Yin Guifang

Yin Guifang
Born	(1919-12-01)December 1, 1919 Xinchang County, Zhejiang, Republic of China
Died	March 1, 2000(2000-03-01) (aged 80) Shanghai, People's Republic of China
Occupation	Yue opera performer
Employer	Fujian Fanghua Yue Drama Troupe
Known for	Young sheng roles
Style	Yin school (founder)
Chinese name
Chinese	尹桂芳
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Yǐn Guìfāng

A bust of Yin Guifang in Shengzhou, Zhejiang.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Yin.

Yin Guifang (1 December 1919 – 1 March 2000) was a Chinese Yue opera 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, Yin began her career at age 10 and rose to one of the biggest stars in 1940s Shanghai.

Like many artists, Yin Guifang was tortured during the Cultural Revolution (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

• "Yin Guifang". Humanism Memorial Museum.
• Jiang, Jin (2009). Women Playing Men: Yue Opera and Social Change in Twentieth-Century Shanghai. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-98843-6.