Shi Yongfen (Chinese: 史永芬; pinyin: Shǐ Yǒngfēn; 27 June 1921 – 27 August 1999), known professionally as Bai Guang (Chinese: 白光; pinyin: Bái Guāng; lit. 'White Light'; also credited as Pai Kwong,[1] Bai Kwong[2] and Bai Kwang),[3] was a Chinese actress and singer. By the 1940s, she became one of the Seven great singing stars.[4]
Shi Yongfen was born in 1921 in Zhuozhou, Hebei.[5] Her father was a quartermaster under general Shang Zhen. In her early years, she was a student of the Beiping Salon Theatrical Troupe (北平沙龍劇團; Běipíng Shālóng Jùtuán), and once performed Cao Yu's play Sunrise.[6] In 1937, she studied at the University of Tokyo's music department until World War II in 1942. After drama school, she wanted to be a movie star. As she proclaimed, she wanted to be like the beams of light coming off the movie projectors onto the big screen; hence her stage name.
Her mandopop songs were often used in many of her movies as soundtracks. In an age and culture where light, higher voices were usually favored, she had a slightly deep and hoarse voice, which helped her become a big star in Shanghai.[7] People called her the "Queen of the Low Voice" (低音歌后).
Bai's big screen career started in 1943.[8] She was known for playing seductive roles due to her flirtatious image on screen and has also played villains at times. She lent a more dramatic tone or sexy attitude to her songs. Some of her hits are "Autumn Evening" (秋夜), "Without You" (如果沒有你), "The Pretender" (假正經), "Revisiting Old Dreams" (魂縈舊夢), and "Waiting For You" (等著你回來).
After the war, Bai Guang moved to Hong Kong and joined Great Wall Pictures. In 1949, A Forgotten Woman (蕩婦心) was shown in Hong Kong. Even the governor, Alexander Grantham, went as a fan.
By 1950, Bai, tired of the low-quality films, retired as an actress in China. After marrying an American GI in 1951,[citation needed] she moved to Japan and successfully opened a nightclub in Tokyo's Ginza district in 1953.[5] The union did not last, and she returned to Hong Kong, recording some music through 1959 when she officially retired. In 1969, she resettled in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she married a man 20 years her junior named Yan Lianglong (颜良龙; 顏良龍), who was also one of her fans.[9] She performed to wide acclaim in 1979 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Her last public appearance was in 1995 on Hong Kong's TV top 10 Chinese singing awards.
Bai Guang died from colon cancer on 27 August 1999, at the age of 78, in her house at Kuala Lumpur's Damansara Heights suburb. She was buried at the Nirvana Memorial Park, Semenyih.[10][11]
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