Bai Jia-li
Bai Jia-li, also known as Pai Chia-li or Betty Pai, is a Taiwanese actress, singer, and TV presenter.
Biography
Bai Jia-li was born on March 1, 1948 in Lanzhou, Gansu Province. For generations, her family had lived in Dihua, Xinjiang. Bai grew up in a military dependents' village near the Shuinan Air Force Base in Taichung, Taiwan. She dropped out of high school due to her parents' divorce and went to Taipei City to participate in a singing competition, where she won first prize. Later, she signed a contract with a Taiwan Television Enterprise to host a singing program, where she set a precedent for interviewing guests in English, Japanese and French, and became known as the "most beautiful program host".On December 7, 1969, TCTV tried out a self-produced color television program with Stars Gathering, which was the first live program in Taiwan's television history to try out a color program signal. Bai sang "A Rose on the Long Shang" in the show's first airing.
In 1977, Bai married Chinese Indonesian businessman Burhan Uray, also known as Huang Shuang-an, nicknamed the "King of Timber". She later withdrew from the performing art business to support her husband's developing career. In 1979, the pair moved to Indonesia.
Bai has hosted singing shows as "Stars on Stage" and "Galaxy Palace" and has released five albums: "The Endless Wine", "Lovely Stranger", "Blue Streetcar", "See You Again in Dreams" and "Love in the Heart".
In January 2020, Bai released her autobiography, "Bai Jia-li Looking Back", and moved back to Taiwan. She plans to exhibit her paintings and engage in philanthropy instead of returning to the performing arts industry.
Family
Bai's father, Bai Quan-zuo, was a retired Air Force officer of Taiwan the Republic of China. He introduced light aircraft to Taiwan and had once mentored television personality Chang Fei. Bai's mother first settled in Melbourne and eventually the Gold Coast, Australia. Her sister, Bai Fei-bi, also known as Phoebe Bai, has also worked in the entertainment industry as a journalist and news presenter for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Publication
Book
- Love in the Woods: A Love relationship with Huang Shuang-an", published by Haichao Photography and Art Publish Co., on November 1, 2010, ISBN 978-7806916193.
- Bai Jia-li Looking Back, published by China Times Publishing Co. on February 4, 2020, ISBN 978-9571358376.
Performance works
Drama
- 1970 "The Howling Wind", broadcast by Taiwan Television Enterprise, Ltd., as Bai Pin
Movie
- 1969 "The Bride and I"
- 1971 "Hotel Royal"
- 1971 "The Past Can Only Be Remembered" as Chang Pei-lan
- 1972 "A Young Man’s Heart"
- 1972 "Blood Splashing Rainbow Bridge"