Zhou Xinfang, also known by his stage name was a Chinese actor and musician. He was a Peking opera actor who specialized in its "old male" 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.
Early years
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 Boy" as "age-seven" and qilin sound similar in Chinese.
Career
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. Zhou had a light husky singing voice and specialized in playing old male roles. He was often referred to as the "Southern Qi" in conjunction with "Northern Ma", another lao sheng performer. He developed his own unique vocal style, which came to be known as of the "Qi style" or "Qi school". He served as one of the mentors and guardians of the actress Li Yuru as she began her career. Zhou revised many old operas, such as Xiao He Chases Han Xin in the Moonlight, and wrote new plays. His famous performances include Black Dragon House, Xu Ce Scurries, Four Scholars. He also starred in a few film adaptations of his operas, such as Song Shijie and Murder in the Oratory. According to the official "Zhou Xinfang Art Research Centre" in Shanghai, Zhou had performed over 650 titles of Peking Opera in his career. In the early years after the Communist takeover in 1949, Zhou was regarded favourably for having contributed directly to the revolutionisation of traditional opera. Zhou was appointed to a number of official positions, such as the Deputy Directorship of Chinese Opera Research Institute. In 1955, the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company was founded and he became the director. However, he would later come into conflict with part of the ruling clique. In 1964, Jiang Qing wanted the Shanghai Peking Opera troupe to rewrite and re-stage plays such as Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy, plans which Zhou opposed but failed to stop.
''Hai Rui Submits His Memorial''
Between 1958 and 1963, "new historical drama" became a prominent form of theatre in China, and such drama was often used for indirect critique of contemporary politics. In 1959, Zhou was asked to write a play for the 10th anniversary celebration in Shanghai of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The story would be about Hai Rui, a Ming Dynasty official noted for his integrity but was dismissed from office for criticizing the Jiajing Emperor. Zhou wrote the playHai Rui Submits His Memorial with Xu Siyan, and the play was performed by the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe. in 1956 in 1962. In Beijing, Wu Han also wrote another opera based on the same theme, Hai Rui Dismissed from Office. This opera was attacked by Yao Wenyuan in 1965, accusing the play of being a veiled criticism of Chairman Mao Zedong. The attack by Yao on Wu Han's work about Hai Rui is often considered the opening shot of the Cultural Revolution, and would eventually led to the persecution and death of Wu Han. Zhou was also criticized for attacking Chairman Mao in his portrayal of the Jiajing Emperor in his opera, Zhou however countered by saying that those who suggested any similarity of Jiajing Emperor to Mao were the real detractors of Mao. Zhou and his son were arrested and imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution, but he refused to recant. He was released a year later and placed under house arrest until his death in 1975.
Personal life
He was married to Lilian Qiu, with whom he had six children: Susan Cha, Cecilia Chung, Tsai Chin, William Chow, Michael Chow, and Vivian Chow. Zhou was the grandfather of actress China Chow. He was also father-in-law to actor/director Ho Yi who is married to his youngest daughter, Vivian Chow.
