吳美英

简介

Wu Meiying is a Cantonese opera actress from Hong Kong, originally named Pan Guimei, born in 1952 in Hong Kong with ancestral roots in Panyu. She comes from a theatrical family; her adoptive father Wu Shangying was a male role actor, and her uncle Wu Hanying was a martial role actor. She studied classical dance under Master Xu Junhan, then learned Southern school Cantonese opera from her father, with singing master Liao Sen and Northern school master Xu Junhan. She began her career in the late 1960s on gambling ships in Macau, rising from supporting female lead to principal female lead within just three months. She returned to Hong Kong and performed at Kai Tak Amusement Park with Ruan Zhaohui and Liang Hanwei. In the mid-1970s, she toured North America with Chen Haoqiu. In 1975, she founded her own opera troupe with collaborator Wen Qianrui. In 1978, she was appointed principal female lead of the "Juexiansheng Troupe" by the organizing committee. From November 1994 to the present, she has been the contracted principal female lead of the "Mingzhisheng Troupe," performing alongside Gai Minghui for twenty-one consecutive years, setting a record for male-female collaboration in Cantonese opera. She began her career specializing in martial female roles and became renowned for her combat skills. She has performed in the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, Japan, mainland China, Singapore, and Macau, and regularly participated in charity performances for organizations such as the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and The Community Chest of Hong Kong.