Chen Feinong陳非儂

Chen Feinong陳非儂 (1899-1984), born in 1898, a native of Waihai, Xinhui, Guangdong. a famous Cantonese opera male Huadan, formerly known as Chen Jinglian, his wife Gong Fenhong, he is also the father of Hong Kong fan princess Chen Baozhu. His father, Chen Boyin, was a scholar in the Qing Dynasty. In 1906, enrolled in Guangzhou Lingnan School. In 1907, he began to participate in school drama performances. In 1910, he entered the middle school and participated in the first vernacular theater troupe "Folk Music Society" in Guangzhou. During this period, the repertoires include "Women's Suffering" and "Killing Children". Because of his outstanding performance, he was called a "child prodigy". When he was in middle school, influenced by the Revolution of 1911, he was introduced by Xie Boying and supervised by Feng Zizi. Later, he joined the Tongmenghui and was brought by Feng Zizi to meet Sun Yat-sen. In 1924, joined the "Jiazi Youtianying" troupe formed by Huang Luyi, and became famous for performing the newly adapted and improved Cantonese opera "Free Girl Bomb Forced Marriage". Soon, Feng Xianzhou, the screenwriter of the famous Nanyang Cantonese opera troupe "Yongshounian", recommended Chen Feinong to the troupe leader, Liang Yuanheng, to join "Yongshounian". On his way to Singapore with his class, in order to avoid the opposition of his father Chen Boyin, Chen Jinglian decided to change his name to Chen Feinong, and he embarked on the road of professional theater art. Because he is good at playing Hua Mulan, he is heroic, as light as a swallow, and his martial arts moves are accurate and proficient. He and Ma Shi once played the role of a princess in "The Prince of Thieves", which became a popular story for a while. In 1925, after the disbandment of "Yongshou Nian", he went to Hong Kong and Xue Juexian to organize the "Liyuanle" troupe, with the troupe headed by a beautiful young man born in civil and military affairs. "The Big Red Robe", "A Dream of Red Mansions", "The Romance of the West Chamber" and "The Soul of Jade Pear" are all their famous plays. In the 1930s, he and Ma Shizeng filmed and acted for half a year, and acted as a female role in the Taiping Troupe. Famous actresses Ng Chin Fung, Li Long, Li Feng, and Ng Kwan Lai all worshiped Chen Fei Nong as their teachers. After 1975, due to his advanced age, Chen Feinong no longer participated in performances, and wrote a book about his theater career and experience. "Sixty Years of Cantonese Opera" began to be published in "Dacheng" magazine in 1979. Chen Feinong dictated, written by Yu Muyun, and " The Origin and History of Cantonese Opera" have become valuable materials for the history of Cantonese opera. On February 18, 1984, Chen Feinong died of illness in Hong Kong at the age of 85.