Rescued by their mother, Qiu Lilian, the children fled China at a young age and achieved great success abroad. Tragically, both their mother and father, Zhou Xinfang, met a cruel fate at the hands of the Cultural Revolution.
Fourth daughter: Cai Ci — her mother Qiu Lilian secretly arranged her escape
She was unaware of her mortal danger then, but looking back, Cai Ci will never forget her mother’s wisdom in arranging her escape. In the summer of 1959, the Hong Kong government was generous enough to allow anyone with a student ID card in mainland China to live in Hong Kong. His mother seized the opportunity and put Cai Ci on a train to find her second sister, Cai Yun. At the time, Cai Ci was just 13 years old and had just graduated from elementary school.
The day before Cai Ci left mainland China, her mother brought her to Zhou Xinfang and whispered to him: “Cai Ci is going to Hong Kong tomorrow.” When Zhou Xinfang heard this, he touched her head and said: “Be good, study hard.” This was like what he had said to her brothers and sisters, who had already left home. Cai Ci said that her father was very reserved and a man of few words.
On the eve of the Cultural Revolution, Cai Ci returned to Shanghai to visit relatives. Her mother said that it was not the right time to come back. Cai Ci originally planned to stay for two months, but was “kicked out” by her parents two weeks later. She said: “Actually, my parents saved my life. If I had not left, I might have died in the Cultural Revolution.” For Cai Ci, that parting turned out to be an eternal farewell.
Third daughter: Tsai Qin, Broadway star, and first Chinese Bond girl
The third daughter, Tsai Qin, recalled the scene when she left Shanghai at the age of 17, saying that it was a misty October morning. She stood on the boat’s bow, watching her mother’s figure gradually disappear into the white mist, and the homeland behind her turned into an ethereal dream in her heart. I remembered this scene of separation for a long time. Before she left, her mother told her that she must fight for the Chinese, the actors, and the women.
Tsai Qin lived up to her mother’s hopes. She was the first Chinese Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduate in London. In 1959, she starred in the stage play The World of Suzie Wong at the Wells Theatre in London for three years, and the venue was sold out. Qin’s name was on the Lightbox advertisements for three years.
She was also the first female Chinese academician of the Royal Academy of Comedy. Later, she broke into Hollywood, starred in the “007” series of movies, and was the first Chinese Bond girl. Probably inheriting her father’s acting talent and her mother’s elegant temperament, Tsai Qin’s brilliant success from London’s West End to New York’s Broadway has made her famous worldwide. She is best known in the United States as Auntie Lindo in the film The Joy Luck Club.
She was over 60 years old and still on the same stage as Michelle Yeoh, Gong Li, and Zhang Ziyi. At 80, she played Jay Chou’s grandmother in Now You See Me 2.
Family meet-up in London following years of separation
Tsai Qin said that when her mother visited her in London in 1961, four siblings flew to London from various places for a family meet-up. It was the first and the last time the family had met following years of separation.
In London, mother Qiu Lilian attended a party with her celebrity daughter Tsai Qin, and everyone who met her was fascinated by her fluent English and elegant manners. Actor Carey Grant, who was unfamiliar with Qiu Lilian then, was also present, and he called the next day to invite her to the premiere of his new movie, That Touch of Mink.
Zhou Xinfang was a true artist
She complimented her famous daughter and said she was even brilliant, but her father, Zhou Xinfang, was a true artist. If the children of the Zhou family have achieved little success in their respective fields, they still cannot catch up with Zhou Xinfang.
Tsai Qin said that when she became famous, she got the news of her parents’ death. She noted that it was the collapse of her spiritual pillar. She “felt that my life’s purpose was taken away forever.”
Youngest son: Yinghua, world-renowned restaurateur
Yinghua, Zhou Yinghua’s youngest son, is a giant in the Chinese catering industry. At 13, he went to England by boat with his sister, Cai Qin. He used his cultural concepts to create a catering kingdom. From London to New York and Los Angeles, Yinghua’s restaurants in each city have become a symbol of the local high society. He is a Chinese restaurant leader, a foodie, an artist, and a collector.
In 1961, when his mother visited them in London, Yinghua went up to his mother, covered her face, and muttered: “Why did my mother have to let me leave her at such a young age?” Seven years later, in March 1968, he opened his first restaurant in the UK; he was still unaware of the tragic death of his mother.
Second daughter: Cai Yun, St. John’s University graduate and businesswoman
The second daughter, Cai Yun, was smuggled into Hong Kong by boat and then went to study at St. John’s University in the United States. She looked and behaved very much like her mother, cold and domineering with an aristocratic temperament. She was an eye-catching schoolgirl in college and later became a famous, beautiful businesswoman in San Francisco.
Eldest daughter: Cai Zao, a lady of few words who upholds traditional values
The eldest daughter, Cai Zao, went to the United States to study and settled in Maryland. She is very much like her father, is not good at words, and is more introverted. The younger sisters said that the eldest sister is the most traditional child in the family, caring for her husband and raising her children.
She also took care of her brothers and sisters for her parents and did not fight or compete with them. Cai Zao did not say anything, but she was clear about the persecution suffered by her family in Shanghai. She never returned to the mainland after her mother sent her out in 1947.
The children all remember how their mother rescued them
The children are grateful to their mother, who supported them with superhuman courage with her weak shoulders to escape the fire and let them escape the catastrophe of the Cultural Revolution.
The children of the Zhou family are already eighty or ninety years old. According to public sources, the eldest son, Shaolin (who remained in China), and Cai Ci had died of illness in 2010 and 2016, respectively.
After nearly a century, the children of the Zhou family have long put down everything in this world. They remember the kindness and support of their parents, but they were denied their filial piety on their deathbeds, and they also could not say farewell to their beloved parents. This is the immense pain in their hearts.
See Part 2 here
Translated by Chua BC
