Yin Guifang (1 December 1919 – 1 March 2000) was a Chinese

Yue opera Yue opera, also known as Shaoxing opera, is the Chinese opera genre. Only Peking opera is more popular nationwide. Originating in Shengzhou, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province in 1906, Yue opera features actresses in male roles as well as femininity ...

singer-actress who played '' Sheng'' roles (i.e. male characters), sometimes known as the "Empress of Yue opera". Born into a poor family in Xinchang County,

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...

, Yin began her career at age 10 and rose to one of the biggest stars in 1940s

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

. Like many artists, Yin Guifang was tortured during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...

(1966–1976) which left half her body permanently paralyzed. After the Cultural Revolution, she continued to work in Yue opera despite her disability. In the 1980s she groomed a number of young singers who later became leading figures in Yue opera, among them Mao Weitao, Zhao Zhigang, Wang Jun'an and Xiao Ya.

References

* * {{authority control 1919 births 2000 deaths Yue opera actresses Victims of the Cultural Revolution 20th-century Chinese actresses 20th-century Chinese women singers Singers from Zhejiang People from Xinchang County Actresses from Shaoxing Male impersonators in Yue opera Musicians from Shaoxing People of the Republic of China