When it comes to the image of Hong Kong as a loving mother, how can we not mention Su Xingxuan? Her name may not be as loud as some big stars, but her face, like the familiar aunt next door, is warm and kind. On the screen, she is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people with the image of a loving mother, and each interpretation seems to depict the delicacy and greatness of maternal love.
Such an actor is supposed to be an evergreen tree in the entertainment circle, and his name becomes louder and louder with the passage of time. However, fate played a joke on her. Just when the audience was looking forward to her more wonderful performances, Su Xingxuan shot across the sky like a meteor and quietly disappeared from people's sight.
It was not until the gripping news came that 61-year-old Su Xingxuan died of illness that many people were surprised to realize that the actor who had moved them countless times had left. Her death is like an unannounced tragedy, which is not only shocking, but also more regretful and puzzling.
Why did Su Xingxuan choose to retire from showbiz at the peak of his career? And why did he suffer from illness in his old age and finally fail to enjoy his life?
Su Xingxuan, the "Mother" behind Tony Leung: the brief brilliance on the screen and the frustrations of reality
When "The Deer and the Cauldron" and "Brother Xinza" became popular in Hong Kong in 1984, the name of Tony Leung Chaowei became a household name overnight. But do you know what kind of "mother" is hidden behind this new movie star? She is Su Xingxuan, an ordinary woman full of stories.
At that time, the entertainment industry in Hong Kong was like a sea of bright stars, with beautiful women like clouds and stars. But Su Xingxuan is like a little star forgotten in the corner, glowing silently. Her appearance is not outstanding, but has a unique gentle temperament, people can not help but want to approach.
Su Xingxuan's acting career is not smooth. Although she performed well in the TVB artist training class and even became classmates with Xu Shaoxiong, Gan Guoliang and others, she encountered the awkward situation of "unemployment as soon as graduation" after graduation. Because she is not good-looking enough, she is difficult to get the favor of the director, so she can only watch the other students become popular one by one.
However, fate is always full of surprises. Just when Su Xingxuan was about to give up, she got a chance to play Tony Leung's mother.
She was only 32 years old at that time, not much older than Tony Leung, but she had to play the role of a mother. This is undoubtedly a great challenge for Su Xingxuan, but she has successfully created a deeply rooted mother image with her own efforts and talents.
The popularity of "Brother Xinza" made Su Xingxuan's name become familiar to people. Her acting skills have been recognized by the audience, but also brought her more performance opportunities.
However, at the beginning of her career, fate played a joke on her again. Because of the limitation of her appearance, her acting career has never been able to make a bigger breakthrough.
A different "mother" path.
In an era when resources, background and connections are everything, she can only knock on the door by delivering resumes from one show after another. However, this did not break her determination. On the contrary, she accumulated valuable experience in dragons and gradually honed her acting skills.
At the age of 30, Su Xingxuan's career still did not improve much. Faced with fierce competition in the entertainment industry, she began to think about her own way out. She knew that she couldn't compete with other actresses for those "vase" roles, which would only make her less advantageous. So she decided to try a different route-playing roles that others couldn't.
Opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared. By chance, Su Xingxuan learned that a director was looking for a good actress to play the role of mother, but the actor was unwilling to take the role.
Without hesitation, Su Xingxuan volunteered to get the opportunity. She used her strength to prove that she was qualified for the role and made herself stand out in the directing circle.
Over the next few years, Su Xingxuan's career began to improve. She played Li Ping, the mother of the hero "Guo Jing" in The Legend of the Condor Heroes in 1983. Although her role was not prominent, her role was unanimously recognized by the audience. TVB took the initiative to give her a raise, which also promoted her status in the entertainment industry.
Then, she successively played the "mother" of stars such as Tony Leung Chao-wai and Huang Rihua, becoming an indispensable "mother" professional in the entertainment industry. Her acting skills have been recognized by more and more people, which has given her a firm foothold in the entertainment industry.
However, at the peak of her career, she chose to retire. After 1996, she left the entertainment industry and started a new life.
Although this glorious day did not last long, Su Xingxuan proved with his own strength and efforts that he could break into a world of his own in the entertainment industry.
The mother of the screen, the good wife and mother in life
At the end of the 20th century, Su Xingxuan's days on the show were commonplace. At that time, she was already an old face in the circle. although she was mostly a supporting role, she was impressive every time. It was on such a day that she met Xu Chengbiao.
Xu Chengbiao, an ordinary person who worked in the production team, became the most important person in Su Xingxuan's life. The love between the two of them was like the lights in the crew, low-key and warm. Soon after, they entered the marriage hall.
Married life did not make Su Xingxuan give up her acting career. Xu Chengbiao, the considerate husband, always supported her choice. As a result, Su Xingxuan continued to shine on the screen and played the role of a good wife and mother in the family. The birth of the son has brought endless joy and happiness to the family.
However, with the changes in the film and television industry in Hong Kong, the pay for supporting roles is getting lower and lower. Faced with the pressure of reality, Su Xingxuan made a difficult decision to say goodbye to the screen for a while and go home to help her husband take care of the vegetarian restaurant. During that time, she changed from a gorgeous actress to the landlady of a vegetarian restaurant, but instead of complaining, she enjoyed it.
A few years later, when Su Xingxuan returned to the screen again, she was already a "mother" professional in the minds of directors. Her acting skills are more skillful, and she is moved by her acting every time.
At this time, however, she has devoted more energy to her family. For her, filming is more of a kind of enjoyment and seasoning of life.
From the screen to heaven without regrets
Ten years later, when we mentioned the name Su Xingxuan again, there were still ripples in the hearts of those who knew her well. It has been exactly ten years since she died in 2024, but her shadow never seems to have really left.
Her life is as ordinary but full of power as the middle-aged Hong Kong woman she played in "the Gold of Life". In 2021, the 60-year-old won the first prize of her life for this role. At that moment, she wanted to hold the trophy herself, but the illness mercilessly deprived her of her strength.
Su Xingxuan's body began to go downhill as early as after filming "the Dead Gold." Diabetes, ulceration of her right foot and multiple surgeries all seem to tell her that the winter of life has come.
However, she didn't give up, and even though a minor stroke left her in a wheelchair, she remained optimistic. But fate did not let her go, and the tumor in her stomach cast a shadow over her life again.
On June 12, 2013, Su Xingxuan died of illness. Her departure shocked and lamented many stars in Hong Kong's entertainment industry.
On the day of her funeral, stars such as Wu Mengda, Tony Leung and Carina Lau sent wreaths or came to the scene to give her a final ride. In their eyes, Su Xingxuan is an actress who is at peace with the rest of the world and dedicated to her work. Her death is undoubtedly a great loss to the film and television industry.
Tony Leung said in front of the camera: "she will always live in my heart," while Chow Yun-fat lamented: "her death is a loss to the film and television industry!" Carina Lau also posted on social media: "Sister Li is an actress who is at peace with the rest of the world!" Although her death made countless people feel sorry, she left without regret, because she has been pursuing her beloved acting career all her life.
Today, Su Xingxuan's husband not only keeps the vegetarian restaurant they once operated together in good order, but also becomes the chairman of Hong Kong Buddhist Culture Co., Ltd. And Xinglin Square Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
He continues his wife's kindness and love in his own way and often participates in public welfare activities to make donations. Where Su Xingxuan could not see, her husband moved on with her kindness!
Conclusion
From entering this circle in 1972 to leaving gently due to illness in 2013, her every step was so calm and solid. Wang Mingquan and Zheng Yuling, whose names are in their heyday, Su Xingxuan always plays the role of the "mother" who pays silently.
In this flashy entertainment industry, she is more like a clean stream. When others fight for fame and wealth, she chooses to stick to her own principles and not to become a chess piece of capital. And are those so-called "superstar" halos really important to her?
Perhaps, in her warm family, she found happiness that was more real than under the spotlight. After all, life isn't a movie, and everyone doesn't have to be the protagonist. Su Xingxuan, the "invisible superstar" of the entertainment circle, tells us in his own way: ordinary, can also be so beautiful.