In 1961, in an ordinary family in Fengxian, Shanghai, a lovely girl named Zhou Jie was born. From an early age, the girl showed an unparalleled talent for dancing. No matter when and where, as long as the melody of the music sounds, this energetic little girl can't help but dance, as if she is a natural dancer, and has an indissoluble bond with dance.
However, fate did not be gentle on this dance wizard. The young Zhou Jie was always bullied by her peers because of her family composition, and she suffered grievances that should not belong to her age.
Seeing their daughter's painful appearance, Zhou Jie's parents were like knives in their hearts, and in order to get their daughter out of the predicament, they made a difficult decision - to pass Zhou Jie to her aunt.
Unfortunately, this decision did not change Zhou Jie's situation as expected. In her new family, she still can't shake off being labeled as a "bad guy" family. The hardships of life allowed the little Zhou Jie to find her own haven - dance.
Every time she dances, all worries seem to disappear and only pure joy remains.
In 1975, 14-year-old Zhou Jie encountered a turning point in her life. The Shanghai Song and Dance Theater came to her school to select students, and Zhou Jie was successfully selected for her outstanding dancing talent. However, when the teacher learned about her family background, she was a little hesitant.
Zhou Jie knew that this might be her only chance, so she made a quick decision and performed a difficult dance, and her talent and determination deeply impressed the teacher, and finally she was given the precious opportunity to join the Shanghai Song and Dance Theater.
Since then, Zhou Jie has been like a fish in water, cruising in the ocean of dance. She rose rapidly with amazing perseverance and talent, and successively starred in works such as "Little Knife Club" and "Banping Mountain". In the performance of "Banping Mountain", Zhou Jie showed admirable professionalism.
Despite serious physical problems and abnormal pain in her left chest ribs, she still insisted on completing the performance once, she even couldn't lift her hand in pain on stage, and fell directly on the stage after the performance However, Zhou Jie never gave up, she watered her dance dream with sweat and tears.
Zhou Jie's efforts have paid off handsomely. She quickly became the leader of the team and was known as "Zhou Jie in the north and Yang Liping in the south". Her dancing is breathtakingly beautiful, and people describe her as "amazing".
However, looking at her shining on the stage, who would have thought of what hardships she had experienced?
However, this is only the beginning of Zhou Jie's legendary life. Her talent and tenacity not only conquered the domestic stage, but also took her to a wider world. From a little girl in Fengxian, Shanghai to a famous dancer, Zhou Jie has interpreted the true spirit of an artist with her life.
Her story, like a moving dance, inspires countless people to pursue their dreams.
Zhou Jie's talent is not only on the stage, but also a golden key for her to enter the film and television industry. In 1980, a chance opportunity opened the door to her acting career. At that time, the famous director Li Hanxiang was filming "Listening to Politics with a Curtain", although the crew had determined several leading actors, but they had never been able to find a suitable candidate for "Concubine Li".
At this moment, crew member Chen Ye recommended Zhou Jie to the director.
After learning of Zhou Jie's excellent performance, Li Hanxiang did not hesitate to invite her to perform a dance performance at the scene. When Zhou Jie's graceful dancing bloomed in front of the director, Li Hanxiang was deeply impressed by her talent, so he handed over the role of "Concubine Li" to her without hesitation.
Zhou Jie also lived up to the director's expectations and contributed a wonderful performance in "Listening to Politics with a Curtain", opening a new chapter in her acting career.
Since then, Zhou Jie has participated in film and television works such as "The Burning of the Old Summer Palace", "The Reappearance of a Miracle", "The King of Sulu Wants the King of China", and gradually gained a firm foothold in the film and television industry. However, what made her shine on the screen was "Yang Guifei" directed by Chen Jialin in 1992.
At the beginning, Zhou Jie did not have much confidence in playing the role of "Yang Guifei", because she knew that as early as 1990, Lin Fangbing won wide recognition from the audience with the image of "Yang Guifei" in "Tang Ming Emperor".
In the face of this pressure, both Zhou Jie and director Chen Jialin know that they must innovate ideas and find different ways of interpretation.
Chen Jialin made full use of Zhou Jie's dancing advantages and added a lot of dance elements to the shot. Among them, the performance of the neon dress and feather dance is particularly outstanding, which perfectly interprets the artistic conception of "looking back and smiling, and the six palaces have no color", showing the peerless elegance of the concubine to the fullest.
Zhou Jie and the crew's efforts were rewarded, and "Yang Guifei" won the "Best Feature Film Award" of the Hundred Flowers Award as soon as it was broadcast. With her outstanding performance, Zhou Jie was praised by the audience as "the most beautiful Yang Guifei".
Her performance not only captivated the country and the city, but also fascinated the audience because of her graceful dancing.
From the stage to the screen, Zhou Jie has realized the gorgeous transformation of her artistic abilities with her own talent and hard work. She is good at integrating the elegance of dance with the delicacy of film and television performance, so as to go further and higher on the road of art.
This valuable experience has greatly enriched Zhou Jie's artistic life and brought a unique scenery to the Chinese film and television industry.
Just when Zhou Jie's career was at its peak, she made a decision that surprised many people - to go abroad for development. This decision was made because of a windfall from her performances abroad.
At that time, a foreign audience member sighed: "I thought there was nothing worth watching in Chinese dance, but I didn't expect it to be quite exciting" This sentence was like a wake-up call, making Zhou Jie realize that there are still many people who have a very limited understanding of Chinese dance.
In order to spread the sense of mission of Chinese dance culture, Zhou Jie gave up the superior conditions in China and chose to go abroad. In a foreign country, she opened a dance school, hoping to let more foreigners understand and appreciate the charm of Chinese dance through her own efforts.
Although this decision was difficult, Zhou Jie was convinced that it was her responsibility as an artist.
Five years later, Zhou Jie's horizons have broadened. She returned to Shanghai and founded a dance school. At the same time, she began to hold frequent summer camp activities, inviting students from China and the United States to interact with each other.
In this way, Zhou Jie not only promoted the cultural understanding between the students of the two countries, but also strengthened the exchanges between China and the United States in the field of art.
Zhou Jie's efforts have been recognized. In 2015, the University of Houston presented her with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the cultural exchange between China and the United States. Looking at the students who have grown up under her training, Zhou Jie feels relieved and proud.
She knew she had made the right choice.
However, Zhou Jie did not stop because of this. She continues to travel on the international stage, telling Chinese stories and spreading Chinese culture through dance. In her view, this is not only a career, but also a mission.
Zhou Jie proves with her actions that a true artist should not be limited to personal achievements, but should contribute to cultural exchange and inheritance.
In addition to teaching dance and carrying out cultural exchange activities, Zhou Jie has also made other contributions to the motherland. For example, when the construction of the Fengpu Bridge in Fengxian District encountered financial difficulties, Zhou Jie did not hesitate to come forward and use her popularity to raise funds everywhere.
Despite misunderstandings and doubts along the way, she stayed true to her original intention and eventually succeeded in facilitating the successful completion of the bridge.
Zhou Jie's story tells us that a true artist should not only shine on the stage, but also contribute to cultural dissemination and social progress on a broader stage.
She used her life to explain what is the love of art and what is the responsibility of culture, and Zhou Jie's choice made her life stage more grand and meaningful.
Under the bright stage halo, Zhou Jie also has the joys, sorrows and sorrows of ordinary people. Her personal life, especially her emotional world, has always been the focus of public curiosity.
At the age of 24, Zhou Jie experienced a short marriage. The relationship lasted only a year before it ended in divorce. Regarding the specific details of this marriage, Zhou Jie has never talked about it publicly.
This experience may have left her with some regrets, and she never stepped into the palace of marriage again.
Although Zhou Jie's life is not lonely, her friendship with Hong Kong film and television tycoon Run Run Shaw has sparked a lot of speculation, and some people even call her Shaw's "confidante". In reality, however, they are more of a mentor and friend relationship.
Once, Zhou Jie suddenly had a high fever while on a business trip to Hong Kong, and when Run Run Shaw learned about it, he immediately personally sent a bowl of chicken soup, showing his care for his juniors; On another occasion, when Zhou Jie performed in Hong Kong, the publicity was insufficient and the ticket sales were not good, but Run Run Shaw did not hesitate and immediately summoned a group of reporters to promote her, reflecting his love and support for talents.
Although these details have sparked speculation from the outside world, they are actually just Shaw's appreciation and promotion of Zhou Jie, an outstanding artist. Zhou Jie has always maintained her respect and gratitude for Run Run Shaw.
Zhou Jie not only showed a radiant side on stage, her experience was so colorful, covering dance and acting careers. On the stage of life and art, she interprets a fulfilling and meaningful life in her own way.
Her story tells us that a successful artist should not only show his talent on the stage, but also perform a moving chapter on the stage of life.
The years are unforgiving, and Zhou Jie's physical condition gradually deteriorates as she grows older. Her bodily functions began to develop problems of varying degrees, leaving the dancer who once shined on stage feeling overwhelmed.
After an examination at the hospital, Zhou Jie was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Faced with this cruel reality, Zhou Jie had no time to grieve, and her first thought was to return to her motherland no matter what. Zhou Jie has lived abroad for many years and worked abroad, but in her heart, the land of the motherland has always been her deepest concern.
However, the road back to China was not smooth, Zhou Jie's physical condition deteriorated, and she even lost more than 60 pounds, which made the road back to China extremely difficult.
After Zhou Jie's friends learned of her wish, they all offered advice to her. They calculated that it would cost at least 270,000 yuan to charter a flight back home. Considering Zhou Jie's physical condition, everyone once thought that this idea was difficult to realize.
But Zhou Jie's attitude was extremely resolute, she said that even if she died, she would return to China.
In the end, with the help of friends, Zhou Jie raised 270,000 yuan and rented a small plane to fly to China. However, the journey back home was not easy. The plane malfunctioned during a stopover and had to be delayed for some time.
Despite the deterioration of her physical condition, Zhou Jie still persisted, as if waiting for the moment when the fallen leaves returned to their roots.
On the evening of October 1, 2021, 60-year-old Zhou Jie passed away peacefully, only on the fifth day after returning to China. With the last breath of her life, she fulfilled her wish.
Zhou Jie's life, in a sense, is like a perfect dance, she dances with grace, moves forward with firm steps, and finally closes the curtain in a successful way. Her story shows us that a true artist not only shines on the stage, but also performs a moving chapter on the stage of life.
A year after her death, Zhou Jie's spiritual and artistic legacy will live on forever and continue to inspire future generations.