Xun Hui Sheng

Xun Hui Sheng

Top Peking Opera Performer - Xun Hui Sheng

Zhou Xin Fang, also known by his stage name Qilin Tong or Qilin Boy, was a Peking Opera actor who specialized in its "old male" role. He is considered one of the greatest grand masters of Peking Opera, and the best known and leading member of the Shanghai School of Peking Opera. He was persecuted and died during the Cultural Revolution.
Over 650 Peking Operas performed by Zhou have been identified by the Zhou Xinfang Arts Research Centre in China by 2015, topping all actors in recorded Chinese performing arts history in terms of known number of repertoire titles.
He was married to Lilian Qiu and father of Michael Chow and Tsai Chin and grandfather of actress China Chow. He was also father-in-law to actor/director Ho Yi who is married to his youngest daughter Vivian Chow.

Shanghai School of Peking Opera

1900

Xiang Li Ping

No

Michale Chow

Mandarin

Person

zhouxinfang1900

1900-01-05

Dong Guan

1968-12-26

Peking Opera Singer

Peking Opera star Zhou Xin Fang (1895-1975) made his first public performance at the age of seven, singing in the role of an elderly man. He immediately gained the nickname "Qi Ling Tong" (The Seven-Year-Old Kid), but later changed this to "Qilin Tong".

Peking Opera favored clear high voices, whereas Zhou sounded a bit rougher around the edges. He took full advantage of his unique voice and broke past the traditional aesthetics of the art form.

Zhou was meticulous about every detail of his performance, from a simple movement of the hand to the use of a long beard and other props. As early as 1925, he introduced the concept of the director to the traditional theater genre and placed a great emphasis on the lead singer.

In the 1950s, Zhou served as the director of Shanghai Peking Opera House and promoted a young director named Ma Ke.

China Daily