Ivy Ling Po | |||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||
Pinyin | Líng Bō (Mandarin) | ||||||||
Jyutping | Ling4 Bo1 (Cantonese) | ||||||||
Birth name | Huang Yu-chun () Huáng Yùjūn (pinyin) N̂g Jū-kun (Pe̍h-ōe-jī) Wong4 Jyu6-gwan1(jyutping) |
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Origin | Hong Kong | ||||||||
Born |
Shantou, Guangdong, China |
16 November 1939 ||||||||
Other name(s) | Jun Haitang () Xiaojuan () Shen Yan () |
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Occupation | Actress, singer | ||||||||
Genre(s) |
Huangmei opera Cantonese opera Amoy opera |
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Instrument(s) | Singing | ||||||||
Years active | 1949-1970s | ||||||||
Spouse(s) | Mr. Sy (1955-56) (child marriage with a married man forced by her foster mother) Chin Han (m. 1966) |
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Children | Benson Sy (b. 1956) Kenneth Bi (b. 1967) Daniel Bi (b. 1974) |
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Awards
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Huang Yu-chun (born 16 November 1939 in Shantou, Republic of China), known by her final stage name Ivy Ling Po, is a retired Hong Kong actress and Chinese opera singer. She is best known for a number of mega-hit Huangmei opera films in the 1960s, especially The Love Eterne (1963) which made her an Asian superstar overnight. She played an important role in the entertainment industry for preserving the Huangmei opera art form.
She has used many names in her past. When she was a young child, she was sold to a family in Xiamen (Amoy), where she took on the name Jun Haitang (Chinese: 君海棠; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kun Hái-tông) and worked as a domestic maid. After reaching preadolescence, her foster mother forced her to enter the Hong Kong movie industry to exploit her. She first acted in Amoy Hokkien films under the stage name Xiaojuan (Chinese: 小娟; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sió-koan), later in Cantonese films under the stage name Shen Yan (Chinese: 沈雁; Jyutping: Sam2 Ngaan6), before finally entering the Shaw Brothers Studio to act in Mandarin films as (Ivy) Ling Po (Chinese: 凌波; pinyin: Líng Bō) and rising to superstardom.