Yang Li-hua (Chinese: 楊麗花; PeÌ h-Å e-jÄ«: Iû⠿ LÄ"-hoa) is a
Taiwanese opera performer who is credited as a "living national
treasure". She is a household name in Taiwan. A generation of
Taiwanese have sat before their television sets transfixed by Yang's
performances, forgetting for an hour's entertainment that a woman is
playing the lead male role.With her distinctive eyes, Yang could make
herself at turns commanding and tender. She had a sophisticated air
about her, and her voice sounded honest and full of emotion. Since her
first appearance more than years ago at age , she has been in nearly
productions on TTV. She specializes in male roles, playing everything
from emperors and aristocrats to warriors and beggars. She has become
a favorite of young and old Taiwanese, and many women have come to
think of her as the ideal lover. Female fans crowd around the TV
studio bearing fancy gifts and creating traffic jams. Thousands of
letters swamped the Taiwan TV station, and supplies of pictures of her
in traditional dress could not meet demand. People followed her
wherever she went, and many female overseas Chinese asked her
permission to become her godmother or godsister. In , Yang was voted
one of the ten hottest idols by a gay and lesbian organization-despite
being over fifty.Yang was born into a family with a strong theatrical
background in Yuanshan, Yilan County, the original hometown of
Taiwanese opera. Her grandfather was organiser of an amateur "peikuan
orchestra group". And she was thoroughly imbued with what she had
heard and seen from childhood, since her mother, Hsiao Chang-sou
(stage name), was herself a famous male role-player with a Taiwanese
opera group in Yilan County. During that time, it was common for
actors and actresses in Taiwan Opera troupes to bring their children
with them on tour. As the troupes moved from place to place, these
children often played behind the stage, or watched their parents
acting. As Yang became her mother's loyal fan, she vowed at the early
age of four to devote her own life to Taiwanese opera.Practically born
onstage, Yang began to play walk-on roles when she was years old. At
the age of , she played the lead in a play called An-An Chases
Chickens 《安安趕雞》 and captured the hearts of her audience.
Taiwanese opera performer who is credited as a "living national
treasure". She is a household name in Taiwan. A generation of
Taiwanese have sat before their television sets transfixed by Yang's
performances, forgetting for an hour's entertainment that a woman is
playing the lead male role.With her distinctive eyes, Yang could make
herself at turns commanding and tender. She had a sophisticated air
about her, and her voice sounded honest and full of emotion. Since her
first appearance more than years ago at age , she has been in nearly
productions on TTV. She specializes in male roles, playing everything
from emperors and aristocrats to warriors and beggars. She has become
a favorite of young and old Taiwanese, and many women have come to
think of her as the ideal lover. Female fans crowd around the TV
studio bearing fancy gifts and creating traffic jams. Thousands of
letters swamped the Taiwan TV station, and supplies of pictures of her
in traditional dress could not meet demand. People followed her
wherever she went, and many female overseas Chinese asked her
permission to become her godmother or godsister. In , Yang was voted
one of the ten hottest idols by a gay and lesbian organization-despite
being over fifty.Yang was born into a family with a strong theatrical
background in Yuanshan, Yilan County, the original hometown of
Taiwanese opera. Her grandfather was organiser of an amateur "peikuan
orchestra group". And she was thoroughly imbued with what she had
heard and seen from childhood, since her mother, Hsiao Chang-sou
(stage name), was herself a famous male role-player with a Taiwanese
opera group in Yilan County. During that time, it was common for
actors and actresses in Taiwan Opera troupes to bring their children
with them on tour. As the troupes moved from place to place, these
children often played behind the stage, or watched their parents
acting. As Yang became her mother's loyal fan, she vowed at the early
age of four to devote her own life to Taiwanese opera.Practically born
onstage, Yang began to play walk-on roles when she was years old. At
the age of , she played the lead in a play called An-An Chases
Chickens 《安安趕雞》 and captured the hearts of her audience.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.