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Mandopop Catch-22｜第22条军规
1. About this Issue • 第22条军规
1. About this Issue • 第22条军规
华语女歌星看似风光，但八十年代对陈淑桦的报道，却揭示出职业的沉重代价。这些报道常常感叹陈淑桦没有绯闻，暗示娱乐圈在大众眼中是个惹人非议的地方。但同时，报道又不断追问她何时嫁人，使她陷入两难之地：她既要避嫌以证明清白，又要符合社会对她成婚的期待。这种无解的矛盾，是女歌手在华语乐坛面临的”第22条军规“ （Catch-22）。在这里，我们探讨传统道德观对华语女艺人的束缚，以此来更深刻地认识陈淑桦的魄力和她音乐的可贵。
Being a Mandopop singer may seem glamorous, but 1980s press reports on Sarah Chen reveal a heavy cost. These reports often praised Chen for avoiding scandals, implying that her profession was morally suspect. They also fixated on her marriage prospects, placing her in a dilemma: she had to stay away from men to prove her moral purity, yet also be seen as seeking a husband to fulfill social expectations. In this issue, we consider Chen’s career in the context of the Mandopop catch-22. The impossible demands placed on her deepen our appreciation of her courage and the value of her music.
2. Song of The Issue • 本期歌曲
2. Song of The Issue • 本期歌曲
Autumn Farewell (1980); songwriter: Zhang Bi
1980年版的《秋别》；词曲：张弼
The 1995 re-recording of Autumn Farewell.
1995年重录版
Autumn Farewell (Click for English)
Autumn Farewell (Click for English)
Our interest in Sarah Chen stems in part from the strong connection between her music and broader cultural movements. Beyond her later image as the cultural icon of "urban women," her early 1980s work reflected significant cultural shifts in Taiwan, particularly the rise of an educated student population. A notable example is the 1980 album “Road Home,” containing theme songs for the award-winning film “Story of a Repentant Juvenile.” The film was adapted from the real-life story of Mr. Wu Zheng-Hui, a juvenile offender who became famous after scoring highly on the college entrance examination and gaining admission to the prestigious National Central University. The film helped spark a wave of student-themed movies. Although the film has since faded from public memory, the songs remain well preserved in Chen’s album.
Particularly notable on this album is the original recording of “Autumn Farewell,” a song that Chen re-recorded sixteen years later as she prepared to leave the music industry. The poetic song portrays a woman bidding farewell to her lover over a shared drink, her heart heavy, his light. The 1980 version conveyed the emotions of the film, while the 1995 re-recording feels like Chen’s farewell to her fans, her music, and a part of herself.
The contrast between the two recordings reveals significant changes in Chen’s singing. The original is bright and sharp, with its sadness carried by a strong emotional energy likened to a cry of protest. The re-recording, in a lower key, is calm and smooth, where sadness is intertwined with a sense of resignation. The change goes beyond pitch and tempo. Even when the two versions are digitally aligned in pitch and tempo, their vocal alignment is imperfect. Chen altered her phrasing in the re-recording, sometimes leading and sometimes lagging the original, transforming the intense pain into a steady flow of sorrow. Perhaps she had protested long enough to accept that departure was inevitable.
我们对陈淑桦音乐的重视，部分源于她作品的历史和文化意义。除了八十年代后期“都市女子”的象征外，八十年代初，陈淑桦的作品反映了台湾文化的变动，尤其是受教育学生群体的崛起。1980年的电影专辑《规程》是个好例子。专辑里收藏了电影《金榜浪子吴政辉》的曲目。这个电影是通过吴政辉的故事改写的，他原本是个退学、入狱的年轻人，改过自新后以高分考入台湾中央大学。电影获得第17届金马奖最佳剧情片提名，并掀起了学生电影的浪潮。四十多年后，电影已经难以寻觅，但其中的歌曲在陈淑桦的专辑里保留了下来。
专辑中一首重要的歌曲是首版的「秋别」，十六年后陈淑桦在告别歌坛时重新演唱了这首歌。这首诗词般的歌描述一位女子在与恋人告别时的情景：她在给他敬酒时心情沉重，而他的心却如秋风一样轻。原版的演唱表达了电影中的情绪，而1995年重录版却更像是陈淑桦对歌迷，乐坛，和自己的一部分的告别。
这两版的对比显出十几年来陈淑桦歌艺的变化。1980年的原版歌声明亮而清澈，那种强烈的悲伤像是在对分离提出抗议。重录版音调较低，歌声更平稳和醇厚，悲伤里掺杂着对命运的接受。这两版录音不仅在音调和节奏上有差异。哪怕是将歌曲调整到相同的节奏和音调，歌声却仍然无法完全对齐。和原版相比，陈淑桦在重录版里对音节处理上的定位有明显的变化，时而提前、时而滞后，将强烈的痛苦转化为平缓的忧伤。也许，在音乐界“抗议”了这么久之后，陈淑桦早已明白离别是必然的。
3. Her Family Objected • 全家反对
3. Her Family Objected • 全家反对
Her Family Objected (Click for English)
Her Family Objected (Click for English)
Sarah Chen’s singing career can be traced back to her first job as a hotel lounge singer performing English songs in Taiwan1–4. In a 1988 Hong Kong interview5, she said that without that opportunity, she might not have pursued singing at all and might have become a school dance teacher instead. At just seventeen, the job not only paid for her college expenses but also helped shape her distinctive East-West singing style.6
That job, however, almost ended before it began. News that Chen had taken a night singing job brought strong objections from every member of her family2. “When I first started singing at the hotel, ” Chen said in a 1985 interview, “my whole family opposed it, especially my mother.”
Her family had reasons to worry. Historically, because female performers were seen as vulnerable to exploitation in their work, mainstream Chinese culture often viewed their moral standing as easily compromised7. Particularly at risk were women working night shifts in venues serving alcohol and catering largely to male patrons8. Traditional norms took an especially unforgiving stance toward women involved in premarital affairs, often treating such conduct as a source of shame to the family9,10. Singing at night in a hotel not only exposed the singer herself to risk, but was also seen as potentially damaging to family honor and, by extension, to the marriage prospects of other daughters in the household9. For Chen, the risk was not abstract: she had four sisters3.
Chen took the job on the condition that her mother must accompany her while she worked11. Her mother would remain by her side, acting as a chaperone, business manager, and daily assistant. This mother–daughter working arrangement was common in Taiwan at the time; the '80s reports also cite similar cases, including “Mother Fong” and “Mother Tseng” (凤妈，甄妈), and Cui Tai-Qing traveling overseas with her mother12,31. This suggests a shared awareness not only of the risks female singers faced, but also of the importance of maternal supervision in signaling propriety.
陈淑桦的歌唱生涯要追溯到她的第一份工作，即在台湾饭店以英文歌驻唱1–4. 她在1988年香港的一次采访中说5, 如果没有那个驻唱的机会，她可能不会主动寻求歌唱的门路，也许就当了学校的舞蹈老师。她那时十七岁，一个月演唱的收入足够支付一学期的学费。这个经历也塑造了她独特的中西结合的演唱风格6。
但那份工作在还没开始前就差点夭折。1985年金钟奖后的采访中2，陈淑桦回忆道：「刚开始驻唱的时候，我们全家一致反对，其中以妈妈最为强烈。」
家人的反对并非没有原因。在中国历史上，由于女艺人在工作中容易受辱，主流文化认为她们的道德处境困难，对她们的清白持有疑心7。尤其是在男士居多、又沾有烟酒的夜场工作的女人，她们的职业风险大8。而传统观念对婚前有艳遇的女人特别不包容，认为她们给家族丢脸9,10。在饭店夜间驻唱不仅给女歌手本人带来风险，也威胁到家庭的声誉，甚至波及家中别的女儿的婚嫁前景9。对于有五个女儿的陈家来说，这个风险很具体3。
为了踏入歌坛，陈淑桦接受了家人的条件，那就是妈妈一定要在场陪伴11。从那以后，她母亲一直陪伴着她，也起到经纪人和日常生活助理的作用。这种“星妈-星女”的合作模式在当时台湾很常见，那时的报道也提到凤妈、甄妈的例子和崔苔箐的母亲陪她去海外12,31。这表明大家都意识到女歌手职业的风险，以及“星妈”对维护女儿名声清白的重要作用。
4. His Family Objected • 他们家反对
4. His Family Objected • 他们家反对
His Family Objected (Click for English)
His Family Objected (Click for English)
For the following years, Sarah Chen cultivated an image of purity and gentleness, in part by singing campus folk songs.13 Unlike romantic ballads or lounge-style songs, campus folk was associated with educated youth and was seen as "fresh" and "natural" and culturally more refined14. Yet Chen could not erase her earlier history as a ballad singer15, nor did she choose to abandon the genre.
Nothing Chen or her family did, however, could fully dispel the shadow her profession cast on her. In 1985, after someone made up a rumor that she was involved with a male singer, Chen was forced to reveal her long-term relationship with the son of a family friend16. But the damage was already done, and the couple broke up. In a 1986 interview17, Chen said somberly, “Our relationship was already on shaky grounds. His family didn't like my profession. After our relationship became public, his family worried he would be hurt. They felt that I was not sincere. They could not forgive me.” The reporter protested, “Doesn’t he have his own opinion?” “Maybe the pressure was too great,” Chen answered, before turning to fate.
Chen wasn’t the first to lose a relationship this way. A few years earlier, Teresa Teng broke up with the son of a Malaysian tycoon due to his family’s objection to her profession18. However unfair it may have been, society's suspicion toward the respectability of female singers persisted, and even close family supervision could not fully counter the distrust18,19.
以下几年，陈淑桦塑造了清纯优柔的音乐形象，其中一个重要的方式是演唱台湾校园民谣13。和情歌及酒吧小调不同，校园民谣崛起于受过教育的学生族，以”清新、自然“著称，在当时被认为是更具文化品位的音乐类型14。然而，陈淑桦去不掉自幼就开始的情歌演唱史15, 她也没有就放弃抒情歌曲。
但无论陈淑桦自己的品行有多端正，职业带来的阴影始终存在。1985年金钟奖后，娱乐圈里有人造谣说她和一位男歌手有瓜葛。为了澄清谣言，陈淑桦不得不公开她的长期男友，她父亲朋友的儿子16。但谣言带来的伤害不可弥补，两人最终分手。1986年，台湾记者采访问到这件事17。陈淑桦黯淡地说：「本来我们的情况就很不乐观，他的家人不喜欢我的职业，这次我又把他说出来，他们家的人怕他受到伤害，觉得我不够诚恳，对我十分不谅解，就这样。」记者替她报冤，说：「就这样, 难道他自己没意见嘛？」她无奈地说：「哎，压力太大吧！」随后将话题转向命运。
陈淑桦不是唯一由于职业而失去恋情的台湾女歌星。几年前，邓丽君和马来西亚富豪之子分手，也是因为他家人反对她的职业18。无论有多不公平，社会对华语女歌手的清白有根深蒂固的怀疑，连星妈制也不能完全消除男方家庭的顾虑和成见18,19。
5. Mandopop Catch-22
5. Mandopop Catch-22
华语乐坛第22条军规
华语乐坛第22条军规
Mandopop Catch-22 (Click for English)
Mandopop Catch-22 (Click for English)
If Chen’s own experiences were not enough to show this, press coverage made it explicit: her profession was treated as morally suspect. Several reports noted that because Chen had no scandals, there was nothing to write about12,17,20; one even complained that “writing about her gives me a headache.”21 The press alternately praised and criticized her "clean" image, revealing an underlying assumption: that the entertainment industry was inherently “dirty.” Maintaining respectability required constant vigilance in interactions with men.
Yet while demanding moral restraint, the media was obsessed with Chen's romantic life22–25. Was she in love? What kind of partner did she want? Did she want to marry? When? Who would marry her and take her away from the stage? Even articles about her music often drifted into gossip about her possible romances. Beneath these questions lay a shared expectation that women should eventually marry,26 and that for a singer like Chen, marriage would mean leaving her career behind.18
But Chen could not both avoid suspicion and actively seek a husband. These contradictory expectations placed female singers in a Mandopop catch-22. Faced with this dilemma, Chen emphasized not disappointing her family. In a 1986 interview27, she said, “I believe not everyone is corrupted by their environment. Besides, there are many good people and good deeds in the entertainment industry. So ever since I entered this field, I have frequently reminded myself not to let my family down. My mom has also been with me all these years. I feel fortunate that I am still the same person.”
如果陈淑桦自己的经历还不足以说明问题，媒体直接点破了问题的关键：女歌手的职业是受人质疑的行业。当年有好几篇报道说陈淑桦多年不闹绯闻，没有内容可写12,17,20, 一篇文章甚至说由于她没有故事可讲，“提起这个女人就令人头疼。”21 媒体时而表扬，时而责怪她行为的清白，揭示出大众潜在的共识，那就是娱乐圈本是个惹人非议的地方，应该有很多花边新闻。在这样的氛围内，要维持清白，女歌手得时时防范和男人的交往。
但在要求她必须“清白”的同时，媒体最关注的是陈淑桦的感情和婚姻。22–25 她是不是恋爱了？她理想的对象是什么样的？是不是想结婚？打算什么时候结婚？哪个幸运的男士将娶她，而让她从此离别歌坛？连谈她歌辑的报道也不时转向恋情猜测。在这些报道的背后是一个广泛接受的社会期望：女大当嫁,26 而对于像陈淑桦这样的歌星，嫁人还意味着放弃歌唱事业18。
可是陈淑桦不可能在避嫌的同时又积极地讨老公。社会对女歌星矛盾的期望将她陷入华语乐坛的“第22条军规” (Catch-22)。在两难之间，陈淑桦注重的是不辜负父母对她的期望。在1986年的采访中，她说27, 「我坚信：不是每一个人都会被环境污染的，何况演艺圈也有不少好人好事，所以出道至今，我不时提醒自己，不能辜负家人，妈妈也一直照顾着我，好多年了，我庆幸我还是原来的我。」
6. BLOG – The Unyielding Singer
6. BLOG – The Unyielding Singer
不屈不饶的陈淑桦
不屈不饶的陈淑桦
Catch-22 or not, Sarah Chen did not hold back.
The question I am most often asked when talking with friends about Sarah Chen is: Did she write her own songs? After all, in 21st-century Western pop, songwriting is often seen as a key marker of a singer’s artistic identity28. My answer is no, though likely not because she lacked the skills or ambition3. She received no songwriting credit even when she was closely involved in the conceptual development of songs, such as those on Woman's Heart and Tomorrow Will You Still Love Me? In a system that subjected female singers to moral scrutiny, Chen risked her reputation simply by performing love songs. Writing such songs, and thus claiming authorship, might have made her even more vulnerable to moral judgment.
Chen walked a tightrope throughout the three decades of her career. The catch-22 that bound her gives us a deeper appreciation of the music she created. She sang campus folk, as well as songs about friendship, the self, and society, but her core repertoire remained romantic ballads. She performed some of the most moving love songs in Mandopop. She also recorded English albums, singing with an intimacy that even took me by surprise. For the sake of artistic expression, Chen set aside concern over how she might be judged.
Yet Chen’s own experience suggested that the better she was at expressing love in her songs, the more scrutiny she might receive. Even colleagues sensed a gap between her songs and her private self. In the 2003 documentary A Letter to Sarah, one colleague noted the mismatch between Sarah the person and her 1995 song “Say You Love Me.” “Mother Chen taught Sarah many good manners, yet she still sang that line,” he said.
But Chen chose professionalism over concerns for herself. Catch-22 or not, she did not hold back. Over two decades under her mother's watch, the emotional intensity of her performances deepened - from singing “shy flowers,” to singing poetic love, to telling love stories, to demanding love. By 1993, when she sang the famous “Dancing Light,” a song about a female snake seducing a man, you could hardly have found a more seductive voice, or a braver singer.
After winning the Golden Bell Award in 1985, Chen reflected on her purpose as a singer. She recalled meeting overseas Chinese communities and realizing that they connected with their culture through her songs29. She resolved to “leave some Chinese songs for a generation of listeners.” 29,30
Three decades after leaving the stage, her music has continued to be passed down across generations. A few days ago, sitting in my car with her teenage friend, my daughter said that the English song playing was by a Chinese singer. “That’s Sarah Chen. She’s from Taiwan,” I said.
当我和朋友谈起陈淑桦时，他们最常问的是：她有没有自己写歌? 毕竟在21世纪西方流行音乐里，写歌是歌手艺术身份的重要标志28。 我的回答是，她没有，但也许不是因为她没有写歌的技能或愿望3。 当年陈淑桦花了很多功夫在某些专辑的构思和创作中（如《女人心》和《明天还爱我吗》），按理说应该得到创作署名。但她处在一个对女歌手品行质疑的社会里，演唱情歌已经危及到她的名声和清白。如果她再亲自写情歌，听众更会认为那是她的心声。在中国传统文化里，这只会将她的名声越抹越黑。
在传统道德观的束缚下，陈淑桦的生涯如同走了数十年的钢丝。回想她面临的两难，让我们更加珍惜她留下来的作品。陈淑桦唱了些校园民谣，也唱过关于友情、自我、或社会的歌曲，但她作品的主体是抒情歌曲。她演唱了华语流行中一些最深情、动人的情歌。她在英文专辑中表达的爱意更直白，有些英文歌如此亲密，连我都有些诧异。为了创造出最佳的艺术，陈淑桦放下了对外界评论的顾虑。
她这么做，明知她越能演绎歌中的深情，别人就越是对她产生嫌疑。连她的同事都感觉到她的歌曲和她的为人有出入。在2003年纪录片《给淑桦的一封信》中，同事提到她1995年制作「淑桦盛开」专辑时，竟然敢唱“说吧，说你爱我吧”。他说，陈妈妈教了她那么多礼节，你再听她唱这首歌，感觉有些格涩。
而大家低估的是陈淑桦的胆识和敬业精神。即使身陷“第22条军规”，她却毫不退让。在星妈伴随了她的二十年里，她在歌中的深情一步步增加，从海山期的“含羞草”，到百代前期的诗情画意，再到百代后期的爱情故事，最后是在滚石“说你爱我”。职业后期，1993年她演唱了「流光飞舞」，那首歌描述了女蛇诱惑许仙的一段，只有陈淑桦有胆唱出歌中的妖娆。
在1985年获得金钟奖后的采访中，陈淑桦谈到她的演唱是为了什么。她说一次去南欧和当地的华侨会面，她意识到她是一些华侨的精神支柱，她的歌起到了传递文化的作用29。 她受了鼓励，决定「要为一代的中国人留下一些中国歌曲」29,30。
在陈淑桦离坛三十年后，她的歌传了不止一代人。几天前，我家小朋友和同学坐在我车里。她跟同学说车里正在放的那首英文歌是一位中国歌手唱的。「那是 Sarah Chen，她从台湾来」，我告诉她们。
即使身陷“第22条军规”，陈淑桦却毫不退让。
注释："第22条军规"的含义和来源
注释："第22条军规"的含义和来源
“第22条军规”出自 Joseph Heller 1961 年的小说，指的是书中美国空军的一条军规：如果飞行员精神失常，他就不用执行危险的轰炸任务；但如果他主动提出免除任务，就恰恰说明他神志清醒，因而必须执行任务。此后，“第22条军规”用来形容由于互相矛盾的规则造成的进退两难处境：无论你怎么做，都无法摆脱体系的逻辑。
The meaning and origin of "Catch-22"
The meaning and origin of "Catch-22"
“Catch-22" comes from Joseph Heller's 1961 novel. It refers to a paradoxical rule: if a bomber pilot is insane, he can be excused from flying dangerous missions, but if he asks to be excused, that proves he is sane enough to keep flying. Today, "Catch-22" is used to describe a no-win situation created by conflicting rules. No matter what a person does, they remain trapped by the logic of the system.
References 参考文献
References 参考文献
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9. Ebrey, P. B. The Inner Quarters: Marriage and the Lives of Chinese Women in the Sung Period. (University of California Press, 1993).
10. Gan, Y., Liu, C., Deng, J. & Zhang, J. Typological classification of attitudes toward premarital sexual behavior among Chinese undergraduates. BMC Public Health 24, 2651 (2024).
11. 陈淑桦/亦步亦趋的专制妈妈. 台湾报刊 (1987).
12. 碧姬. 陈淑桦泉甘甜. 台湾报刊 (1984).
13. 华视《含羞草》片段. 华视《含羞草》片段 (1981).
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16. 陈淑桦恋爱了?!! (1986).
17. 滢之. 陈淑桦害怕输不起不敢贸然开演唱会——因演唱会牵涉太大，做起来不轻松. 180 (1986).
18. Prodigy of Taiwan, Diva of Asia: Teresa Teng. Association for Asian Studies https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/prodigy-of-taiwan-diva-of-asia-teresa-teng/.
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20. 陈淑桦悄悄结束一段情——好不容易才唱了两年的恋歌，如今却谱下了休止符，为此难过了好一阵子. (1986).
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23. 新加坡记者. 商人重利轻别，陈淑桦最憎恨生意人（Miracle of Love). 新加坡报刊（简体字） (1987).
24. 新马地区记者. 陈淑桦受困错误流言. 新马地区报刊 (1987).
25. 芳进. 陈淑桦述初恋故事：对爱情充满憧憬，感情世界不再空白. 马来西亚报刊 (1988).
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29. 芷烟. 陈淑桦拥抱金钟. 台湾报刊 (1985).
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31. 欧芙伶摄影：黄诗山&马圣. 十万元锯双颊，陈淑桦出门前先整鼻子. 马来西亚报刊 (1986).
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
This site was enriched by the generosity of a long-time Sarah Chen fan from Malaysia, C.Y., who shared her personal collection of clippings and magazine articles spanning much of Chen's career (1983-1996).
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