He Xianfen

Biography

He Xianfen was born on 4 February 1935 in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province. At the age of eight, he moved south to the Zhejiang Provincial Orphanage in Wuyan County, Wuyi. After graduating from Jinhua Middle School in 1950, he joined the Jinhua Prefectural Cultural Troupe as a dancing and singing performer. In 1952, he transferred to the Opera Troupe of the Zhejiang Cultural Troupe (renamed the Zhejiang Yue Opera Troupe in 1953), studying under Kunqu masters Chuan Kun and Yao Chuanxiang, as well as Peking opera masters Lu Guichun and Guo Bing. He Xianfen was among the first generation of male Xiaosheng (young male) actors in Yue opera after the founding of the People's Republic of China, performing in nearly 90 plays spanning both ancient and modern themes. In 1988, he became deputy director of the Zhejiang Yue Opera Troupe, overseeing performance operations. He retired in January 1996. In his later years, he participated in compiling the "Chinese Yue Opera Encyclopedia". He passed away at 3:00 AM on 11 August 2020.