Yam Kim-fai (, 4 February 1913 – 29 November 1989), also known as Ren Jianhui was a Cantonese opera actress in China and Hong Kong.
Yam was most known for her ability to sing in the lower register. Her opera voice was indistinguishable from a male one and allowed her to play both male or female roles.
On 24 June 1972, Yam performed for the last time in public. In 1989, she died at home in Hong Kong due to pleural effusion.
Early life Born Yam Lee Chor (Chinese: 任麗初), Yam performed as a pastime with a Cantonese opera troupe since when still in grade school. When Yam was 14, her aunt (), another Cantonese opera actress, taught Yam the foundation courses. Very soon, Yam quit school and began her formal opera performance studies with Wong Lui Hap (),Chan Lap Ban worked with both Yam and Wong. 關於演員陳立品 整理：黃夏柏 陳立品：年輕時陳立品加入「鏡花艷影」全女班。 女班，在廣州西堤馬路的大新公司天台表演，當時是頗具名氣的班牌，那時她19歲。她憶述當時「鏡花艷影」的陣容：「生角是黃侶俠，花旦則由西麗霞 (Sai Lai Ha) 擔正。」年輕的品姨選擇了粵劇演出為職業。 who was known for being the female version of Ma Sze Tsang but became known more often as Sifu of Yam. After the Second Sino-Japanese War, Wong worked with Luo Pinchao in Hong Kong at some point. Although they never co-operated again once the formal contract expired, Yam provided for Wong, a working poor in modern language, who was not well-off late in life ().
Rooftops in Guangdong Jade Flower () was one of the first female leads to co-star on stage. Yam rose to prominence and eventually becoming a male lead at the age of 17, switching between being male lead and playing second fiddle to Wong or other actresses such as Chan Pei MuiAs per 2013-05-28 【Wen Wei Po】. 陳皮梅是粵劇女班「鏡花艷影」的文武生，與胡蝶影、關影憐、倩影儂及桂花咸(譚蘭卿)、任劍輝等女伶合作，在廣州市大新公司天台演出。【文滙報】2013年05月28日 and the three pieces about all-female troupes (全女班) back in the days from 2013-06-04, 2013-06-11 and 2013-06-18 of 【Wen Wei Po】 (陳皮梅), who were more experienced and well-known, for another few years before venturing out on her own as male lead in many all-female troupes (小飛紅-太平艷影劇團/譚蘭卿-梅花影劇團) in "rooftop theatres".
Rooftop theatres were for all-female troupes since the time of Lee Suet Fong (李雪芳) who formed the all-female troupe (「群芳艷影」) which she left when married in 1923. (Fong, a female lead since 16, performed with Lee at some point, who was inspired and created her own vocal style) Since the first top four all-female troupes, female leads became less noteworthy as the actresses in male lead roles. Male and female performers were not often in same troupe until after Japan took Guangdong.三十年代廣州粵劇盛衰記 The reputation of an all-female troupe was often regarded as less there counterpart all-male troupe. Yam observed that male leads were called sissies in the street while the jingles below reflected the sentiment about those troupes.女戲班雙城記 文：凌寧 資料來源 : 星島日報 《鄉下佬買戲》：「講到鰟鱓女班經已做到怕，有文無武而且有鱓仲老過我阿媽。」 香港報章：「女優薪金微賤，當可以減班主之負擔。」
Yam became known as the female version of Kwai Ming Yeung, both AAA and vocal, before 1933, the year Ma Sze Tsang hired Tam Lan Hing to perform with him in Hong Kong.
Theatres in Macau Many troupes with male performers followed her first own (Chinese:「鏡花影女劇團」, 1935–1942) with Tsui Yan Sam () as co-star not long since Yam was initially hired to perform in a temporary theatre (collapsed after 5 days) built in greyhound racing stadium. (Now known as Canidrome, was special to Yam who attended the grand opening in 1963 with Loong, Pak Yin and others.) Co-stars also included other actresses () at times as and when Yam saw fit. Theatres in Macau her all-female troupe performed included the Ching Ping Theatre at Travessa do Auto Novo ( ). To reflect her respect when Chan Pei Mui with sister Chan Pei Aap joined her, Yam renamed her troupe ("梅"花艷影劇團) in deference to her former boss who also shared male lead status with Yam in this troupe. The three of them offered the female version of Kwai Ming Yeung (Yam), Sit Gok Sin (Mui) and Ma Sze Tsang (Aap), Tsui Yan Sam (徐人心)
Portugal owned Macau during the Second World War and it was neutral during the conflict. Japan's respect for that neutrality made Macau a safe haven for migration from elsewhere otherwise occupied by Japan. Population in Macau went up significantly as a result. Their support for performances made life relatively easy for performers.
Ma Sze Tsang formed the first Hong Kong troupe with both actors and actresses in 1933. Records show Yam's all-female troupe was the last one still doing well in theatres since then. For ten years (1935–1945), Yam made Macau her home, when her hometown in Guangdong fell to the Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Meanwhile, she moved her family, including her (Chinese custom, actually paternal first cousins.) younger sister Yam Bing-yee () into her new home in Macau. Occasionally, Yam in 1939 renamed that same all-female opera troupe (「鏡花艷影劇團」/高陞戲院/紫雲霞/《夜出虎狼關》郎紫峯=郎筠玉Died 13 August 2010 at age 91) to perform in Hong Kong or in 1942 travelled to perform in Guangdong with Hung Sin Nui's Sifu (何芙蓮) as the co-star. Hung met Yam that year.
In Macau, she met the six major contributors to her career, two men and a married couple Ho Yin & Chen Keng (何賢 及 陳瓊) through the two brothers who eventually became the troupe manager () and librettist (). Deng Fen (鄧芬) became her godfather and vocal style tutor while the other man helped manage the finances, holding the purse strings at times and looking after the war chest Yam built up in Macau.
Theatres in Hong Kong Yam was the male lead in many Cantonese opera stage productions, in Macau initially and in Hong Kong since 1945, opposite many actresses, including Sheung Hoi Mui (上海妹), Che Sau Ying (車秀英), Lan-Hing Tam (譚蘭卿) and Tang Pik Wan (鄧碧雲). With the 1942/3 financial help from Mr. Ho Yin, father of Edmund Ho, she formed a new opera troupe called New Voice Opera Troupe (「新聲劇團」) with manager (徐時), librettists (徐若呆/歐陽儉) and the following performers who joined the troupe one at a time:-
Chan Yim Nung (陳艷儂), the Daan (Chinese: 旦) Au Yeung Kim (歐陽儉), the Cau (Chinese: 丑) Lang Chi Bak (靚次伯), the Zing (Chinese: 淨) Yam Bing Yee細女姐十一歲加入戲行，說是得到堂姊任劍輝的提攜，卻原來從沒有正式拜師學藝，工夫都是從虎渡門「偷」回來的。她最初在澳門「新聲劇團」當梅香，隨當時的正印花旦、行內公認推車第一的陳艷儂學習推車，...成為年輕演出者的「定海神針」。 (任冰兒) Bak Sheut Sin (白雪仙)
Dream of Red Chamber in Macau was one of many highlights in her career since being the last all-female troupe standing. The trend of huge production cost never recoverable from no matter how good box-office record as a result also caused Yam headache.
Yam was known since very young as the single financial source of immediate family, extended families, big spender co-star and associated families. Yam had a reputation of being very generous, footing the bills when her troupe was in trouble. Chan Lap Ban told in 1989 on camera the old days when they performed in villages (both age 20 or so). Investors failed to pay for their performance. Yam as the patriarch actually provided for the troupe to be all home safe, with her personal gold collection.
Since leaving Macau, there was no more financing, but the spending spree continued. A "too good to be just student" of Tang allowing the free use of his story-on-air saved Yam/Lang/Au Yeung from ("大包細") financial ruin. The pay was HK$200 per day of performance while ticket price was HK$6. The spending spree made it necessary for Yam to rely heavily on film roles for income and a real estate portfolio properly managed by reliable personnel.
Yam's The Marriage of Tang Bohu, renamed in 1974 as The Marriage of Three Smiles (三笑姻緣), came to the rescue in 1956 when the Tang flub started on day one, let alone no more than 6 rows of audience in 1956 the world was never informed. The flubbing of Tang continued until the 1957 Di Nü Hua in which Yam as male lead played the more important role in Tang's work for the first time. However, that ended after The Purple Hairpin. They are the only two films among Tang's BIG FOUR which Tang had the opportunity to bask in the glory before he died. Cinematographic plans to bring titles to cinemas before these two were cancelled as a result of very bad receptions. The movie rights of other BIG FOUR titles never came up until decades later. This is the second ruin that lasted six long years. What Yam earned by chance encounter (見獵心起) in the process was a successor she treasured for close to 30 years.
The third major financial disaster was rescued with her extremely exhausting 1968 North America tour, more than a decade since she was deprived of the chance to say goodbye to her dying mother, the most treasured family member. Yam paid for the four-year long production of a film in Cantonese. The cost is said to be somewhere between that of two films directed by Li Han-hsiang. The Magnificent Concubine (1962 film) was the first Chinese-language film (楊貴妃 (1962年電影)) to win the Grand Prix for Best Interior Photography and Color. The Empress Wu Tse-Tien was also entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival. However, this 1968 film has never reached anywhere beyond Hong Kong and was screened in cinemas only a few times for the five decades since released. This 1982 stage version is also regularly put on stage by later generations of Cantonese opera performers.
Career A performer on stage first and foremost, Yam was the male lead in many Cantonese opera stage productions in Hong Kong, post-war, opposite many actresses, including but not limited to Chan Yim Nung, Lai-Zhen Yu, Fong Yim Fun, Tang Pik Wan, and Hung Sin Nui.
Many of her performances were made into films, such as the 1953 remake of Sweet Girl.香港影片大全 9628050192 Hong Kong. Urban Council - 2003 Sweet Girl (Remake) (Xin Nii'er Xiang) 8.8.1953 / Cantonese / B&W / Period / Musical Romance Dir: Chan Pei Scr: Nam Hoi Sap-sam Long Cast: Yam Kim-fai, Chan Kam-tong, Wai Ming-chu, Yee Chau-shui, Cheung Yuet-yee (aka Yuet Yee), Ming Meng Synopsis: Mui Am-heung (Tarn Kim-fai) is the daughter of the marshal leading the Eastern Expedition. To give failed scholar Ngai Chiu-yan (Chan Kam-tong) a hand in his career, Mui disguises herself as a ...
1. Fong Yim Fun since Golden Phoenix Opera Troupe (Chinese: 芳艷芬, 金鳳屏劇團) – top-billed instead of Yam sometimes. Many titles were adapted for the screen, a few iconic ones are listed below. Yam is in Qing Dynasty attire including pao, mao (a stiff cap) and magua (a buttoned mandarin jacket 'for the rich') for the first two below, both set in late 1800s and early 1900s.
YearTitleIn Chinese Notes/11955A Beauty's Flourishing Fragrant 一枝紅艷露凝香first versionRepeat 1A Beauty's Flourishing Fragrant/A Pedestal of Rouge Fragrance/Sweet Dew on a Beautiful Flower21956The Story of Little Cabbage and Yeung Nai-mo小白菜情困楊乃武 31956Feather Fan Under Spring Lantern春燈羽扇first versionRepeat 241957Goddess of the Luo River 洛神51958Beauty Fades From Twelve Ladies' Tower 香銷十二美人樓BtypoTcorrect in HKMDB61958Butterfly Lovers梁祝恨史pdf full libretto 71958Swallows Come Home一年一度燕歸來81958A Buddhist Recluse for Fourteen Years火網梵宮十四年91958The Story of Yutangchun玉堂春101958The Merry Phoenix彩鳳喜迎春111959The Summer Snow六月雪pdf full libretto121959A Pedestal of Rouge Fragrance or Sweet Dew on a Beautiful Flower一枝紅艷露凝香second versionRepeat 1131959Regret from the Spring Lantern and Feather Fan春燈羽扇恨second versionRepeat 2141959The Moonlight and Pipa of the Borderland萬里琵琶關外月HKU URL151959The Dream Encounter Between Emperor Wu of Han and Lady Wai漢武帝夢會衛夫人
2. Lai-Zhen Yu (Chinese: 余麗珍) – many movies were made from stage productions. For example, 1960 film Golden Chrysanthemum (Chinese: 《血洗梅花澗》/《七彩金葉菊》) and 1951 film A King Speaks His Heart (《帝苑春心化杜鵑》) with both Sit Gok Sin and Ma Sze Tsang as well.
3. Chan Yim Nung (陳艷儂) – the Dream of the Red Chamber (《紅樓夢》), Red Chamber in the Sea (《海角紅樓》)Films by others – Red Chamber in the Sea (1947) Part I and Part II but One of her two CDs for this title (Chinese: 《海角紅樓恨》)