Although she specialised in ‘lao sheng’ (old male) roles, Phan Wait Hong was a versatile performer and played other roles as well, as is depicted in this photograph. Besides ‘sheng’ (the male), others characters that appear on the Chinese opera stage include ‘dan’ (the female), ‘jing’ (the painted face) and ‘chou’ (the clown). Born in Shanghai, she first came to Singapore with a Chinese opera troupe in 1926, gradually establishing herself as a lead actress on the performing circuit. Over the years, as her reputation grew, she travelled frequently to perform in neighbouring countries. Phan received the cultural medallion in 1993 and is often regarded as Singapore’s most celebrated Beijing opera doyenne.
