Frances Yip Lai-yee (born 1947) is a Hong Kong English pop and C… Read Full Bio ↴葉麗儀
Frances Yip Lai-yee (born 1947) is a Hong Kong English pop and Cantopop singer. She is best known for performing many of the theme songs for television series produced by TVB in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Born in 1947, Yip is of Hakka ancestry, and is the youngest of 5 siblings. She grew up in a rural area in Hong Kong, and studied in St. Clare's Girls' School, an English Catholic school.
Her first singing job was in 1969 when she won a talent contest called Sharp's Night Four Lights Competition on Hong Kong television where she met the composer, Joseph Koo. Koo used Yip to sing commercial jingles while she was working as a secretary in HSBC, one was the jingles was a song about savings account for HSBC. Her first record, Bu Liao Qing (Love Without End) was recorded in the same year. She recorded predominantly English covers of Mandarin songs and Mandarin songs then.
In 1972, Yip and Joseph Koo went to Japan's World Singing gathering in Nippon Budokan. In 1973, Yip was working for Cathay Pacific as an Ambassador of Hong Kong under Hong Kong Tourism Board for a year, and her album, Discovery, was based on her experiences travelling. Discovery was sung in nine different languages to represent the 9 major destinations for Cathay Pacific then, and the album inspired a London talent agent to find her. She signed onto EMI records and lived in London for two years.[3]It was a worldwide contract, meaning she can have one English album released in 6 different languages in different areas of the world. Since then, she had renewed her two-year contract until now.
Yip hit international fame with her signature tune, The Bund from the TVB drama of the same title.[4] After she recorded The Bund, she returned to Hong Kong.
In her 45-year career, Yip has released more than 80 albums, mostly of songs in American English, Indonesian, Thai, Malay, Mexican Spanish, Japanese, Tagalog, Hong Kong Cantonese, and Taiwanese Mandarin. She has performed on television, and in films, concerts and cabarets in more than 30 countries on five continents. Her linguistic skills, with unique interpretations of lyrics in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, as well as several other Asian languages, have led to a fan base across a wide range of cultures and countries.
Yip has worked with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Macau Chinese Orchestra, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, the Youth Orchestra from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Thammasat University Philharmonic Orchestra in Bangkok as well as large orchestras in Kuala Lumpur.
Yip achieved worldwide recognition when she was selected by the Hong Kong government to be a co-presenter at the British Farewell Ceremony to mark the transfer of sovereignty in Hong Kong. The event on June 30, 1997, was watched by a television audience estimated at 120 million, in more than 80 countries worldwide.
In 2012, Yip recorded her first Christian album, Grace and Glory Psalm 84.
Yip is fluent in Chinese (Hong Kong Cantonese and Taiwanese Mandarin) and English. She often spends time in Sydney where her son and grandchildren live.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996, but was considered free of cancer in 2002. To celebrate eight years of being cancer-free, in 2010, she held a charity concert in Kuala Lumpur to benefit cancer research and treatment.
Since 2013, she and her husband have lived in the rural suburbs of Sydney, Australia with their son and grandson. They have Australian citizenship, and also own rental properties in England. She occasionally returns to Hong Kong to perform and make TV appearances.
Shang Hai Tan
Frances Yip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
long lau
man lei tou tou
kong suy wen pat yau
tou chung liu...
shai tan shi.
wan chok tou
tou yat tin chiu lau
shi sau
long loi fan pat
chin fung siu pei yau
sing kong
sat baai
long loi hong
pat chuk yau wei yau
ngoi nei man nei
man kwat chi fau
chi tai ko
yat fat pat sau
chun chi nei wan
chin chi hin kang
yet mei peng
fuk ching chun chang tou
yau yau hei
yau yau sau
chau sin fan pat
chi fun siu pei yau
yun yiun fong
pat chin lok
chau ngo sam
chan hei fuk tau
ngoi nei man nei
man kwat chi fau
chi tai ko
yat fat pat sau
chun chi nei wan
chin chi hin kang
yet mei peng
fuk ching chun chang tou
yau yau hei
yau yau sau
chau sin fan pat
chi fun siu pei yau
yun yiun fong
pat chin lok
chau ngo sam
chan hei fuk tau
yun yiun fong
pat chin lok
chau ngo sam
chan hei fuk tau
The lyrics to Frances Yip's song "Shang Hai Tan" describe the bustling and vibrant city of Shanghai, with its crowded streets and lively atmosphere. The song starts by mentioning the "long pan" and "long lau," two types of traditional Chinese buildings that are common in Shanghai. The singer then goes on to describe the busy streets and the hustle and bustle of the city, with people rushing about and the sound of voices all around.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Shang Hai Tan," which means "Shanghai Beach." This is a reference to the historic riverfront area of the city that used to be a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. The singer talks about the different sights and sounds of the city, with its towering skyscrapers, colorful buildings, and busy markets. She mentions the "sing kong" (star ferry) and the "sat baai" (market stalls) that are commonly found in the city.
Overall, the lyrics to "Shang Hai Tan" paint a vivid picture of the energy and excitement of the city of Shanghai, capturing its unique blend of traditional and modern culture.
Line by Line Meaning
long pan
A vast expanse
long lau
Towering skyscrapers
man lei tou tou
Crowds of people hustling about
kong suy wen pat yau
Noisy, never silent
tou chung liu...
All bustling around...
shai tan shi.
This is the scene of Shanghai.
wan chok tou
Myriad lights
tou yat tin chiu lau
Reaching up to the sky
shi heii
It's black (with buildings)
shi sau
It's majestic
long loi fan pat
A dragon lying on the bed (the city)
chin fung siu pei yau
Breathing wind and exhaling mist
sing kong
City of commerce
sat baai
From all over the world
long loi hong
A dragon rising
pat chuk yau wei yau
No matter the time of day or night
ngoi nei man nei
Everywhere you look
man kwat chi fau
Full of cranes and scaffolding
chi tai ko
The style is unique
yat fat pat sau
Cannot be matched by anyone else
chun chi nei wan
Summer the day I was there
chin chi hin kang
Really magnificent
yet mei peng
Beautiful beyond measure
fuk ching chun chang tou
Abound with wealth and prosperity
yau yau hei
And more, and more beside
yau yau sau
There is plenty
chau sin fan pat
Scenery and feelings
chi fun siu pei yau
Cannot express fully
yun yiun fong
Always bustling
pat chin lok
Not quiet for a moment
chau ngo sam
As I walk about
chan hei fuk tau
I feel happy and proud
yun yiun fong
Always bustling
pat chin lok
Not quiet for a moment
chau ngo sam
As I walk about
chan hei fuk tau
I feel happy and proud
Contributed by Lincoln V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MayaMuthiah
I’m a Singaporean Indian attended an event she was singing I was lucky enough to request from her this iconic song, she was surprised a non-Chinese person was her fan some 30 years ago. 🌹💖
@samransombatpanit6195
Nice to hear about that.
@wancute1981
Same here, im a malay from malaysia, a big fan
@rennysiswati1484
@@samransombatpanit6195 999i0
@rennysiswati1484
@@wancute1981 ⁹5lĺ
@karthikelf
Arumai anbarae
@sharifabdullah8103
Voices like Francis Yip and Teresa Teng cannot be matched in today's world
@LAnts-ro4kx
I can imitate their voices but not very well. They are certaiknly one of the best.
@muralimuthaloo1612
I'm 55 now this song always gives me that emotional goosebumps whenever I hear this song... 🥰
@bwana_ya_mtu
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