I always thought that Connie Chan's fans took first prize for extreme devotion, but after reading the following account about Nancy Chan's fans from A Movie Queen Chan Yunshang, I'm not so sure anymore.
Film fans got so frantic about Nancy Chan that whenever she appeared she would be mobbed by hundreds of people. She could hardly escape from the seige and sometimes she had to be escorted by the police.
One summer's day, the Zhangyuan Swimming Pool, which had been taken over by Zhang Shankun [the famous Shanghai movie producer], was opened officially. In order to make the ceremony more significant and to attract more clients, Mr. Zhang invited Nancy Chan to cut the ribbon.
Almost 100 baskets of flowers were displayed around the pool; tri-coloured ribbons were strung over the water, fluttering in the breezing. The platform was filled with people eager for Nancy Chan's appearance. The tension built up.
At 11 o'clock sharp, the smiling Nancy Chan appeared. Her red-flowered swimming costume and white leather shoes enhanced her youthful, healthy body. The crowd cheered and applauded.
In the boisterous atmosphere, Nancy Chan ascended the platform. Raising the silver scissors she cut the ribbon. As the six pieces of ribbon flew out in all directions, the whole audience rose with frantic applause.
When she was about to descend from the platform, wave upon wave of frenzied fans pushed towards her, a momentum that could not be resisted. Nancy Chan was weeping, unsure of how to escape. Although she was protected by three rows of people, the huge crowd was almost uncontrollable. Seeing this, Mr. Zhang asked the Swimming Pool staff to bring her to safety. But the situation was deteriorating. The crowd surrounded her tightly, shouting to her to jump from the platform.
Unable to get close to Yunshang, Mr. Zhang tried to reason with the crowd and explain why she could not jump. Nobody listened. Numerous fans charged the platform, insisting that she should jump. It was impossible. Both sides came to a halt. Nancy Chan was almost fainting. Mr. Zhang got an idea. He asked his staff to put a ladder out of the window of the Enquiry Office to make a way for Nancy Chan to escape. But the ladder was thrown aside by the crowds.
There seemed to be no way out. He ordered his bodyguards to fight a way through. When at last they managed to escape, Nancy Chan was on the point of collapse. She and Mr. Zhang jumped into the car and made off quickly.
In the car they both gave a long sigh of relief. "I was terribly worried about your safety", Zhang said, "the fans have lost all their rationality". He gently mopped her brow. "But, looking at it in another way, it shows how important you are in their minds. There is no doubt that you are the number one star in Shanghai".
The incident taught her to be more careful about her own safety. She had to accept the advice of the police and use a car that could give electric shocks when anyone touched it. Such cars were made especially for Heads of State. But it was necessary, in order to avoid over-turning by excited film fans. Of course, the car itself caused no injury.
Nevertheless, Nancy Chan Yunshang understood the over-enthusiastic action of her fans. "Without the fans, there would be no actors or actresses", she would say. "They please me, no matter what they do. But I do have to adopt some measures to avoid danger".
From then on, she refused to attend any ribbon-cutting ceremonies....
*A great big thanks to Oldflames for sharing the fabulous Nancy Chan magazine cover!
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