Xiang Yao, whose online pseudonym is "Bearton" or "Xiong Dun," died on Nov. 16, 2012 after losing her battle with a malignant tumor. She was only 30 years old. The final stage of her life-time has inspired the new movie "Go Away Mr. Tumor," debuting in August.
Last night I have attended an exclusive advanced screening of the film portraying the final years of the popular young Chinese cartoonist who unsuccessfully fought with cancer. The film is based on her life and comic strips. It is directed by Han Yan, and stars Bai Baihe and Daniel Wu.
It was very hard and painful to watch this film as Xiang was a close personal friend of mine when she was alive. Several other friends of hers also attended this screening. Some eventually became the prototypes of the characters in the film. When the film ended, everyone in the room was in tears.
Xiang, born in Zhejiang Province in 1982, created several comic books, primarily about teenage love, weight-loss, living the single life and her lifelong idol Michael Jackson. Many of her stories were based on her own life experiences. I knew her artworks from an online forum and chatted with her many times and then became friends with her soon afterwards.
Several friends and I had been encouraging her to come to Beijing to join us and find better job opportunities, and Xiang did so in 2010. I always believed in her talent and knew she would be successful. But her life was still hard for a long period and she had to work very hard to earn money through her comic creation before she eventually found the fame she had long expected, which unfortunately came with death.
Xiang fell seriously ill in August 2011. To kill time during treatment, she decided to chronicle these darkest hours of her life in a lighter and more amusing way, so she created the comic series "Go Away Mr. Tumor" which later became extremely popular. More than one million books of the cartoons were sold, and the series inspired millions of people with its optimism and courage.
During her treatment, I visited her several times and when I saw she was still optimistic, I felt relieved and hoped for the best result for her. I also interviewed her once as a reporter and she told me she would love to travel after she was cured.
"I'm so inspired that I received so much attention so much care from my family, friends and fans, I feel I appreciate people around me more, and I will have a much more tolerant and grateful attitude for the rest of my life. When I recover, the first thing I would like to do is travel. I've been in the hospital too long," she said.
But she never left the hospital as people expected.
To be frank, her death may likely be the result of her overload work and unhealthy lifestyle. But her spirit is so fabulous and a life lesson for many people who had lost faith. Xiang has become a larger than life icon after the comic book "Go Away Mr. Tumor" came out and even more after her death.
But I knew what everything was all about. I couldn't see this film as other audiences do, who may just seek some inspiration in this touching story. When I looked at the film and scrutinized every detail, I found myself disappointed but somehow moved by the film like everyone else.
Bai Baihe gives her best performance in years since "Love Is Not Blind," and she wonderfully delivers a convincing portrayal of Xiang's carefree and optimistic personality though her physical shape is nothing like Xiang. Other characters are just a little flat, and it was very weird to see those characters with the same names of as our common friends, but most of their stories on the screen are just fiction.
In such a film without a clear climax, the story still smartly weaves together the fun and sad moments in Xiang's life, as well as her wild imagination including zombie chases, royal palace fighting and the plots of her longing for love, practical jokes and her pure heart. It is a story about exploring the value from a tragedy, and spreading the positive messages and inspiration to the world.
The film will hit Chinese theaters on Aug. 13, 2015. People will see an emotional, inspiring and touching tribute, while I will revisit and treasure my best memories of a friend.
imdb:tt4819514
