[2013.12.18] FAREWELL, HUNG SIN NUI

Hong Kong fan Ms. Yip brings flowers

Guangzhou fan Mr. Deng presents a poem

Guests also receive a black cloth and a pink towel, one cent RMB and one piece of candy

courtesy of on.cc

Sister Nui's children at the viewing

Andy Lau and his wife Carol Chu

Almost 1,000 pay their respect

Gao Siren, Zhu Xiaodan, Huang Huahua, Li Ziliu

Hung Sin Nui's older sister

Sister Nui's older son Ma Ting Cheung carries her photo to the cremation ceremony

Sister Nui's classic performance ZHAOJUN TO THE FRONTIER was shown

China Communist Party Secretuary Gneral Xi Jinping

Premier Li Keqiang

Former president Hu Jintao, Politburo Standing Committee's Wang Qishan and CPPCC national committee chair Yu Zhengsheng

Former premiers Wen Jiabao, Zhu Rongji

Sister Nui's coffin is in preparation for cremation

Mr. and Mrs. Andy Lau take several glances at the viewing.

Andy Lau protects his wife closely

Andy Lau often covers his face with his face to hide his sorrow as he comforts his wife

God sons Kam Kwong Sing and Ng Yu remember their god mother's advice of progressing with the times and learning something new

Sister Nui's Hong Kong disciple Nam Hung

Liza Wang

Stanley Tong

Tse Suet Sum, Lau Wai Ming, Yuen Siu Fai

The weather makes the mood even more somber as fans gathers outside the funeral home to pay their respect

courtesy of mingpao.com

Every move of Hung Sin Nui on the stage was memorable

Fans with Hung Sin Nui's memorial program
courtesy of mingpao.com

Ma Fung Kwok

Yan Hau Yi

Joyce Koi and Michelle Yim

Cheung Man Sun and Che Suk Mui

A fan brings a rose for Sister Nui

A fan captures Hung Sin Nui's memorial

Fok Chun Ting
courtesy of mingpao.com

Contributed her life to art, Cantonese opera grand master of a generation Hung Sin Nui on the 8th passed away at the age of 89. Yesterday a farewell ceremony took place in the Guangzhou Funeral Home's White Cloud Hall. Over 300 people braved the wind and the rain to send Sister Nui on her final journey. National leaders and former leaders sent floral arrangements. Many important Mainland politicians attended. Sister Nui's favorite Andy Lau Tak Wa even came to pay his respect with his wife Carol Chu Lai Sin. The couple looked back at Sister Nui's remains several times. After the ceremony the remain was cremated. The Cantonese opera grand master of a generation thus was gone with the wind, leaving only her performance treasures forever.

Hung Sin Nui's farewell ceremony took place yesterday and began around 10AM. Although Guangzhou was cold and rainy, starting from 8AM many Sister Nui's fans, people and students waited outside th hall with umbrellas to pay their respect. Yesterday over 3,000 people bid Sister Nui farewell, with over 1,000 floral arrangements from everywhere in the hall. Former Guangzhou city political consultative conference vice chair and multiple term National People's Congress representative, Sister Nui even received floral arrangements and condolences from many current and past national leaders, including Communist China national leader Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan and Wang Qishan. Former national leaders Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, Zhu Rongji, Liu Yandong, Hu Chunhua sent floral wreaths. The altar was like a sea of flowers. Attending the funeral were Guangdong governor Zhu Xiaodan, Guangzhou Communist Party committee secretary Wan Qingliang, former governor Huang Huahua, former director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Gao Siren, and former Guangzhou Communist Party committee secretary Li Ziliu.

Yesterday the banner over the hall read "Deeply Missed", while the two side couplets quoted Sister Nui. "Her life belonged to art, her art belonged to the people". Sister Nui's remains lay in a see through glass coffin in the center of the hall and was surrounded with flowers. A red blanket was placed over her remains. Sister Nui's classic LYCHEE SONG was played. Unfortunately the "Nui voice" has been silenced, making family and friends and fans' hearts ache even more.

Yesterday the farewell ceremony took place around 10AM. Around 1,000 of Sister Nui's friends, disciples, colleagues, art and literary world luminaries and leaders filed into the hall, gave a moment of silence then three bows to Sister Nui. Many Hong Kong show business celebrities went to Guangzhou to pay their respects, including Mr. and Mrs. Andy Lau Tak Wa, Liza Wang Ming Chuen, Stanley Tong Kwai Lai, disciple Nam Hung and god sons Ng Yu and Kam Kwong Sing. Lau Tak Wa's wife Chu Lai Sin who rarely appeared in public removed her medical mask in the hall out of respect for Sister Nui.

Yesterday morning Sister Nui's three children Ma Ting Cheung, Ma Ting Sing and Hung Hung as well as their children showed their appreciation from the family section to guests. At the farewell ceremony, second son Ma Ting Sing spoke on behalf of the family. He held back tears but choked on his words as he recounted Sister Nui's life. He said, "Hung Sin Nui was with the Motherland in honor and in shame, kind from the beginning to the end. Her life belonged to art, her art belonged to the people. Mother was an everlasting role model......" He could no longer hide his sorrow as he sobbed emotionally. His brother and sister comforted him. Ma Ting Sing was close to his mother. Thus during the viewing he was the most upset. His wife held onto himself tightly.

After the farewell ceremony ended, Sister Nui's remains was transported to the crematorium for the cremation ceremony. Older son Ma Ting Cheung tearfully carried Sister Nui's photo out of the hall with her closest family and disciples. They then walked to the crematorium for bid Sister Nui farewell. After the crew explained the arrangement after the cremation to older son Ting Cheung, he signed the document then the family gav a final farewell bow to Sister Nui. Her ashes will be buried in the Guangzhou Yinhe public cemetery.

Lau Tak Wa and his wife Chu Lai Sin have always been low key and rarely appeared in public, but yesterday they attended the funeral of their respected Cantonese Opera star of a generation Hung Sin Nui in Guangzhou together. During the funeral they often sobbed. During the viewing they took many glimpses as they obviously missed the elder. The focus remained on Chu Lai Sin's figure despite Wa Jai's numerous pregnancy denials. Wa Jai stayed close to protect her throughout.

After Wa Jai attended the funeral of Chu Lai Sin's father in Kuala Lumpur, they held hands tightly when he returned to Hong Kong. Yesterday around 9AM, Wa Jai and Chu Lai Sin after a low key arrival lined up with other guests to enter the hall. With a serious look Wa Jai held the masked Chu Lai Sin's hand tightly. After entering the White Cloud Hall Chu Lai Sin removed the medical mask out of respect. During the ceremony, Wa Jai and Chu Lai Sin looked sadden. Chu Lai Sin's eyes were all red from crying as she often lowered her head to sob. Wa Jai also covered his face with his hand. At the viewing, Wa Jai and Chu Lai Sin held hands tightly as they reluctantly looked back several times.

After the ceremony, Wa Jai walked out with Chu Lai Sin hand in hand as reporters flocked to them. Chu Lai Sin put on the mask again. Due to the rain, Wa Jai personally carried an umbrella and held onto his wife throughout attentively. Reporters asked Wa Jai many questions like his deep relationship with Sister Nui, but he did not reply. However, when he saw a reporter fell, he asked everyone to be careful. Chu Lai Sin's pregnancy rumor was rampant but Wa Jai denied it many times. Wa Jai once described his friendship with Sister Nui as "ageless". Back then at a large scale Cantonese opera promotional events, Sister Nui attentively instructed him acting techniques.

Other guests included Wang Ming Chuen, Tse Suet Sum, Yuen Siu Fai and his wife, Tong Kwai Lai, Sister Nui's god son Kam Kwong Sing and Ng Yu, disciple Nam Hung and others; Ng Yu and Nam Hung were too sadden for any interview.

Wang Ming Cheun attended as the Barwo Chinese artists association of Hong Kong chief to bid Sister Nui farewell. She appreciated Sister Nui for teaching her opera acting very much, and she benefited a lot from it. She praised Sister Nui was a pioneer in the Cantonese opera world, always leaving the most exciting performance. Sister Nui's passing was a loss to Cantonese Opera but she was also the best Cantonese Opera role model for later generations.

Tse Suet Sum made the trip to bid Sister Nui farewell. She said that Sister Nui looked very peaceful. Her mentor Yam Kim Fai worked with Sister Nui many times. Sister Nui was born with a great voice that no one could replace.

Tong Kwai Lai admired and worshiped Sister Nui very much, he came to pay respect to his elder. Sister Nui was very helpless to the younger generations, her passing was a regret for Cantonese Opera.

The family distributed a memorial program, which documented Sister Nui's life and published valuable photos in detail in memory of this national treasure class Cantonese Opera diva. The cover was Sister Nui in her later years with the words "The life of Hung Sin Nui". The program held photos of Sister Nui in her youth as well as her performance photos. Contributing her entire life to art, she also contributed to her nation as the Guangzhou city political consultative conference vice chair, the second National political consultative conference member, and a representative at the third, fourth, sixth to ninth National People's Congress. She was also the director of the Hung Sin Nui Art Center. No wonder many high ranking politicians came to pay their respect.

Starting her lesson at age 12 and her stage life at age 14, she created her own Cantonese opera "Hung Clan". She has played many classic roles in her life, like the Pipa holding ZHAOJUNG TO THE FRONTIER. Thus she received many Mainland and overseas honors like the Guangdong province first culture lifetime achievement award". In 2013 Sister Nui received the first World Cantonese "Top Ten Outstanding People", her final honor in her life.

Sister Nui did her best to promote Cantonese opera and actively cultivated the younger generations. Her artistic achievements have been witnessed by all. The back cover of the program read "Her life belonged to art, her art belonged to the people", which was exactly the portrait of Sister Nui's life!

Legislative Council member Ma Fung Kwok, Wong Kwok Hing, Fok Chun Ting, Yan Hau Yi, Cheung Man Sun and his wife Che Suk Mui, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region representatives, Joyce Koi Ming Fai and Michelle Yim (Mai Suet) yesterday paid their respect to Hung Sin Nui at the Sunbeam Theater.

Che Suk Mui visited Sister Nui in Guangzhou in October last year for a radio interview. Sister Nui liked Chinese sausage. After the story she sent her a program CD and a catty of Chinese sausage. This Christmas she planned to bring Chinese sausage with her to visit Sister Nui, unfortunately Sister Nui suddenly passed away. Che Suk Mui felt that Sister Nui's spirit of never giving up on her pursuit of art was worth younger generations to learn from.

Ma Fung Kwok have known Sister Nui for over 20 years, Sister Nui gave her heart and soul to art. She was direct and precise with her words, Sister Nui's passing was regrettable and upsetting to him. Fok Chun Ting said that through Sister Nui the China and Hong Kong Cantonese Opera development and cultural exchange was expanded. Koi Ming Fai said that her grand mentor Sister Nui was like Buddha in the Cantonese opera world. She learned a lot and kept performing and learning even in her old age, she never said quit; although Sister Nui was often ill, she still insisted on teaching students. Sister Nui often had a smile on her face, a kind and gentle elder who cared about the younger generations.

Yesterday almost 100 people braved the rain to pay their respect, sign the signature book and present flowers. Around 9AM, before Sunbeam opened its door, 3 fans were already waiting outside. Students also revealed that they came for their homework. An elderly fan looked sadden, as he stared at Sister Nui's photo he sang a verse. He said that over a decade ago he saw Sister Nui once, he never expected that the next time would be at her memorial.