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.

Yin Guifang
Born(1919-12-01)December 1, 1919
DiedMarch 1, 2000(2000-03-01) (aged 80)
OccupationYue opera performer
EmployerFujian Fanghua Yue Drama Troupe
Known forYoung sheng roles
StyleYin school (founder)
Chinese name
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinYǐn Guìfāng
A bust of Yin Guifang in Shengzhou, Zhejiang.

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

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  • "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.