Zhou Xinfang (14 January 1895 â€" 8 March 1975), also known by his
stage name Qilin Tong (meaning "Qilin Boy") was a Chinese actor and
musician. He was a Peking opera actor who specialized in its "old
male" (è€ ç"Ÿ, laosheng) role. He is considered one of the greatest
grand masters of Peking Opera of the 20th century, and the best known
and leading member of the Shanghai School of Peking Opera. He was
persecuted and died during the Cultural Revolution.Over 650 Peking
Operas performed by Zhou have been identified by the Zhou Xinfang Arts
Research Centre in China by 2015, topping all actors in recorded
Chinese performing arts history in terms of known number of repertoire
titles.Zhou, a native of Cixi, Ningbo, Zhejiang, was born on January
14, 1895 in Qingjiangpu, Jiangsu into a family with a tradition of
opera performances. He started learning Peking Opera when he was six,
and made his debut in a child role in Hangzhou at the age of seven,
thus acquiring the stage name "Qi Ling Tong" or "Age-Seven Boy". When
he was twelve, this stage name was changed to "Qilin (Unicorn) Boy" as
"age-seven" and qilin sound similar in Chinese.Zhou started performing
in Shanghai in 1906, and went to Beijing in 1908. He started
performing major roles from the age of thirteen, and worked with
notable opera singers such as Mei Lanfang and Tan Xinpei.
stage name Qilin Tong (meaning "Qilin Boy") was a Chinese actor and
musician. He was a Peking opera actor who specialized in its "old
male" (è€ ç"Ÿ, laosheng) role. He is considered one of the greatest
grand masters of Peking Opera of the 20th century, and the best known
and leading member of the Shanghai School of Peking Opera. He was
persecuted and died during the Cultural Revolution.Over 650 Peking
Operas performed by Zhou have been identified by the Zhou Xinfang Arts
Research Centre in China by 2015, topping all actors in recorded
Chinese performing arts history in terms of known number of repertoire
titles.Zhou, a native of Cixi, Ningbo, Zhejiang, was born on January
14, 1895 in Qingjiangpu, Jiangsu into a family with a tradition of
opera performances. He started learning Peking Opera when he was six,
and made his debut in a child role in Hangzhou at the age of seven,
thus acquiring the stage name "Qi Ling Tong" or "Age-Seven Boy". When
he was twelve, this stage name was changed to "Qilin (Unicorn) Boy" as
"age-seven" and qilin sound similar in Chinese.Zhou started performing
in Shanghai in 1906, and went to Beijing in 1908. He started
performing major roles from the age of thirteen, and worked with
notable opera singers such as Mei Lanfang and Tan Xinpei.
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