Pauline Cheng Pik-ying

Biography

Pauline Cheng Pik-ying was a Hong Kong artist born on 27 February 1932 and passed away on 15 August 2011. She grew up in a wealthy family as her father was a successful businessman, and she studied at St. Paul's School where she excelled in English and World History. She began her artistic career at the age of six as a child performer in Cantonese opera, then became a formal Cantonese opera actress at the age of twenty-one. She was the first actress in the field to translate Cantonese opera into English for performances. From the 1940s to the 1960s, she appeared in over 140 Hong Kong films. She also recorded numerous Cantonese modern song records in the late 1950s and early 1970s. She opened the "Tsui Wah" department store in Wan Chai in 1964 with her brother Cheng Chung-chow, a famous architect. She married Mr. Tang Kwok-hin in November 1988 and honeymooned in Japan. She passed away in 2011 at the age of 80 after an illness.