Excerpt from a recording of 《名士風流》, sung by Mudan Su
Recording: Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, 1910s, FD002_033.
Photo: Mudan Su dressed as a young scholar, Wylie Wong collection of May’s Studio photographs and San Francisco Chinatown ephemera (M1999). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Excerpt from a recording of The Elegant Scholar《名士風流》, a traditional Cantonese opera about a cultured and charismatic gentleman. This early 1910s recording by Mudan Su 牡丹蘇, celebrated for her male-role vocal style, showcases the melodies and techniques she perfected. In the photograph, Mudan Su appears dressed as a scholar, demonstrating how Cantonese opera expresses gender through voice, gesture, costume, and movement rather than biological sex.