Tan Xinpei

Also known as Born Tan Jinfu · Stage name Xiao Jiaotian

Tan Xinpei, born Tan Jinfu and known on stage as Xiao Jiaotian, came from Jiangxia in Wuchang prefecture, Hubei (now part of Wuhan), and was born in 1847, the son of the old-woman-role singer Tan Zhidao. He followed his father to Beijing, began in martial roles and then studied under Cheng Changgeng as a laosheng, drawing also on Yu Sansheng and Wang Jiuling to shape the supple singing and careful acting of the Tan school. In the Guangxu reign he was chosen to perform at court. In 1905 the Fengtai photo studio in Beijing filmed scenes of him as Huang Zhong in Dingjun Mountain, often counted as the first Chinese-made film. His repertoire included Dingjun Mountain, Yangping Pass, Battle of Changsha and Beating the Drum to Curse Cao. He died in Beijing in May 1917.