白玉堂 (粵劇演員)

简介

Bai Yutang, originally born as Bi Kunsheng (also known as Bi Zhaonan), was born in 1900 in Huaxian County, Guangdong, into a seafaring family. His cousin performed under the stage name Huang Zhongmei, and his brother Bi Zhaolun was also a seafarer. At age three, he moved to Hong Kong with relatives, returned home at six for schooling, left school at eleven, and began learning Cantonese opera at twelve under the tutelage of the young male role actor Liang Quan. He initially performed in Bai Jurong's troupe under the stage name Liang Nan, but after his outstanding performance in "Five Rats Cause Havoc in the Eastern Capital," he changed his stage name to Bai Yutang. He specialized in courtroom dramas and armored role performances, and was long associated with the New China Troupe, collaborating with renowned female roles Xiao Lizhang and Chen Yannong. In the 1920es, he performed with various troupes including Letongchun, New China, Yongshounian, Dingqiankun, Kongqueping, Tangtianbao, and Shenghua, performing not only in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau but also in the United States, Vietnam, and Singapore. He later formed his own troupe, Xingzhonghua. His wife was Liu Zhenhua, his cousin was the famous actress Ren Jianhui, the renowned actress You Min was his daughter, and his disciples included Huang Junwu and Liu Meiqing. He settled in Hong Kong in 1950 and passed away peacefully at St. Paul's Hospital on May 21, 1994, at the age of ninety-seven (by traditional Chinese reckoning), leaving behind two sons and four daughters.