Joyce Koi Ming Fai

Biography

Joyce Koi Ming Fai, originally named Li Lai Fan, is a renowned Cantonese opera actress from Hong Kong. She grew up in the Tai Po district and was born in 1966. She loved Cantonese opera from childhood and would accompany her mother to watch performances during religious festivals. At a young age, she met opera icon Fung Wong Nui and decided to pursue a career in the arts despite her parents' objections. She secretly enrolled in the Cantonese Opera Academy run by the Bahe Guild and graduated in 1984, specializing in the wenwu sheng role type. She got her first leading role in 1986 and caught the attention of opera master Lam Ka Sing in 1987, becoming his disciple in 1993. She founded the Ming Chi Sheng opera troupe in 1990 with support from a patron couple. She has performed over a hundred opera shows annually in Hong Kong, Macau, and Southeast Asia, earning recognition as the leading female wenwu sheng in Hong Kong's Cantonese opera scene. She has also participated in television and film works and collaborated with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. She established the Koi Ming Fai Charity Foundation in 2005 to promote traditional Chinese opera and assist those in need.