her parents' Song and Dance Troupe compound because her grandmother had to take care of the ailing great-grandmother. Xu's striking appearance led many uncles and aunts there to suggest she apply to the Beijing Film Academy. She successfully auditioned with a tap dance taught by her mother. In 1988, Xu received two university admission letters: one from the German Department of the University of International Relations, the other from the Performance Department of the Beijing Film Academy. She chose the latter and set a school record with a perfect score of 120 in gaokao's mathematics section.[4]

Career

In 1980, at the age of 11, Xu made her acting debut in the Sino-Vietnamese War film Iron Armor 008. At 14, she appeared in the television series Journey to the West. While in her second year at the Beijing Film Academy, Xu was discovered by director Chen Kaige and starred in the film Life on a String. She later starred in Ling Zifeng's film Ripples Across Stagnant Water.

After graduating in 1992, Xu joined the Beijing Film Studio. The same year, she was sent to Singapore by China's Ministry of Radio, Film, and Television to work with the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, where she became a contracted artist. During her year and a half in Singapore, she starred in several local television dramas, such as The Witty Advisor and The Fiery Lover. Meanwhile, Xu won the 4th Chinese Film Performing Arts Society Award, her first award, for Ripples Across Stagnant Water, but when she flew from Singapore back to China for the award, she felt the vanity and insincerity of the industry and decided not to attend award ceremonies in the future. Xu fulfilled her contract with the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation and returned to China in April, 1994.

In the 1990s, Xu gained popularity through a series of romantic dramas in China. Her collaborations with Wang Zhiwen in At the Foot of the Imperial City and Rain and Shine made them a classic on-screen couple. In 1998, her role in Coming and Going, opposite Pu Cunxin, cemented her screen image as a sex symbol. After producing a series of successful films and TV shows, including My 1919, Laughing in the Wind, and Heroic Legend of the Qing Dynasty, Xu went to UCLA in 2007 to study film production. She returned to China for the filming of The Founding of a Republic, in which she plays Soong Ching-ling, earning the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress. After returning to China, she produced her first TV series Huangliang Hutong No. 19 and starred in her first Hollywood film, Looper.

From 2013, Xu participated in the Asian tour of Stan Lai's stage play "A Dream Like a Dream" for over ten years, winning the Huading Award for Best Actress in a Stage Play. In 2014 and 2015, she joined the first and second seasons of the Hunan TV travel reality show Divas Hit the Road, which sparked Internet controversy and memes.[5] [6] She later starred in Mr. Six, for which she won the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress, as well as Hidden Man and the international production 24 Hours to Live. In 2016, Xu also announced her directorial debut with the film Romance in Red as well as her first time working as a film producer in Luzhuanhei Zhuanfen. However, Romance in Red was never filmed, and Luzhuanhei Zhuanfen, supervised by Kang Je-gyu and starring T.O.P. and Xu, was halted after initial shooting due to the K-content ban in China in 2017 after South Korea's deployment of THAAD system.[7]

Since 2019, Xu has had no film or television works released. One of her projects shot before 2019 was released with her face altered by AI for unknown reasons, leading to speculation of a "soft" ban in China. Starting in September 2023, Xu resumed touring with the stage play "A Dream Like a Dream." In November 2023, her office, Dongyang Cangguo Film and Television Studio, was ordered to pay 6.24 million RMB due to a contract dispute, which was believed to stem from her industry blacklisting.[8]

Personal Life

Xu Qing's first boyfriend during her senior year of high school was Wu Ruofu, who was then with the Central Military Commission Political Work Department Song and Dance Troupe. They began dating after Xu was accepted by both the German Department of the University of International Relations and the Performance Department of the Beijing Film Academy. She chose the latter because of him: "I just wanted to be closer to his circle. If I studied German, our professional paths would never cross." The relationship lasted for three years.[9] [10]

In 1990, while filming Life on a String, Xu was rumored to be involved with director Chen Kaige, which precipitated Chen's divorce from Hung Huang.[11] In 1991, Xu starred in Ripples Across Stagnant Water with You Yong, who ended his relationship with Xiao Xue and began dating Xu. Later, while filming At the Foot of the Imperial City with You Yong and Wang Zhiwen, Xu broke up with You and started a two-year relationship with Wang.[12] On The Jin Xing Show, Xu explained that the breakup with Wang was due to her inability to separate work from their personal lives, although they remained friends thereafter. She mentioned that she decided not to date actors anymore, and her subsequent partners were mostly unknown to the public.

In 1995, after filming The Emperor's Shadow, Xu moved to Singapore and took a three-year hiatus from acting, returning in 1998 with the publication of a photo collection. That same year, a Chinese newspaper reported that a wealthy Singaporean businessman had "kept" a female star, forbidding her from acting or dating for three years, and Xu was suspected to be the subject due to her prolonged stay in Singapore.[13]

In 1997, Xu met Liu Bo, a businessman in the culture industry who invested 1 million RMB in Xu's photo collection and invited Yu Qiuyu to write the preface. The following year, Liu began dating Xu before divorcing his wife. Liu, born in Zhuzhou, Hunan, had a public resume claiming he entered Wuhan University's Chinese Department at 14, earned a master's degree from Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a PhD in philosophy under Ji Xianlin at Peking University. However, a 2017 investigation by Tencent News revealed Liu graduated with a technical secondary school diploma from Hunan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and briefly studied at a writers' class at Wuhan University funded by a Zhuzhou newspaper where he worked then. He obtained his PhD from Peking University's Department of Oriental Studies, reportedly through his personal connection with Ji Xianlin while his 2000 dissertation lacking academic standards.[14] Xu and Liu broke up in 2002 because, according to Xu, "he became arrogant after becoming a businessman, which I didn't like." She decided to leave after overhearing Liu falsely claim familiarity with Chow Yun-fat and his wife during a business call.[15] In 2003, Liu fled the country due to debts; in 2014, Interpol issued a red notice for him on fraud charges. In 2017, Liu died of a heart attack in Japan.[16]

In 2004, Xu was reported to be dating a Guangdong businessman surnamed Su. Their on-and-off relationship lasted until around 2010.[17] During this period, Xu was rumored to be involved with a married poet, leading her to turn to Buddhism due to her troubled love life.[18]

In 2006, a magazine published an article revealing the extramarital affair between the disgraced China Construction Bank president Wang Xuebing and an actress (alias Song Jingjing). Southern Metropolis Weekly reported that the unnamed actress was Xu Qing, adding that Xu's father had remarried a woman younger than Xu[19] . Xu sued the weekly's owner The Nanfang Daily, which later issued an apology, acknowledging the lack of sufficient evidence for their report.[20] In August 2009, on the talkshow A Date with Luyu, Xu denied her relationship with Wang again during her promotion of The Founding of a Republic, where she plays Song Ching-ling: "Would a country let a banker's mistress play the role of the nation's mother?"[21] In a 2014 interview with a magazine, Xu mentioned that Wang called her after his release from prison, commending her for handling the rumors with dignity. In 2017, the Central Party School Press published a collection of interviews with corrupt officials, where Wang Xuebing's description of his actress lover (alias Anna) is widely believed to be Xu.[22]

Filmography

Film

Year English title Chinese titleRole Notes
1990 Life on a String 边走边唱 Lan Xiu'er
1992 Ripples Across Stagnant WaterCai Dasao
1994 Dark Obsession疯蝶 Ai Mei
1996 The Emperor's Shadow秦颂 Princess Yueyang
1999 Agreed Not to Separate说好不分手 Lin Qiao
1999 My 1919我的1919 Mei
2007 Flash Point导火线 Madam Lau Cameo[23]
2009 The Founding of a Republic建国大业
2012 To My Wife与妻书 Chen Yiyang / Xia Shan [24]
2012 Looper环形使者 Old Joe's wife Credited as "Summer Qing"
2015 I Love You, Too. 恋爱排班表 Xiao Qi[25]
2015 Mr. Six 老炮儿 Hua Xiazi
2016 League of Gods 封神传奇 [26]
2017 24 Hours to Live24小时:末路重生 Lin
The Hidden Sword 刀背藏身 Zhihui [27]
2018 Hidden Man 邪不压正 Tang Fengyi [28]
TBA Song of the Assassins刺局 Madame Hua[29]
TBA Confidant士为知己者 [30]
TBA Silence of Smoke 闻烟 [31]

Television series

Year English title Chinese title Role Notes
1991 Nanxing Ji南行记Yemaozi
1992 At The Foot of the Imperial City皇城根儿Jinzhi
1993 The Witty Advisor金牌师爷Princess Xiaodian
1994 Fiery Of Lover烈火情人 He Lin
1995 Rain and Shine东边日出西边雨Xiao Nan
1998 Coming and Going来来往往Lin Zhu
2000 长缨在手Gong Yue / Ying'er [32]
2001 Laughing in the Wind笑傲江湖
2002 Black Triangle黑三角Xia Yingjie
2002 The Chinese Woman at the Gunpoint of Gestapo盖世太保枪口下的中国女人 Jin Ling (based on Qian Xiuling)
2003 DA师Lin Xiaoyan [33]
2003 Half of the Moon半个月亮Li Dongna [34]
2006 Close to You and Make Me Warm靠近你,温暖我Ding Aiyu [35]
2006 Heroic Legend of the Qing Dynasty大清风云[36]
2006 沙家浜 Qingsao [37]
2006 Stone Scissors Cloth石头、剪刀、布 Aiyu [38]
2006 Bottom Line of Man男人底线Shen Congcong [39]
2006 红墨坊Princess Ziyan [40]
2007 局中局Jiang Wei [41]
2008 Forgive宽恕 Zhuang Min [42]
2010 Spy Change 1939 谍变1939Zhao Yina[43]
2010 Age Mates同龄人Tong Nannan [44]
2011 The Beautiful Blooming Flower美丽鲜花在开放Ye Guo
2012 皇粮胡同十九号Feng Xueyan / Feng Ziting [45]
2015 Mother Like Flowers妈妈像花一样Zhang Xingfu[46]
2015 Ferocious来势凶猛Ma Xiuqin [47]
2019 Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine老中医Bao Xiu[48]
九州缥缈录Bai Lingbo [49]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResultRef.
1992 15th Hundred Flowers AwardsRipples Across Stagnant Water
1993 Society Award [50]
2002 The Chinese Woman at the Gunpoint of Gestapo
2009 1st Macau International Movie FestivalThe Founding of a Republic
2010 30th Hundred Flowers Awards
2013 Best Actress (Stage)A Dream Like A Dream
2015 7th Macau International Movie FestivalMr. Six
2016 Best Film Actress (Mainland China)[51]
7th China Film Director's Guild AwardsBest Actress
23rd Beijing College Student Film FestivalBest Actress
16th Chinese Film Media AwardsBest Supporting Actress
33rd Hundred Flowers Awards
12th Chinese American Film FestivalBest Actress[52]
2018Best Supporting ActressHidden Man[53]
2019 13th Asian Film AwardsBest Supporting Actress[54]
20207th The Actors of China Award CeremonyBest Actress (Sapphire) [55]

Notes and References

  1. http://people.mtime.com/1012066/details.html#biography Mtime上许晴的个人档案
  2. Credited as "Summer Qing" in Looper
  3. News: 2015-07-27 . 许晴:公主病缘自公主命 . 平顶山晚报.
  4. News: 2015-07-27 . 许晴:公主病缘自公主命 . 平顶山晚报.
  5. Web site: 许晴《花少2》中表现遭批 被质疑有"公主病"-中国新闻网 . 2024-07-17 . www.chinanews.com.cn.
  6. Web site: 2015-06-10 . 花少2许晴频惹争议 是公主病还是公主命? . 2024-07-18 . 新浪娱乐 . 华商报.
  7. Web site: 《路转黑再转粉》上海开机 许晴搭档Top崔胜炫引期待 . 2024-07-17 . m.sohu.com . zh-cn.
  8. Web site: 2023-11-13 . "京圈公主"惨遭封杀 因合同纠纷被告 . 2024-07-17 . 光华网 . en-US.
  9. News: 2015-07-27 . 许晴:公主病缘自公主命 . 平顶山晚报.
  10. Web site: 09九月九结婚 吴若甫刘莎回应媒体四大曲解(图)--青岛新闻网 . 2024-07-17 . www.qingdaonews.com.
  11. Web site: 玩爆"劈腿门"的著名导演_CCTV.com_中国中央电视台 . 2024-07-18 . news.cctv.com.
  12. Web site: 铁汉尤勇来宁诉柔情:和妻子天天都像谈恋爱_影音娱乐_新浪网 . 2024-07-18 . ent.sina.com.cn.
  13. Web site: 许晴豪宅价值2000万 回应被包养传闻【9】--房产--人民网 . 2024-07-18 . house.people.com.cn.
  14. Web site: 小乔 . 2017-11-22 . 儒商、庄家、骗子、情人,刘波的匆匆一生 cover计划 . 2024-07-18 . 新浪新闻 . 腾讯新闻.
  15. News: 2015-07-27 . 许晴:公主病缘自公主命 . 平顶山晚报.
  16. Web site: 2014-06-06 . 悉数许晴傲娇人生:镀金家世 三段奇情 . 2024-07-17 . ent.sina.cn . 南方都市报.
  17. Web site: 许晴"女儿"曝光后身边再现神秘男 坐豪车同返公寓(2)——中新网 . 2024-07-18 . www.chinanews.com.cn.
  18. Web site: 好友透露许晴皈依佛门原因:爱上已婚诗人(图)_CCTV.com_中国中央电视台 . 2024-07-17 . news.cctv.com.
  19. Web site: 资料:许晴包养传闻调查旧爱新欢全纪录 -搜狐新闻 . 2024-07-17 . news.sohu.com.
  20. Web site: 许晴打赢"包养"官司 该报刊公开郑重道歉(图)-搜狐新闻 . 2024-07-17 . news.sohu.com.
  21. News: 季艺 . 2014-06-23 . 许晴谈被前银行行长包养传闻:出狱后曾联系我 . 人物.
  22. Web site: 小乔 . 2017-11-22 . 儒商、庄家、骗子、情人,刘波的匆匆一生 cover计划 . 2024-07-18 . 新浪新闻 . 腾讯新闻.
  23. Web site: 许晴《导火线》PK范冰冰 两美女进行自我挑战. July 12, 2007. Mtime. zh.
  24. Web site: 《与妻书》正式杀青 佟大为许晴演绎穿越爱情. August 20, 2011. Mtime. zh.
  25. Web site: 《恋爱排班表》曝最新海报 许晴甜美床照大胆暗示感情态度. May 21, 2015. Mtime. zh.
  26. Web site: 奇幻片《封神传奇》曝终极预告. June 21, 2016. Mtime. zh.
  27. Web site: 徐浩峰新片《刀背藏身》曝国际版海报 许晴春夏主演 "零特效零替身"演员真打实拍. February 16, 2017. Mtime. zh.
  28. Web site: 姜文《邪不压正》新海报五大主演首度合体. June 26, 2018. Mtime. zh.
  29. Web site: 李仁港《刺局》剧照&概念图曝光. May 14, 2018. Mtime. zh.
  30. Web site: 《士为知己者》开机 许晴:这是一部男人戏的电影. September 15, 2018. People.com. zh.
  31. Web site: 《入殓师》导演合作韩庚张国立许晴拍新片. Mtime. August 27, 2018. zh.
  32. Web site: 众明星"飙戏"《长缨在手》 邵兵许晴大呼过瘾. March 30, 2001. Sina. zh.
  33. Web site: 许晴演军人含泪剪发 《DA师》给央视开好头(图). January 4, 2003. Sina. zh.
  34. Web site: 陈宝国许晴"各怀鬼胎"联手打造《半个月亮》. May 29, 2004. Sina. zh.
  35. Web site: 《靠近你,温暖我》许晴梅婷柯蓝身陷不伦之恋. November 14, 2006. Sina. zh.
  36. Web site: 《大清风云》许晴版"孝庄"曝光 张丰毅姜文加盟(组图). July 20, 2004. Sina. zh.
  37. Web site: 许晴、程前、刘金山《沙家浜》5月14日登陆湖北. May 12, 2006. Sina. zh.
  38. Web site: 许晴姜武大玩《石头剪刀布》导演揭秘剧情(图). June 26, 2008. Sina. zh.
  39. Web site: 濮存昕许晴演绎《男人底线》 八年后再合作(图). January 4, 2008. Sina. zh.
  40. Web site: 电视剧《红墨坊》热播 许晴女扮男装很自信(图). May 10, 2007. Sina. zh.
  41. Web site: 许晴《局中局》出演完美白领错综亲情伦理故事. June 19, 2007. Sina. zh.
  42. Web site: 王志文许晴组成美满家庭 《宽恕》再度牵手(图). January 5, 2007. Sina. zh.
  43. Web site: 《谍变1939》大热荧屏 董勇许晴上演"无间道". August 5, 2010. Sina. zh.
  44. Web site: 《同龄人》角色年龄大跨度 许晴被称"80后". February 10, 2010. Sina. zh.
  45. Web site: 《皇粮胡同十九号》开播 许晴挑战新角色(图). April 6, 2012. Sina. zh.
  46. Web site: 《妈妈像花儿》许晴传递励志剧新理念. September 25, 2015. Sina. zh.
  47. Web site: 抗战剧《来势凶猛》开机 许晴化身女汉子. April 21, 2014. Sina. zh.
  48. Web site: 《老中医》神秘女主曝光 许晴旗袍造型展民国韵致. September 3, 2017. Sina. zh.
  49. Web site: 《九州缥缈录》首发剧照 刘昊然许晴江疏影扮相曝光. January 11, 2018. ifeng. zh.
  50. Web site: 第四届中国电影表演艺术学会奖获奖演员名单. zh.
  51. Web site: 第18届华鼎奖澳门颁奖 段奕宏许晴获最佳男女演员奖. April 4, 2016. People's Daily. zh.
  52. Web site: 许晴凭《老炮儿》夺中美电影节最佳女主. November 4, 2016. Sina. zh.
  53. Web site: 金马奖提名公布张艺谋《影》领跑. October 1, 2018. Mtime. zh.
  54. Web site: Asian Film Awards: South Korea's 'Burning' Tops Nominations. November 1, 2019. Hollywood Reporter.
  55. Web site: 第七届"中国电视好演员奖"候选名单,易烊千玺马思纯等超百名演员入围. September 15, 2020. Chongqing Chongbao. zh.