Xu Lai | |
|---|---|
徐来 | |
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Xu_Lai_1_(cropped).jpg) Xu in 1940 | |
| Born | Xu Xiaomei 1909 |
| Died | (aged 64) Beijing, China |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, secret agent |
| Notable work | Remnants of Spring The Boatman's Daughter |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Li Xiaofeng (died 1935) |
Xu Lai (Chinese: 徐来; Wade–Giles: Hsü Lai; 1909 – 4 April 1973) was a Chinese film actress, socialite, and World War II secret agent. Known as the "Standard Beauty", she was active in the film industry for only three years, and quit acting after the suicide of the great star Ruan Lingyu in 1935. Her first husband was Li Jinhui, the "Father of Chinese pop music".
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Xu and her second husband, Lieutenant General Tang Shengming, ostensibly served under the Japanese-controlled Nanking puppet regime, but secretly worked as agents for the Republic of China resistance based in Chongqing.
With the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, Xu and Tang defected to the People's Republic of China but were severely persecuted during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976). Xu died in prison in 1973; her husband survived and lived until 1987.