Chen Gexin (; September 19, 1914 — January 25, 1961) was a Chinese popular music songwriter. He also used the

pen names A pen is a common writing tool, writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a Nib (pen), nib or in a sm ...

Lín Méi () and Qìng Yú (). Chen Genxin was beaten to death in his sleep during the Rightist movement.

Biography

Chen was born on September 19, 1914 to a low social status family, and his wealthy maternal Indian grandfather was the only survivor of the British colonial destructions in India. He married his admirer and student Jin Jiaoli, against her Korean family's wishes in 1935. During WWII, he was jailed for his patriotic songs. Chen and his family moved to Hong Kong after the war ended. With the

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

seizure of power in China in 1949, popular music was considered ideologically suspect and Chen was labeled a

rightist Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, auth ...

and imprisoned in a '' laogai'' for "reform through labor" at Baimiaoling farm, Anhui in 1957, there he befriended a journalist named Ai Yi. According to an essay and reports by Ai Yi, Chen Genxin was beaten to death during the Rightist movement. He was buried in the mass grave at the hill near the farm. A year later, Chen's widow Jin Jiaoli went there with a box to search through the dead bodies in a vain effort to collect his remains.

Music

Throughout his life, Chen had produced more than 200 songs. On top of that, he conducted symphony orchestras and held recitals for many times. Chen was the composer of famous mid-20th century popular standards as ''Shanghai Nights'' () and ''The Blossom of Youth'' (), both sung by

Zhou Xuan Zhou Xuan (; born Su Pu (); August 1, 1920 – September 22, 1957), also romanized as Chow Hsuan, was an iconic Chinese singer and film actress. By the 1940s, she had become one of China's Seven Great Singing Stars. She was the best known o ...

. His song ''

Rose, Rose, I Love You "Rose, Rose, I Love You" () is a 1940 Mandarin popular song composed by Chen Gexin and 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 1 ...

'', sung by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

singer

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American Singing, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to hi ...

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 titled, '' Wishing You Happiness and Prosperity'' was originally written to celebrate the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War and has become a popular

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...

standard. His music continues to be performed and is featured in films such as '' Eros''.

Descendants

Chen Gexin and his muse Jin Jiaoli () are the parents of Chinese classical composer, Chen Gang (陳剛 ''Chén Gāng'') and grandfather of China's first "Miss Internet," Chen Fanhong."Handicapped Miss Internet blasts mag"
at Enablenet - News

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Gexin Chinese songwriters 1914 births 1961 deaths Musicians from Shanghai Republic of China musicians People's Republic of China musicians 20th-century Chinese musicians Victims of the Anti-Rightist Campaign Chinese people of Indian descent