Tam Lan-hing

Biography

Tam Lan-hing, born Tan Rui-fen, was born in 1911 (or 1908 according to some sources) in Shunde, Guangdong province. She began her artistic career at an early age, learning Cantonese opera from her sisters and performing on stage under a stage name. At sixteen, she became the leading female role (zhengyin huadan) in an all-female troupe. Later, she co-founded the Mei Ying Troupe with the famous actor Yam Kim-fai. In 1927, she performed Cantonese opera in San Francisco, USA. In 1933, she joined Ma Sze Tsang's Taiping Troupe, becoming one of the first female actresses to perform in mixed-gender productions, and starred in famous works such as "The Stubborn Princess and the Foolish Groom" and "Zhong Wuyan." She was renowned for her talent in singing short songs and was nicknamed "King of Short Songs." During World War II, she moved to Macau to work with her colleagues. After the war, she settled in Hong Kong and transitioned to comedic female roles (chousheng) due to changes in her appearance, appearing in 143 films, mostly comedies. She retired from the arts in 1975 after a prolific career. She died in March 1981 from a heart attack caused by high blood pressure, and her funeral was held according to Buddhist rites attended by Hong Kong's entertainment stars.