Ho-Kau Chan
Ho-Kau Chan was a Hong Kong actress and Cantonese opera singer. She was credited with over 130 films.
Early life
In 1932, Chan was born in Hong Kong. Chan's ancestral hometown is Panyu district, Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Her given name at birth has a well-known meaning and therefore special pronunciation among scholars.Chan's father, Chan Kai-hung, founded the Kwok Sing Theatre where she was a student first under Pak Kit-Cho among a group of tutors while in grade school until the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in 1941.
After the war, she continued training under Tang Chiu Lan-Fong while in high school and then, as urged by Jiang Ling the newspaper editor, mostly under Fen Juhua in Chiu Ciu Academy for over a decade since 1955.
Career
Chan started her Cantonese opera singing career by working her way to the top from humble beginnings, notwithstanding her father's connections. Her choice was well received by veterans including Sit Kok-sin and leading actress Cheung.Chan was on her debut tour overseas in September 1951 with Siu-Lei Chun, Chun's sister and their mother. Eventually, spent months and years in Singapore and Vietnam before earning job offers in Hong Kong to join well-known or established troupes. Starting in 1953, she worked with, a student of Sit, before returning to Vietnam in May 1954 for the last trip that ended in August 1955. Settling down back in Hong Kong, she was hired as the second female lead to work with Lai-Zhen Yu by Ching Wa-Hang, the female Guan Yu.
Chan became notable and joined the Hing Sun Sing Opera Troupe in 1962 as a Hua Dan or lead female Cantonese opera singer. She then joined the Chung San Sing Opera Troupe in 1965 until the male lead retired. Chan is known for her role as a married woman or woman warrior opposite this particular co-lead generally.
As an agile, experienced matriarch during the United States tour in 1967, Chan managed to pickup where this male lead left off. The mixed crew, of both local backgrounds and from Hong Kong like Chan, continued onto a second term contract to work for months while waiting for Yam Kim Fai and Bak Sheut Sin to arrive in 1968. To tie over, she worked with a very senior retired performer in Seattle, then a younger Hong Kong performer who was originally scheduled to be the next male lead but arrived without his co-lead, having herself invited another male lead from Hong Kong to join her.
Chan is otherwise also known for Huashan roles such as Hongniang, Tam Kee-yee and Pan Jinlian on stage opposite generations of various co-leads since 1960. She had similar roles also in 1962 film Battle at Sizhou, for example, as Clam Spirit.
In 1953, Chan crossed over as an actress in Hong Kong films. Chan first appeared in A Battle in An Old City, a 1953 film directed by Chang Mung-Wan. Chan appeared in many Cantonese opera films including as Madam Wong in The Precious Lotus Lamp, Love and Hate , The Naughty Princess and Her Lover , and The Fox-Spirit's Romance . Chan's last film was Secret Agent No. 1, a 1970 Crime film directed by Walter Tso. Chan was credited with over 130 films.
In 1961 film Three Battles to Secure Peace for Nation, Chan established her woman warrior status opposite future fellow co-lead on stage for the next thirty plus years. Acrobatic pose stemmed from fighting scene of this film had become classic movements on stage.
Chan was compared by some to Christa Ludwig.
Repertoire
| Title | Notes | |
| *1 | The Battling Sounds | 1963 film version |
| *2 | The Pitiless Sword | 1964 film version |
| *3 | Uproar in Jade Hall | |
| *4 | A Chronicle Written in Blood | |
| *5 | Who Should Be the Commander-in-Chief? | |
| *6 | Romance and Hatred | Second debut in 1984, 18 years since first debut |
| 7 | Time To Go Home | 《胡不歸》 |
| 8 | The Marriage of the Top Scholar | 《花染狀元紅》 |
| 9 | Enlightenment of Goddess of Mercy | |
| 10 | The Predicament of Zhu Bian's Homecoming | see Discography++ |
| *11 | Hongniang the matchmaker in the West Chamber | Debut on stage for 1986 Chinese New Year By playwright Qin Zhong-ying |
| *12 | Xi Shi | |
| *13 | Zhou Yu | Debuted in August 1987, duet included. |
| 14 | Fan Lihua Executing Own Son at the Gate | t=《梨花罪⼦》 |
| *15 | Lu Meng-zheng - A Poor Scholar | |
| *16 | The Riverside Pavilion | See Guan Hanqing |
| *17 | The Return of Lady Wenji | See Cai Yan |
| *18 | The Three Sieges of Zhu Village as Wu Sam Neung | By playwright Poon Cheuk in 1971. |
| *19 | Theft of the Red Pongee as Miss Hung Siu | Lam Kam-tong as Kunlun Nu, the character Sit had. By playwright Poon Cheuk in 1972. |
| *20 | Mirror of the Universe | a.k.a. The Cosmic Mirror |
| *21 | Judge Yin and Judge Yang, aka Judge of Hell and Guillotine Judge | An episode of Peking opera collection Zha Panguan in Cantonese opera debuted in 1999. |
| 22 | The Dream Encounter Between Emperor Wu of Han and Lady Wa | |
| 23 | Wang Bao Chuan | Title role for female lead, support role for male lead. |
| 24 | Sizhou City | |
| 25 | Yin Yang River |
According to her co-lead in Ho Siu Lin Opera Troupe, Chan had a habit of not speaking up to playwrights even when she did not like the scripts. Lu Meng-zheng - A Poor Scholar from 1998 returned a few times while the debut was funded by HK Arts Festival.
Some playwrights only found their scripts not returning to stage for over a decade or decades. Other playwrights never realized because they died soon after the debut. For example, Ho Siu Lin Opera Troupe debuted two more scripts in 1998, Yu Zhou Feng in July and A Thorn Hairpin in November, without public funding.
Filmography
Films
This is a partial list.- 1953 A Battle in an Old City
- 1956 The Precious Lotus Lamp - Madam Wong
- 1956 Love and Hate
- 1957 The Naughty Princess and Her Lover
- 1957 The Precious Lotus Lamp - Madam Wong
- 1957 The Fox-Spirit's Romance
- 1958 The Precious Lotus Lamp - Madam Wong
- 1958 A Buddhist Recluse for 14 Years
- 1958 The Tragic Story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai
- 1959 Hell or Paradise
- 1959 Tragedy of the Emperor's Daughter
- 1959 Fan of Fragrant Wood
- 1960 Spring Lamps Festival
- 1960 Ten Schoolgirls
- 1961 Three Battles to Secure Peace for Nation
- 1961 Leung Hung Yuk's Victory at Wong Tin Tong
- 1961 Female General Mrs. Yang
- 1961 Secret Book - Lee Ching Luen
- 1962 Secret Book
- 1962 Knight of the Victory Marked Flag
- 1962 Battle at Sizhou
- 1962 The Royal Wedding in the Palace
- 1963 The Battling Sounds
- 1963 The Iron Wild Goose
- 1963 The Iron Wild Goose
- 1963-64 The Golden Hairpin , a.k.a. Jade Hairpin Oath by Wolong Sheng
- 1964 The Pitiless Sword
- 1965
- 1965 Wu-lin-di-yi-jian
- 1965 Story of the Sword and the Sabre
- 1966 Night of the Opera Stars – Documentary
Theater Performance
Since 1940
Hong Kong
- 1949, Myrica Branch Troupe
- 1949, Wah Tak Leisure Amusement
- 1953, Troupes performed including Hung Wan Opera Troupe in Red Strawberry and a Broken Heart and Da Hao Cai Opera Troupe with Sun Ma Sze Tsang or as male lead.
- 1957, Kok Sing Troupe in July
Abroad
- 1959, Former Singapore Badminton Hall with Ho Fei-Fan
Since 1960
Hong Kong
As Hua Dan or lead female actress since 1962 in:-- Hing Sun Sing Opera Troupe
- Chung San Sing Opera Troupe
Abroad
1968, Lo Hoi Tin and Madam Choo Sow Yin with the Yat Sing Music Club as invited after San Francisco performance during Lunar New Year.
Since 1970
Hong Kong
1971–1972, Opera Troupe and his student So Siu-tong, playwright Poon Cheuk.Abroad
1975, Diamond Troupe North America tour with Lam Kam-tongSince 1980
- 1984, Chinese Opera Fortnight
| Title | In Chinese | |
| Time to Go Home | 《胡不歸》 | |
| The Sounds of Battle | 《雷鳴金鼓戰笳聲》 | |
| Romance and Hatred | 《三夕恩情廿載仇》 | |
| Merciless Sword Under Merciful Heaven | 《無情寶劍有情天》 |
- 1993, ''A Heartbreaking Reunion''
Since 2000
- 2002 Hong Kong Arts Festival presented a series in her honour, entitled The Virtuosity of Chan Ho-kau
| Title | In Chinese | |
| The Return of Lady Wenji | 《文姬歸漢》 | |
| Love in a Time of Bloodshed | 《無情寶劍有情天》 | |
| The Predicament of Zhu Bian's Homecoming | 《朱弁回朝》 | |
| Of Love and Enmity | 《三夕恩情廿載仇》 | |
| Conspiracy behind the Marriage of Princess Yin Ping | 《鐵馬銀婚》 |
- 2003, opposite Lam Kam-tong, only performed eight shows on seven days from 17 September 2003 to 23 September 2003 as listed below while the scheduled May performances was canceled due to SARS.
| Title | In Chinese | |
| Day 1 | Two Heroic Families | 《蓋世雙雄霸楚城》 |
| Day 2 | The Ten-Year Dream | 《隋宮十載菱花夢》 |
| Day 3 | Time To Go Home | 《胡不歸》 |
| Day 4 | Xi Shi | 《煙雨重溫驛館情》 |
| Day 5 | Contending for the Bride | 《搶新娘》 |
| Day 5 | The Villain, The General and the Heroic Beauty | 《梟雄虎將美⼈威》 |
| Day 6 | The Pitiless Sword | 《無情寶劍有情天》 |
| Day 7 | The Hero's Blood on Mount Pipa | 《枇杷山上英雄血》 |
- 2004 The Villain, The General and the Heroic Beauty on 1 December 2004 in a series named Showcase of masterpieces by master playwrights of the yearly event Bravo! A Cantonese Opera Fiesta!