Rebecca Pan Di-hua

Biography

Rebecca Pan Di-hua, originally named Pan Wan-ching, is a Hong Kong singer and actress born in Shanghai in 1930, who later moved with her family to Hong Kong. She began her artistic career at age 18 recording popular songs, achieving her first success with an English rendition of an Indonesian folk song. In 1957 she launched her professional career as a nightclub singer, and by the 1960s she had reached the peak of her fame, becoming one of Hong Kong's five greatest female singers. In 1964 she became the first Hong Kong singer to sign with British EMI Records, releasing her first album "Lover's Bridge." She was also the first Chinese singer to perform in the United States. She released numerous English and Chinese songs that became popular across Southeast Asia and Chinese communities worldwide. In 1967 she was one of the original stars of the famous TV show "Enjoy Yourself Tonight." In 1972 she produced and starred in Hong Kong's first Chinese-language musical "Madame White Snake," based on the Legend of the White Snake; despite financial losses, the song "Loving You Has Become Hurting You" from the musical remains popular to this day. She began her film career in 1953 and appeared in notable films such as "Days of Being Wild," "In the Mood for Love," and "Flowers of Shanghai," winning the Golden Horse Award for her role in "Days of Being Wild."