Law Ka-ying
Chinese opera singer Law Ka-ying, 63, is best known for being actress Liza Wang’s husband, and for his roles in Stephen Chow’s comedy classics “From Beijing with Love” and “A Chinese Odyssey.” He talks to June Ng about feeling asexual as a youth, and how to make an audience laugh.
I was born in Guangzhou. I came to Hong Kong with my family when I was four. We lived in Kwun Tong, but at that time it was still a village where we could grow vegetables and keep pigs.
My father was a Chinese opera singer and he appointed me to follow in his footsteps when I was five. I’m the eldest son. He thought my personality was the same as an actor’s: I was lazy in everything but not when I practiced, and I liked waking up late.
I quit school when I was 10 to be in Chinese opera full time. I was only an extra because I was still short. When I reached 19 and became tall enough, my dad’s influence helped to land me a major role.
Being a lead in the opera requires a good memory. It was tough. A three-hour long play has numerous lines, stunts and movements.
The downfall of Chinese opera started in the 1950s, when all the good actors went to make movies.
But Chinese opera will never die because there will always be elderly people. Chinese above the age of 50 start to appreciate the traditional art forms, even if they never cared about it when they were young.