Yam Kim-fai (Chinese: 任劍輝, 4 February 1913 (Lunar 29 December 1912 – 29 November 1989), also known as Ren Jianhui[1] was a Cantonese opera actress in China and Hong Kong.

On 11 July 1976, during the 25th Miss Universe pageant held at the Lee Theatre in Hong Kong, contestants were asked to pick from five portraits the one they thought was the actress in a male Cantonese opera costume.

Although they never co-operated again once the formal contract expired, Yam provided for Wong, a working poor in modern language, who was not well-off late in life (Chinese: 生養死葬).

The top-billed (female lead) Tam Lan Hing, arrived in Macau in late 1942 and eventually gained weight in those years, was rumored to get one tael of gold for a day of performance.)

Yam was the male lead[Note 8] in many Cantonese opera stage productions, in Macau initially and in Hong Kong since 1945, opposite many actresses, including Sheung Hoi Mui (上海妹), Che Sau Ying (車秀英), Lan-Hing Tam (譚蘭卿) and Tang Pik Wan (鄧碧雲).

Spending spree so resulted made it necessary for Yam to rely heavily on film roles for income and a real estate portfolio properly managed by reliable personnel.

The third major financial disaster was rescued with her extremely exhausting 1968 North America tour, more than a decade since she was deprived of the chance to say goodbye to her dying mother, the most treasured family member.

Yam is in Qing Dynasty attire including pao, mao (a stiff cap) and magua (a buttoned mandarin jacket 'for the rich') for the first two below, both set in late 1800s and early 1900s.

Four of the seven listed (Fong Yin Fun, Law Yim Hing, Fung Wong Nui and Tang Pik Wan) dressed in male costume on stage as well as in films at some point.

The only two made into movies are Li Yi (李益) in The Legend of the Purple Hairpin and Zhou Shixian (Chinese: 周世顯) in Tai Nui Fa.

[Note 11] Also, same day with Bak Sheut Sin, she sang the final scene from Tai Nui Fa for the TVB telethon event that was hosted for the victims in the 18 June landslide.

[16][17][18][19] Yam valued Loong as someone with a good head on shoulders and worth all resources needed to groom as successor to her AAA in Cantonese opera right after observing the 1965 September performances.

Such a stage demeanor can only be projected by a veteran virtuoso opera performer.同場將加映《錦繡天堂》 （1964）中折子戲「孟麗君」，是任姐奮鬥多年、成熟揮灑的表演，造詣高深，演技精湛，既具壓台感，又懂得「執生」，示範了真正的大老倌的舞台風範。Old hands eating their young in the community is the die hard old habit like mothers-in-law punishing their sons' wives in Chinese culture.

People are therefore naïve about the role Yam played in making Loong the success story some contemporary performers know as the prequel of their own career in Cantonese opera.

Exhibit A of acquired taste in Hong Kong observed as per 2012-06-05 【Wen Wei Po】"就像某富豪生有五子，其中大兒子努力建立自己的事業，其餘四子只依賴父親供養。到富豪百年歸老，遺囑上只有四個兒子的名字可分家產，大兒子卻一個巴仙也沒有分到，大兒子大罵自己是傻瓜，為甚麼不學四個弟弟做大懶蟲，享受父蔭。"Leslie Cheung was rumored to have learnt singing from Loong in 1980s for his concert performance.

In reverse, fraudulent "role model" misrepresentations along with all evidence of the what's not to do wiped out are just to young minds "poison ivy", something only monsters feed infants and toddlers so as "to increase their growths".

Live on air, one academic started reining in the clueless radio host Mr. Chan and guest (now deceased "walking encyclopedia" in Cantonese opera) who kept admiring how great box office record for decades Loong achieved on stage, especially the 2011 winter event and 2012 IFPI wins, a finalist up for a vote.

As such, what did not happen was the film Dream of Red Chamber[Note 10] directed by Lau Hak Suen and produced by a new production company (興友影業公司), with Yam as Jia Baoyu along with:- During Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the said female lead let an underprivileged 10/11-year-old Lam use her official gown (蟒袍) temporarily for performance in Guangdong.

For example, Loong accompanying Leung Sing Bor on set of Tai Nui Fa filming in 1975 to meet fans/visitors from SE Asia was what Yuen called the best "observe, watch and learn" opportunity in the era of Sifu/apprentice system.

By the same token, instead of getting autographs from Sifu/mentor or just photos by the Press with Sifu/mentor and friends on film sets, Loong was also photographed holding the make-up mirror on several occasions for her mentor and has since been known as the only student of Yam who learnt the secret manner to get ready for long hours on stage with makeups on and headache free.

Loong represented Yam on stage as Jia Baoyu to live audience and TVB broadcast afterwards in the 1980 gathering (省港紅伶大會串), the first since 1949, of the Who's Who (noteworthy and influential) in Cantonese opera from Guangdong and Hong Kong.

Loong was also front and center off stage on behalf of Yam to greet senior members including but not limited to Hung Sin Nui, Leung Sing Bor and Ho Fei Fan.

As an experienced, knowledgeable and hands-on patriarch for decades, Lam laid out on radio a job prescription for directors in Cantonese opera; what/where/when/how and could/couldn't contribute.

An "Auntie" to Loong, (何賢的三姑娘), rumored to have been in charge of Yam's funeral arrangements, definitely was not brainwashed by the "Big Leap since 1990" (認三認四認乜認七) as the neither knowledgeable nor intelligent general public did.

[28] This requirement from mentor Yam explains the challenge for Loong to be on stage within a six-month period and provide 40 different (in some way in one or two acts out of total 6 to 8) but still GOOD interpretations without changing the show as a whole.

[30] The remaining other two of the six 1972 backup singers, since retiring as cast member (six pillar) of Chor Fung Ming, have been tutoring students of all backgrounds,[14] including some with down syndrome[15] for years in Hong Kong.

In 1952 film The Twelve Beauties, height difference was close to a foot when Yam still stood fairly straight in the Fantasy of Heaven of Parting Sorrow, ending scene of Dream of the Red Chamber.

Recent demise of Yam's legacy titles could be the work of: The aroma[29] came from a brew started a year before Loong was born and decades longer than the summation of all garlic coatings of these performers.

Contemporary performers benefiting from Yam-Loong perspiration take it that they can just clock in/clock out and produce what is now known as poor quality stencil and the demise of such repertoire once propped up the Cantonese opera community for five decades.

The solo (with some Leung/Tam/Lang/Sum) scene about picking his wife-to-be became the hit theme song many now contemporary performers could even recite in reverse even though they were still a pre-teen or barely teenagers back then.