Zhou Xinfang | |
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![]() Zhou Xinfang (1962) | |
Born | |
Died | 8 March 1975 | (aged 80)
Other names | Qi Ling Tong, Age-Seven Boy, Qilin Boy |
Spouse | Lilian Qiu |
Children | 9, including Tsai Chin and Michael Chow |
Relatives | China Chow (granddaughter) Ho Yi (son-in-law) |
Zhou Xinfang | |||||||||
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Chinese | 周信芳 | ||||||||
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Qi-Ling Tong | |||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 七齡童 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 七龄童 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Age-7 Boy | ||||||||
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Qilin Tong | |||||||||
Chinese | 麒麟童 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Qilin Boy | ||||||||
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Zhou Xinfang (14 January 1895 – 8 March 1975), also known by his stage name Qilin Tong (meaning "Qilin Boy") was a Chinese actor and musician who was a Peking opera actor who specialized in its "old male" (老生, laosheng) roles.[1] He is considered one of the greatest grand masters of Peking Opera of the 20th century and the best known and leading member of the Shanghai school of Peking opera.[2] He was the first director of the Shanghai Peking Opera Company.
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. One of his operas, Hai Rui Submits His Memorial, was regarded as an attack on Chairman Mao Zedong, for which he was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution.