Ivy Ling Po


Huang Yuet-chu, known professionally by her stage name Ivy Ling Po, is a retired actress and Chinese opera singer from Hong Kong. She gained widespread fame during the 1960s for her roles in several popular Huangmei opera films; most notably The Love Eterne. This role was lauded as an inspiring performance in Asian culture, solidifying her status as a cultural icon.
Ling Po initially acted in Amoy Hokkien's films under the stage name Xiaojuan, then in Cantonese films under Shen Yan, before joining the Shaw Brothers Studio to act in Mandarin films as Ling Po.

Early life

Huang Yu-Chun was born on November 16, 1939, in Shantou, Guangdong. As a child, she was sold to a family in Xiamen. She was given the name Jun Haitang and worked as a domestic maid. After reaching preadolescence, her adoptive mother forced her to enter the movie industry in Hong Kong. Ling Po claimed she did not have a childhood and was often scolded and physically punished by her adoptive mother. Before Ling Po turned 18 years, her adoptive mother sold her to Chinese-Filipino businessman Shi Weixiong, with whom Ling Po had a son, Shi Yonghui.
In 1957, Shi Weixiong funded the establishment of the Huasha Film Company, which specialized in producing Mandarin-language films. Wu Baoxi and Ling Po—who starred in most of Huasha's productions under the name 'Xiao Juan'—served as producers. During the filming of The Love Eterne, Ling Po—unwilling to meet her adoptive mother's request to attend Weixiong's dinner—moved into the Shaw dormitory with the protection and support of director Li Hanxiang, who freed her from the control of her adoptive parents.

Career

1950s–1960s

Ling Po resided in Xiamen before moving to Hong Kong. Her first screen appearance was in the Ha-Yuen movie Love of Young People at the age of twelve, under the name of Xiao Juan. In addition to appearing in more than 50 Hokkien movies, she was dubbed for other movie companies, particularly Huangmei operas for Shaw Brothers.
While Ling Po was dubbing the Shaw Brothers' opera Dream of the Red Chamber, she caught the attention of Li Han-hsiang, who cast her as Liang Shanbo in The Love Eterne in 1962 with Betty Loh Ti. The judges at the second Golden Horse Awards were so impressed by her performance that they created a special award for her, citing her Outstanding Performance. In 1963, a publicity appearance brought traffic in Taipei to a halt, as thousands of women came to see Ivy Ling Po.
In 1964, Ling Po received the coveted title of Asian Movie Queen, when she won the Best Actress award at the 11th Asian Film Festival for her performance in Lady General Hua Mulan. The following year, she would win the Most Versatile Talent award at the 12th Asian Film Festival, for her role as a young prince in The Grand Substitution and a scholar in The Mermaid.
She became the leading figure in the Huangmei opera genre and was usually cast in male roles. Every year, without fail, Ling Po would make lists of the top ten stars in Hong Kong, based on polls conducted by magazines and newspapers.
To avoid being typecast, she auditioned for various roles in both wuxia and contemporary genres. For playing the ill-fated wife of Kwan Shan in Too Late for Love, one of her contemporary outings, she won the Golden Horse Best Actress award.

1970s–1980s

In 1975, Ling Po won the Golden Horse Best Supporting Actress award for her role as a neglected empress in Li Han-hsiang's The Empress Dowager, despite limited screen time in the sprawling epic. After her contract with Shaw Brothers Studio ended in 1975, she went on to appear in other films and television series with her husband. She won another Golden Horse for Best Actress, for My Father, My Husband, My Son, in which she aged from a teenager to an old woman. Her last screen appearance was in the movie Golden Swallow, playing an evil witch. She then retired after the movie and emigrated with her husband, Chin Han, and her three sons to Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1989.

2000s

Ivy Ling Po's career revived in 2002 when she was cast with another veteran Shaw actress, Hu Chin, in a stage production of Butterfly Lovers. Two original cast members, Li Kun, and Jen Chieh, reprised their respective roles. She toured extensively with this production, bringing it to Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States. Ivy Po restaged the production two years later in Taiwan.
Ling Po has performed in concerts in Taiwan, the United States, and Malaysia. Her two concerts at Genting Malaysia in 2005 included Hu Chin, Chin Hsiang Lin, and Yueh Hua.
In 2006, Ling Po performed at the Hong Kong Coliseum as part of a large group of singers for the Everlasting Golden Hits concert. She sang her signature songs from The Love Eterne, duetting with Lisa Wang, who sang the part of Zhu Yingtai. She also performed her version of "Jiao Dao" from The Crimson Palm.
In April 2004, Ling Po was among the first Hong Kong celebrities who opened the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, adding her handprints and signature. In January 2006, Ling Po was awarded the WIFTI-HK Professional Achievement Award, with the re-release and screening of the remastered film The 14 Amazons at the Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre. In October 2006, Ivy Ling Po, Hu Chin, and Xie Lei performed at Star City in Sydney, Australia. Ling Po also performed at the Frances Yip S.U.C.C.E.S.S. concert, held at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver on October 30, 2006.

Awards

  • Special Award: Outstanding Performance – Love Eterne
  • Best Actress – Lady General Hua Mulan
  • Most Versatile Talent – The Mermaid
  • Best Actress – Too Late for Love
  • Best Actress – Father, Husband, Son
  • Best Supporting Actress – Empress Dowager
  • WIFTI-HK Professional Achievement Award presented during RR of 14 Amazons in HK.

    Filmography

Titles & dates of release courtesy of Hong Kong Film Archive
  • RR = remastered and released on DVD
  • R = released without being remastered probably in the wrong aspect ratio

    Amoy (Hokkien) films

  • Love of Young People – 1951
  • Judge Bao Judges Yueying – 20 November 1955
  • The Phoenix's Flirtation With Twin Dragons – 25 November 1955
  • Meng Jiangnu's Wail Shattered The Great Wall – 6 July 1955
  • Meng Lijun – 26 August 1955
  • The Cowherd and the Weaving Girl – 8 September 1955
  • The Story of Third Madam Li – 12 May 1955
  • Liang Shanbo & Zhu Yingtai – 3 August 1955
  • Xuemei Teaches Her Son – 15 September 1955
  • Chen Shimei Denies His Wife – 20 September 1955
  • Love's Obligation – 13 April 1955
  • Flower Terrace – 15 November 1956
  • The Death of Daiyu – 18 May 1956
  • The Phoenix Returns Home – 6 June 1956
  • Tiger Wang Snatches His Bride – 11 May 1956
  • Lady Red-Broom – 11 February 1956
  • Dream of the Red Chamber – 22 November 1956
  • An'an Searches For His Mother – 20 December 1956
  • Lianli Gives Birth To Han Qi – 22 May 1956
  • Nazha Creates Havoc in the East Sea – 21 February 1956
  • Wang Zhaojun – 26 April 1956
  • Judge Bao's Night Trial of Guo Huai – 2 December 1956
  • Madam Zhou Cheng in Search of Her Husband – 13 December 1956
  • 8 Immortals in Jiangnan – 24 May 1957
  • Monk Ji Gong – 4 April 1957
  • Peach Blossom Weeps Blood – 6 June 1957
  • Third Madam Teaches Her Son – 2 October 1957
  • Xiaofeng – 5 November 1957
  • Mulian Saves His Mother – 3 November 1957
  • Love Mismatched – 14 February 1957
  • Strange Tales of an Empty Chest – 6 May 1957
  • Burning of Red Lotus Temple – 1 February 1957
  • Meeting on the Magpies Bridge – 21 September 1957
  • Burning of Red Lotus Temple, The Sequel – 2 February 1957
  • True And False Romance – 12 October 1957
  • The Battle Between Red Kid & Monkey King – 18 January 1957
  • Xuemei Misses Her Husband – 26 February 1958
  • Choosing A Son-In-Law – 17 September 1958
  • Lu Mengzheng Wins The Bride's Embroidered Ball – 8 May 1958
  • Mr. Wang Marries His Daughter To Hong Kong – 22 November 1958
  • Hot Lady – 19 May 1958
  • Discarded Body in a Bathroom – 7 August 1958
  • Shrews From Afar – 5 June 1958
  • Marry into Your Own Class – 4 April 1958
  • Harmony Between The In-Laws – 3 July 1958
  • Teddy Girls – 30 October 1958
  • The True Story of Mazhu – 1 January 1958
  • Crossroads – 24 September 1958
  • Burning of Red Lotus Temple Part 3 – 14 January 1959
  • Burning of Red Lotus Temple Part 4 – 17 January 1959
  • Queen of Folk Songs – 17 April 1959
  • Miss Jinfeng – 28 March 1959
  • I Love Young Men – 17 June 1959
  • Suffer for My Wife – 8 September 1959
  • Brother Wang And Brother Liu – 1959
  • Miss Singapore – 3 September 1959
  • He Has Taken Her For Another – 4 September 1959
  • Miss Cuicui – 7 February 1959
  • Phony Phoenixes – 31 July 1959
  • Mr. Wang Throws A Birthday Party – 3 April 1959
  • A Perfect Match – 11 March 1959
  • Who Is Not Amorous? – 21 February 1959
  • The Love of a Pedicab Driver – 16 January 1959
  • Who Is The Murderer? – 16 April 1959
  • A Girl in Love – 27 March 1959
  • True Love – 14 January 1959
  • The Maiden Catches The Culprit – 24 December 1959
  • Mr. Wang's New Year – 21 February 1959
  • Liu Hai Meets Fairy – 1961
  • Little Wild Cat – date of release unknown
  • Long Feng Pei – 7 November 1957
  • Secret Swordswoman – date of release unknown
  • Zai Jia Xin Niang – date of release unknown
  • Fan Li Hua – date of release unknown