The well-known Chinese opera actress, Phan Wait Hong, is pictured here dressed up as a ‘lao sheng’, the old male role that she is remembered by. In the world of Chinese opera, ‘sheng’ (the male) is one of the four main characters that appears on stage, the others being ‘dan’ (the female), ‘jing’ (the painted face) and ‘chou’ (the clown). The photograph depicts Phan wearing a black beard, an indication that the male character she is portraying is older than 40 years of age. Phan received the cultural medallion in 1993 and is often regarded as Singapore’s most celebrated Beijing opera doyenne. 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.
