Ma Shizeng (1900-1964)

A famous Cantonese opera actor, Ma Shizeng was a native of Shunde, Guangdong province. Starting off in an opera troupe in Guangzhou in 1917, he later moved to Singapore and learnt his trade from Liang Yuanheng, an acclaimed opera actor at the time. Ma made his name in Hong Kong in the 1930s and became known for his unique operatic voice as well as his roles in films. Back to Guangzhou in 1955, he was the head of the Guangdong Opera Group where he impressed his audience with his roles in operas like Guan Hanqing and Sou shuyuan [Searching the academy].

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