【梅艳芳】Anita Mui: From First Success to Last Hurrah

It has taken Anita Mui over 10 years to become what she is today: Not just the most popular female singer in Hongkong, but anaward-winning actress. Much of this success she attributes to an unhappy childhood, as is revealed in this exclusive interview with Hongkong's Next magazine.
梅艳芳十多年来成为了今天的她:不仅是香港最受欢迎的女歌手，而且还是一位获奖女星。她把诸多成功归功于她不幸的童年，正如在香港《壹周刊》独家专访中透露的那样。

Tell us about your childhood.
My dad passed away when I was very young. Mum had to work,and so did my brother who was 10 years older than me. I was always left alone with my sister when I was two or three. Mum was very protective, and I was only allowed to play with a few kids from the neighbourhood. Growing up in this lonely environment, I learned to be independent at the age of four. There were few teachers teaching music and I used to peep in at the kids learning, till one day, Mum heard me singing and was impressed. She asked one of the teachers to train me. But instead of teaching, he exploited me by getting me to perform at different functions. Mum decided to manage me herself and, from then, I started performing in nightspots and at amusement parks.
告诉我们你的童年。
我很小的时候，父亲就去世了。妈妈必须工作，我的哥哥比我大十岁，他同样也要工作。在我两三岁的时候，我和姐姐经常被放到一边不管。妈妈非常保护我，我只能和邻居的几个孩子一起玩。在这个孤独的环境中长大，我在四岁的时候学会了独立。那时很少有老师教音乐，我常常偷看其他孩子们学习，直到有一天，妈妈听到我唱歌，留下了深刻的印象。她让一位老师来培训我。但他没有教我，而是挖掘我（的潜质）通过让我在不同的集会上表演。妈妈决定亲自培养我，从那时起，我开始在夜总会和游乐园表演。

Was that the most difficult period in your life?
Yes, it was, but I was happy. It was only when I got older,especially at the age of eight, that I became unhappy. Mum met someone who was interested in her and lived with him, hoping he would look after us. The nightmare began when we discovered he was married. Mum became very temperamental, and was always taking it out on us. I was doing badly in school since I had to sing at night and study in the day. For more than 10 years, I felt as though I was in hell. I was desperate to get out from the broken family. I wanted to be independent, but didn't move out till I was 18.
那是你一生中最困难的时期吗?
是的，是的，但是我很高兴。只有当我大了，特别是在八岁的时候，我才变得不快乐。妈妈遇见了一个对她感兴趣的人，和他住在一起，希望他能照顾我们。当我们发现他结婚时，噩梦开始了。妈妈变得非常喜怒无常，而且总是把它发泄在我们身上。我在学校表现不好，因为我不得不在晚上唱歌，白天学习。十多年来，我觉得自己好像身处地狱。我拼命想摆脱这个破碎的家庭。我想要独立，但直到18岁我才搬出去。

Is your family a burden?
Yes. Even now. My mum is a burden. My sister, who is also asinger, is still struggling. My brother has a family, but has his problems.Although I helped him set up business, he has been using my name for investments and loans. I have been eventually left with his debts. I have suffered enough for them all, and in future, I hope to have a happy family,with children. Not that I have anything against single-parenthood, but children need love. Marriage is like gambling where you have to take your chances. I do not want to grow old alone and regret it later. One just has to be careful before committing oneself, the rest is fate. As for my lifelong partner, he has to be responsible, with a stable job. I concentrated on my career when I was between18 and 25 and recently started planning for the future. I think I'll get married at the age of 30. I want to balance my career and my personal life without slowing down.
你的家庭是一个负担吗?
是的。即使是现在。我妈妈是个负担。我姐姐也是一名歌手，她还在挣扎。我哥哥有一个家庭，但他有他的问题。虽然我帮他创业，但他一直在用我的名字投资和贷款。我终于还清了他的债务。我受够了他们所有人，在未来，我希望有一个幸福的家庭，有孩子。不是说我反对单亲家庭，而是孩子需要爱。婚姻就像赌博，你必须抓住机会。我不想一个人老去后悔。一个人在承诺之前要谨慎，剩下的就是命运。至于我的终身伴侣，他必须负责任，有一份稳定的工作。我18到25岁的时候我专注于我的职业生涯，最近开始规划未来。我想我会在30岁结婚。我想要平衡我的事业和我的个人生活而不放慢速度。

There were many other singers who started out at the same time but did not make it. How do you explain your success?
I have no explanation. I was lucky, perhaps. The singing contest (TVB Talent Quest which she won) is an example. I was not interested in the beginning and it was my sister who forced me into it. You must make use ofthe opportunity once you have got it.
还有许多其他歌手在同一时间和你有相同的起点，但没有成功。你如何解释你的成功?
我没有解释。我是幸运的，也许。歌唱比赛(她赢了TVB才艺大赛)就是一个例子。我一开始对我不感兴趣，是我姐姐强迫我进去的。一旦有机会，你就必须利用这个机会。

Fans are hard to please. Now they like you but may soon change their minds. How does this fickleness affect you?
I keep telling myself I have to change, to improve. As you earn more, you will be confident. I am always looking for changes. As a performer, I want to lead. I don't mind losing as I can always try again.
粉丝们很难取悦。现在他们喜欢你，但可能很快就会改变主意。这种浮躁对你有什么影响?
我一直告诉自己必须改变，进步。当你学得越多，你就会自信。我一直在寻找改变。作为一名表演者，我想要领导。我不介意输掉，因为我可以再试一次。

Which was the worst phase in your life?
When I won the first Most Popular Female Artiste award in Hongkong. It is not easy when you are at the top. You have to improve and stay there. I became nervous and sensitive.
哪一阶段是你人生中最糟糕的阶段?
当我在香港获得第一个最受欢迎的女艺人奖时。当你处于巅峰时，这并不容易。你必须改善并留在那里。我变得紧张和敏感。

What is your view of money?
It is necessary but not the most important thing there is.To me, money is never important. I used to spend all I have on myself and on others, too.
你对钱的看法是什么?
它是必要的，但不是最重要的。对我来说，金钱从来不重要。我曾经把所有的钱都花在自己身上，也花在别人身上。

How much do you make from filming?
With my Golden Harvest contract, I get about HK,200,000. I charge other companies HK0,000. Even for my first movie, I made more than HK0,000. This might have been because of my popularity.
你在拍摄过程中赚了多少钱?
在我的黄金收获合同中，我得到了大约20万港币。我向其他公司收取港币（此处不详）。即使是我的第一部电影，我也赚了超过港币（此处不详）。这可能是因为我的受欢迎程度。

It looks like your acting career will outlast your singing career. Why is that?
I suppose there is a limit to singing, whereas, for acting, I am young and there are plenty of roles available. But singing remains my top priority. I do not act in that many films.
看起来你的演艺事业将会超过你的歌唱事业。为什么呢?
我认为唱歌是有限度的，而对于表演来说，我很年轻，有很多的角色可供选择。但唱歌仍然是我的首要任务。我不演那些电影。

What is life like after making so much money?
It is the same. I still spend a lot, how much, I have stopped counting. Three years ago, on the advice of my manager, I started saving by buying properties and investing. But I still splurge on clothing and antiques.
赚了这么多钱以后，生活会是什么样子?
它是相同的。我仍然花了很多，多少，我已经停止了计数。三年前，在我的经理的建议下，我开始通过购买房产和投资来储蓄。但我还是会在衣服和古董上挥霍。

Being poor, did you find it difficult to make a breakthrough?
Not really, since money has never been my first concern. I find that, besides supporting myself, I think of others too. Like now, I am interested in stage plays but can't find anyone to do it with, as most believe it is a money-losing venture.
在贫穷的时候，有没有发现很难取得突破?
不是真的，因为钱从来都不是我第一个关心的。我发现，除了养活自己，我也会考虑别人。就像现在，我对舞台剧很感兴趣，但却找不到人来做，因为大多数人认为这是一个亏损的冒险。

You are also active in politics.
At one time, I was not interested in politics at all and was,in fact, inJapan during the Tianamen incident. After watching the newstreel, there was this wrenching pain in my heart and I started asking: Why? I felt there was more we could do. I had originally planned to emigrate to Canada, but then I changed my mind.I now want to stay on. Whatever happens after 1997, I leave to God. but I will stop singing, I suppose.
你在政治上也很活跃。
曾几何时，我对政治根本不感兴趣，事实上，在--事件中，我在日本。看完新闻后，我心里感到揪心的痛，于是我开始问:为什么?我觉得我们还能做得更多。我原本打算移民加拿大，但后来我改变了主意。我现在想留下来。无论1997年后发生什么事，我都要向上帝祈祷（此处不详）。但我想我会停止唱歌的。

Remember when you went toTaiwan and after that to Guangzhou to perform, you were saying: "Whoever can pay me, I will sing for them.Don't talk to me about politics." You seem to have changed.
At that time, there was no difference whether I sang inTaiwan or in China. I didn't care what happened in countries. I didn't like China because the customs people always made things difficult for me. I used to blame them for their attitude, but now I realise it is your government that makes you what you are.
记得你去台湾的时候，在那之后去广州演出，你说:“谁能给我钱，我就为他们唱。别跟我谈政治。“你好像变了。
在那个时候，我在台湾唱歌还是在中国都没有区别。我不在乎国家发生了什么。我不喜欢中国，因为海关人员总是给我制造麻烦。我过去常常责备他们的态度，但现在我意识到是政府造就了你们成为什么样的人。