Ho-Kau Chan (; 1932 – 23 July 2021Obituary
/ref>) was a Hong Kong actress and Cantonese opera singer. She was credited with over 130 films.

Early life

In 1932, Chan was born in Hong Kong. Chan's ancestral hometown is Panyu district,

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

province. Her given name at birth has a well-known meaning and therefore special pronunciation () among scholars. Chan's father, Chan Kai-hung, founded the Kwok Sing Theatre where she was a student first under Pak Kit-Cho (born Ha Park-Cheung ;) among a group of tutors while in grade school untilGoogle Book Search keyword 「在九龍深水埗基隆街的二三三號三樓創辦了一間國聲戲劇社,..如鄧肖蘭芳、夏伯祥、... 當時的陳好逑是在協智唸書,她課餘之暇,常常到國聲劇社去。」 the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in 1941. After the war, she continued training under Tang Chiu Lan-Fong (Langfong Cantonese Opera School) while in high school and then mostly under Ju-Hua Fen (aka Fan Guk-Fa) in Chiu Ciu Academy (see John Lone) for over a decade since 1955.

Career

Chan started her Cantonese opera singing career by working her way to the top from humble beginnings, notwithstanding her father's connections. Her choice was well received by veterans including

Sit Kok-sin Sit commonly refers to sitting. Sit, SIT or Sitting may also refer to: Places * Sit (island), Croatia * Sit, Bashagard, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran * Sit, Gafr and Parmon, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran * Sit, Minab, a villa ...

and leading actress Cheung (). (Note:- There is no information on record available yet as to how Chan met Sit or Cheung in 1951.) Chan was on her debut tour overseas (Singapore) in September 1951 with Siu-Lei Chun, Chun's sister and their mother. Eventually, spent months and years in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

before earning job offers in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

to join well-known or established troupes. Starting in 1953, she worked with , a student of Sit, before returning to Vietnam in May 1954 for the last trip that ended in August 1955. Settling down back in Hong Kong, she was hired as the second female lead to work with Lai-Zhen Yu by Ching Wa-Hang(), the female Guan Yu. Chan became notable and joined the Hing Sun Sing Opera Troupe (慶新聲劇團) in 1962 as a Hua Dan or lead female Cantonese opera singer. She then joined the Chung San Sing Opera Troupe (頌新聲劇團) in 1965 until the male lead retired. Chan is known for her role as a married woman or woman warrior opposite this particular co-lead generally. As an agile, experienced matriarch during the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

tour in 1967, Chan managed to pickup where this male lead left off. The mixed crew, of both local backgrounds and from Hong Kong like Chan, continued onto a second term contract to work for months while waiting for

Yam Kim Fai Yam Kim-fai (, 4 February 1913 (Lunar 29 December 1912 – 29 November 1989), also known as Ren Jianhui was a renowned Cantonese opera actress in China and Hong Kong. Yam was most notable for her unique ability to sing in the lower register. Tha ...

and Bak Sheut Sin to arrive in 1968. To tie over, she worked with a very senior retired performerXin Ming Ri Bao(), 16 October 1967，page 5.「林家聲陳好逑鬧翻陳氏宗親杯葛家聲」 (father of

Lowell Lo Lowell Lo Kwun Ting (, born 12 October 1950) is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor and film composer. He wrote the film scores to many Hong Kong films. He is now also an environmental activist. Early life Lowell Lo Kwun Ting was born on 12 ...

) in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, then a younger Hong Kong performer who was originally scheduled to be the next male lead but arrived without his co-lead, having herself invited another male lead from Hong Kong to join her. Chan is otherwise also known for Huashan (lively girl) roles such as

Hongniang Hongniang, or Scarlet, is a fictional character from "Yingying's Biography", a Chinese story by Yuan Zhen (779–831), and ''Romance of the Western Chamber'', a Chinese play by Wang Shifu (1250–1337?). She is the maidservant of Cui Yingying. In ...

, Tam Kee-yee and

Pan Jinlian Pan Jinlian () is a fictional character in the 17th-century Chinese novel ''Jin Ping Mei'' (''The Plum in the Golden Vase)'', and a minor character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. She is an arch ...

on stage opposite generations of various co-leads since 1960. She had similar roles also in 1962 film Battle at Sizhou, for example, as Clam Spirit. In "The Capture of the Evil Demons", Chan's all-action persona finds full expression in her role as Clam Spirit, showcasing her talent for spin-ups, ribbon dancing and banner-waving.
(aka Battle at Sizhou) In 1953, Chan crossed over as an actress in Hong Kong films. Chan first appeared in A Battle in An Old City, a 1953 film directed by Chang Mung-Wan. Chan appeared in many Cantonese opera films including as Madam Wong in The Precious Lotus Lamp (1956-1958, three episodes), Love and Hate (aka The Feud) (1956), The Naughty Princess and Her Lover (aka Between You and Me) (1957), and The Fox-Spirit's Romance (aka The Strange Fox) (1957). Chan's last film was Secret Agent No. 1, a 1970 Crime film directed by Walter Tso. Chan was credited with over 130 films. In 1961 film ''Three Battles to Secure Peace for Nation'', Chan established her woman warrior status opposite future fellow co-lead on stage for the next thirty plus years. Acrobatic pose () stemmed from fighting scene of this film had become classic movementsCompeting on stage in 1967 repertoire ''Who Should Be the Commander-in-Chief?''
Practice martial arts as childhood companions by the Purple Bamboo Forest in 1964 film ''The Pitiless Sword'' an
Fighting as enemies in ''Three Battles to Secure Peace for Nation''.
/ref> on stage. Chan was compared by some to

Christa Ludwig Christa Ludwig (16 March 1928 – 24 April 2021) was a German mezzo-soprano and occasional dramatic soprano, distinguished for her performances of opera, lieder, oratorio, and other major religious works like masses, passions, and solos in symp ...

.Book name "Criticism of Music - Memorandum of Chinese Music" published by Sima Qin () in 2016,

Repertoire

, *, Chan was the female lead of original cast since 1962 in the following partial list. The show must go on for weeks or months in those years she spent overseas. According to her co-lead in Ho Siu Lin Opera Troupe, Chan had a habit of not speaking up to playwrights even when she did not like the scripts. () Lu Meng-zheng - A Poor Scholar from 1998 returned a few times while the debut was funded by HK Arts Festival. Some playwrights only found their scripts not returning to stage for over a decade or decades. Other playwrights never realized because they passed away soon after the debut. For example, Ho Siu Lin Opera Troupe debuted two more scripts in 1998, ''Yu Zhou Feng'' () in July and ''A Thorn Hairpin'' () in November, without public funding.

Filmography

Films

This is a partial list of films. * 1953 A Battle in An Old City * 1956 The Precious Lotus Lamp - Madam Wong (wife of the male lead character) * 1956 Love and Hate (aka The Feud) * 1957 The Naughty Princess and Her Lover (aka Between You and Me) * 1957 The Precious Lotus Lamp (The Sequel) - Madam Wong * 1957 The Fox-Spirit's Romance (aka The Strange Fox) * 1958 The Precious Lotus Lamp (Part 3, Concluding Episode) - Madam Wong * 1958 A Buddhist Recluse for 14 Years (as Lu Qiao ) * 1958 The Tragic Story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (aka Butterfly Lovers, as the maid Rén Xīn ) * 1959 Hell or Paradise (as Lam Ah Ching, reflecting the debut overseas in 1951.) * 1959 Tragedy of the Emperor's Daughter (aka

Di Nü Hua ''Di Nü Hua'' is a fictional Chinese story about Princess Changping of the Ming Dynasty and her husband/lover, Zhou Shixian. The first known story was a Kunqu script written in the Qing Dynasty, while the second version was a Cantonese opera from ...

) * 1959 Fan of Fragrant Wood (as maid, the matchmaker) * 1960 Spring Lamps Festival (as Sheung Siu-chong) * 1960 Ten Schoolgirls (vocal & as always "food in the mouth and sleep" girl) * 1961 Three Battles to Secure Peace for Nation * 1961 Leung Hung Yuk's Victory at Wong Tin Tong (as Han Soeng-tak, elder son of

Han Shizhong Han Shizhong () (1089–1151) was a Chinese military general, poet, and politician of the late Northern Song Dynasty and the early Southern Song Dynasty. He dedicated his whole life to serving the Song Dynasty, and performed many legendary de ...

) * 1961 Female General Mrs. Yang * 1961 ''Secret Book (Part 1, Part 2)'' (aka The Magic Crane) - Lee Ching Luen * 1962 Secret Book (Part 3, Concluding Episode) * 1962 Knight of the Victory Marked Flag (aka Banners of Victory) * 1962 Battle at Sizhou (as Clam Spirit opposite Fan Guk-Fa, her master) * 1962 The Royal Wedding in the Palace (as Ying Ying, the head

Lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

) * 1963 The Battling Sounds * 1963 The Iron Wild Goose (Part 1) * 1963 The Iron Wild Goose (Part 2) * 1963-64 The Golden Hairpin (Part 1-4), aka ''Jade Hairpin Oath'' by

Wolong Sheng Niu Heting (; 1930–1997), better known by his pen name Wolong Sheng (), was a Chinese writer of ''wuxia'' novels. Niu was born in Zhenping County, Henan, China. He published about 30 novels in a span of over two decades and his works dominated ...

(credited as gam¹ tung⁴) * 1964 The Pitiless Sword * 1965 (Part 1, Part 2 Concluding Episode) * 1965 Wu-lin-di-yi-jian (the sequel) * 1965

Story of the Sword and the Sabre ''Story of the Sword and the Sabre'' is a four-part Hong Kong film released in 1963 and 1965. The film was adapted from Louis Cha's novel ''The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber''. The first two parts were directed by Cheung Ying and Choi Cheung whil ...

(Part 3, Part 4) * 1966 Night of the Opera Stars (aka Goddess of Mercy Celebrates Her Birthday at Xiang Shan) – Documentary

Theater Performance

Since 1940

Hong Kong

* 1949, Myrica Branch Troupe () * 1949, Wah Tak Leisure Amusement () * 1957, Kok Sing Troupe in July :- Lady White Snake, as second lead actress ( Lady Green Snake, ) :- Spotlight

Abroad

* 1959, Former Singapore Badminton Hall with Ho Fei-Fan :-

Nanyang Siang Pau ''Nanyang Siang Pau'' or ''Nanyang Business Daily'' () was founded by philanthropist-entrepreneur Tan Kah Kee on 6 September 1923 in Straits Settlements, currently published in Malaysia. ''Nanyang Siang Pau'' is one of the oldest Chinese-langua ...

articles indicate that Chan as the female lead of this troupe prepared for the following night performance after finishing that night performance. Chan worked with her supporting female lead until 4am before going to bed. This tour was well received and the supporting actress joined Chan for the 1967 tour.

Since 1960

Hong Kong

As Hua Dan or lead female actress since 1962 in:- * Hing Sun Sing Opera Troupe (慶新聲劇團) * Chung San Sing Opera Troupe (頌新聲劇團)

Abroad

1967, Kun Lun Troupe () :1) Repertoire/titles :- #1 to #8 listed above (See ) :- Beauty Fades From Twelve Ladies' Tower :- Goddess of the Luo River :- Wang Bao Chuan :- The Dream Encounter Between Emperor Wu of Han and Lady Wa :- Liang Zhu Hen () :- Return of the Swallows :- A Serenade :- The Smile of a Beauty :- Mò lù xiāo láng :- Qián chéng wàn lǐ (revised) :- Others :2) A crew of mixed backgrounds for this

tour. :- while the organizer mentioned a different name as the next male lead, according to press report. :- Actress Cheung, Chan first met in early 1950s. :- Chi Yau Chung (which means ''Freedom Bell'', teacher of Mak Bing-wing) :- Siu-Lei Chun, Chan worked in her 1951-52 crew as career debut overseas. ::- not listed in the two 1968

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

postbills now kept in library. ::- July 1968 postbills regarding performance at Victory Theatre of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

had Li Qian () as Advisor and Lai-Zhen Yu was listed for guest appearances. :- Others

Since 1970

Hong Kong

1971–1972, Opera Troupe () and his student So Siu-tong (), playwright Poon Cheuk (). :- The Three Sieges of Zhu Village, aka Peking Opera ''sān dǎ zhù jiā zhuāng'', , as Wu Sam Neung :- Theft of the Red Pongee, as Miss Hung Siu (meaning red pongee). :- Recording in 1936 of opposite who played Miss Hung Siu, was from Brunswick Records (), with title Kunlun Nu Theft of the Red Pongee (). :- Mak Bing-wing starred a 1940 film written by (). :- Wong Chin-sui performed a version on stage in 1949 with Law Lai Kuen. The Troupe called Tai Qián Chéng () was in Macau. :- Finale performance in Ko Shing Theatre before its closure on 16 March 1972.

Abroad

1974, Diamond Troupe ()

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

tour with Lam Kam-tong () :- In 1974, Chan with a crew of mostly young up-and-coming

performers, 7 days extended to 11 days. The Golden Harvest Theater event at 285 Spadina Avenue was profitable and encouraging to the organizer in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. She was recommended to perform in Toronto by then 1967 owner/operator of Chuan Kung Music Palace Theatre () in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

which punished Lam for trying to replace Chan when he felt his thunder stolen in

, first stop of 1967 tour, Lam's debut tour overseas. :- In 1986, Chan was again invited to build a troupe for May/June

tour. When she asked to have Lam as co-lead, the organizer declined.

Since 1980

* 1984, Chinese Opera Fortnight * 1993 A Heartbreaking Reunion (aka Butterfly Lovers)

Since 2000

* 2002 Hong Kong Arts Festival presented a series in her honour, entitled ''The Virtuosity of Chan Ho-kau'' * 2003, opposite Lam Kam-tong (), only performed eight shows on seven days from 17 September 2003 to 23 September 2003 as listed below while the scheduled May performances (from 16 May 2003 to 22 May 2003) was canceled due to SARS. * 2004 The Villain, The General and the Heroic Beauty on 1 December 2004 in a series named Showcase of masterpieces by master playwrights of the yearly event Bravo! A Cantonese Opera Fiesta!

Since 2010

* 2011-2017 mainly in Sunbeam Theatre,

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

and

(by

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

Li Kui-ming) * 2016 Sacrificing the Son * 2017 Excerpt,

Seducing Her Brother-in-law () * 2018 Judge Yin (of Hell) and Judge Yang (on Earth), aka Judge of Hell and Guillotine Judge, Chan debuted in 1999, an episode of Peking opera collection ''Zha Panguan'' in Cantonese opera. * 2018 The Return of Lady Wenji

Discography

* 2010, Ai Shui Jiang He (), by Fu Zheng Tang. * 1993, Shen Sanbai and Wife Yun (see

Shen Fu Shen Fu (; 26 December 1763 – after 1825), courtesy name Sanbai (), was a Chinese writer of the Qing Dynasty, best known for his autobiography '' Six Records of a Floating Life''. Life Shen Fu was born in Changzhou (长洲, in Suzhou, Jian ...

Six Records of a Floating Life ''Six Records of a Floating Life'' (, ''Fu sheng liu ji'') is an autobiography by Shen Fu (, 1763–1825), who lived in Changzhou (now Suzhou) during the Qing dynasty. The four extant records are "Wedded Bliss", "The Little Pleasures of Life", "So ...

), by Fung Hang Record Ltd. (FHCD-4025), 1979 first edition. * 1992, Farewell to

Zhu Bian Zhu Bian (1085–1144), courtesy name Shaozhang, was a Chinese diplomat, historian, and poet during the Song dynasty who was detained by the Jurchen Jin dynasty for 15 years, during which he authored '' Quwei Jiuwen''. Zhu Bian's brother Zhu Sen ...

upon his departure, a fund raising, Haven of Hope Christian Service (Hong Kong) by playwright Qin Zhongying. * 1980, A Wedding in the Dream, aka Mei Lanfang's Remorse at Death, by Tien Shing Records (TSLP 2156) * 1978, Gao Junbao Discography of American Historical Recordings
UC Santa Barbara Library, has a 1905 version, accessed June 4, 2022. si tan ying fang (TSLP 2150) * 1977, Justice Bao versus Chen Shimei and Qin Xianglian, by Tien Shing Records (TSLP 2142) * 1977, Martial Heroes, by Tien Shing Records (TSLP 2130) * 1969,

Interrogated (), by Fung Hang Record Ltd. * 1958, Yellow Fat Dog & The Wolf (), by

Tang Ti-sheng Tang Ti-sheng () (18 June 1917 – 15 September 1959), born Tang Kang-nien (), was a Cantonese opera playwright, scriptwriter, and film director. His contributions to Cantonese opera significantly influenced Hong Kong's reform and development of ...

. ++「公主我朱弁恨難當面拜辭。」(Zhu Bian responded) is a line unique in this 1992 release for fundraising with Xiaofeng Chen. (This version of ''Farewell to Zhu Bian'' is however one of a few released in various formats opposite various singers over the course of about six decades since Xiaofeng Chen included the story in his repertoire. Some versions have titles, lyrics and melodies very similar to this one. There is no published lyrics about 1992 version for unknown reason.) The second song is one of a few about the same ("

Tale of the Pipa ''Tale of the Pipa'' ( "Tale of the Pipa" or "The Story of the Lute") is a Chinese '' nanxi'' play written by the playwright Gao Ming during the late Yuan dynasty. There are French, German, English translations of the play, and an English noveliz ...

" or "The Story of the

Lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...

") story.

Awards

* 2006 Honorary Fellow. The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. * 2008 MH for her achievements in Cantonese Opera.

Eulogy

A short eulogy referred to Madam Wong, a character Chan portrayed in 2016, six decades since making those three films very early in her career. In ''Sacrificing the Son'', a Cantonese Opera performance, Chinese Opera Festival 2016, Chan as Madam Wong demonstrated the traditional value instituted into a maiden in a rich and influential family ( ) even while seeing, beaten to death, the son she gave birth to and keeping safe the other son of her husband.Eulogy 「藝術旦后」陳好逑悄悄的來悄悄的去澳門日報 2021年07月29日 The journalist found these same quality in Chan.

References

External links

* Page 68 & 69, Issues 14-25 of 1975, Panorama Magazine, Published b
Da Cheng
Chu Ban She (),

, copy owner the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...

, Digitize
28-6-2007

* *
Chan Hiu Kau at hkcinemagic.com

Chen Haoqiu at dianying.com

Haoqiu Chen at letterboxd.com

Chan Ho-Kau at senscritique.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Ho-Kau 1932 births 2021 deaths Hong Kong Buddhists Hong Kong Cantonese opera actresses Hong Kong film actresses