Zhang Changcheng

Zhang Changcheng (April 1933 - January 18, 2020), a Teochew opera actor, was born in Shapi Village, Chengtian Town, Chaoyang County (now Shapi Village, Chengtian Town, Chaonan District, Shantou City) in the 22nd year of the Republic of China. He is a famous Laosheng performing artist in the contemporary Teochew opera circle and is known as the "Living Honest Official" and the "Teochew Opera Laosheng King". In 1944, at the age of 11, due to financial constraints, he was forced to sell himself and join the "San Zhengshun" theater troupe as a child actor, starting his more than seventy-year career in Teochew opera. In 1959, he transferred to the first troupe of Guangdong Chaozhou Theater and became a pillar actor of the theater. This was the peak period of his career. During this period, he performed with the troupe many times in Thailand, Singapore, the United States, France and other countries and regions. He was extremely influential among Chaozhou people at home and abroad. During his lifetime, he served as a second-level actor and director of the art committee of the Guangdong Chaozhou Theater Troupe. In his later years, he was engaged in art inheritance work and was one of the representative inheritors of the Guangdong Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Project (Teochew Opera). In his later years, he was still committed to guiding young actors and inheriting classic plays.