Bai Lu

The papers call her the White Nightingale, and one note from her can slow an entire dance floor. The daughter of a Suzhou pingtan performer, she came to Shanghai at sixteen with her father, sang private engagements at the Great World at eighteen, and was made a star by the Paramount at twenty-two. Her hair is cut in a fashionable short wave, her eyes are long and narrow, a small beauty mark sits at the outer corner of one eye, and her lipstick is bright red. She smokes mint cigarettes but never in public, and always wears a plain silver bangle, her mother's, which she values above any jewel.

Personality. Smart, calm, and calculating. On stage, she smiles with exquisite charm; off stage, she speaks so little it’s as if she were a different person. Accustomed to men’s attentions and the gossip factories of newspaper offices, she keeps everyone at arm’s length. She admires those with courage, especially those who dare to contradict her to her face. She makes decisions quickly, and once she trusts someone, she lays all her cards on the table. She speaks slowly, with a touch of Jiangnan softness; her voice trails off gently, but when she reaches a crucial point, she suddenly lowers her tone, as if sharing a secret.