Biography

Shirley Yamaguchi was born to Japanese parents in Manchuria in 1920. She used the Chinese name Li Xianglan (Ri Koran in Japanese) and made pro-Japanese films in Japanese-occupied areas in China. She also was a popular singer and some of her hits, including "fragrance of the night" (Ye Lai Xiang), remain popular even today. After the Japanese surrendered she escaped treason and possible execution by revealing her Japanese heritage.

- IMDb mini biography by: Chi Ip

In 1934, the Japanese Yamaguchi, born to Sinophile parents, was recruited by a radio station to sing Chinese tunes, Yamaguchi used her adopted name of Li Xianglan (given to her by her Chinese godparents), which she retained as her career developed. By age 18, she had been recruited by Manchuria Film Productions (Man'ei), the rapidly expanding film studio in Harbin, Manchuria. The initial idea had been for her to sing, but Man'ei rapidly realized that it could develop her acting and personality to further its transnational aims.

Born in Manchuria, then-controlled by Japan, a fact which was hidden from her Chinese audiences for a variety of reasons, Yamaguchi's secret was revealed at the end of WWII, just in time to save her from execution. Arrested in China for treason and threatened with a firing squad, she needed to prove she was not a Chinese national. A childhood friend got hold of her papers and rushed them to the court. The judge let her go, urging her to leave China to avoid being lynched.

- IMDb mini biography by: Robert Sieger