胡美芳

Japanese-Chinese singer, (b. November 20, 1926, d. November 7, 2009), known in Chinese as Hu Meifang, in Japanese as Ko Biho. Born to Chinese parents in Hainan City, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan; her father, a barber, served as president of the Overseas Chinese Association. To escape suspicion that her father was a Chinese spy, the family moved back to Shanghai in 1941. In 1943, Hu Meifang entered a Japanese-run art school in Beijing, "Beijing Art" [北京藝文], to study vocal performance. On the side, she sang in night clubs and made a few recordings without scoring an actual hit. After the war, the Chinese government prosecuted her as an alleged Japanese spy, but she was acquitted. She did return to Japan, though, and acquired Japanese citizenship. In 1952, she experienced her big musical breakthrough. She became the only Chinese super-star in Japan, making numerous records and starring in several movies. In 1974, she converted to Christianity and began singing gospel music in churches and elsewhere in Japan. She died in 2009 in Sumida, Tokyo.