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Stella Chee (Cantonese: 奚秀蘭, Mandarin: 奚秀兰) is a | Hong Kong English pop singer and a former TV presenter. In the 1970s, she became popular in | Hong Kong SAR and | The People's Republic of China for a series of hits sung in Mandarin with her most famous song, The Wandering Songstress (Chinese:「天涯歌女」) selling XXX copies. Five of her albums achieved Platinum sales and three albums Gold awards and to date she has produced over 10 albums of pop songs, hymns and Chinese folk songs on vinyl and cassette with Fung Hang Records and 2 albums on CD and VCD with the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts for Sacred Music Association Limited (Chinese:《香港演藝聖樂協會》). She became a household name throughout South East Asia while hosting the |Enjoy Yourself Tonight (Chinese:「欢乐今宵」) weeknight variety show in Hong Kong and from widely broadcast performances in mainland China].

Early years
She was born on August 10, 1950 in China, | Anhui Province, Chuzhou City, Quanjiao village and in her fourth grade moved to Hong Kong to join her parents who had already emigrated there. As a child, she always loved to sing, dance and act, so in Hong Kong she attended classes in vocal music, dance and piano. She subsequently entered and won the Mandarin category of the Hong Kong Amateur Singers' competition organized by the | Sing Tao Daily newspaper (Chinese:《星岛日报》) with a performance of Green Island Serenade (Chinese:「綠島小夜曲」), which catapulted her onto the national stage.

1970s


Stella Chee became a household name in Hong Kong and South East Asia as a presenter on the | Enjoy Yourself Tonight (Chinese:「欢乐今宵」) weeknights variety and entertainment TV show, and became well known through her appearances on other programmes such as Competition (Chinese:「群英会」) and I want to sing for you (Chinese:「我要为你歌唱」). In 1969 she produced her first solo album Flying Together (Chinese: 「鳳凰于飛」) with Fung Hang Records and she would go on to make more than 10 albums with that company.

At the height of her career, she featured in A Midsummer Night Festival concert at | Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall with several other famous actors and singers including Mike Remedios, The Ripples, Chin Wai 秦淮, Joe Chen 陳任 , William Chan 陳威廉 , Peter Chan 陳浩德 , Ko Siu-Hung 高小 紅 , Paula Tsui 徐小鳳 , Elaine Sun 孫泳恩 , Fung Wai-tong 馮偉棠 , Shu Ya Chung 舒雅頌 , Derek Cheng 張 皓暉 , Pau Lap 鮑立 , Annie Chung 鍾安妮 , Jennie Chung 鍾珍妮 - all accompanied by Celso Cristobal and His Jacks.

1980s


In the 1980s, Stella Chee began performing widely in Mainland China when it began to open up following | Deng Xiaopeng's reforms. She was invited to attend the Beijing | CCTV Spring Festival Gala concert in 1984 where she sang Why Are the Flowers So Red, The Girl from A-Li Shan, and My Motherland. In September of the same year, she travelled to | Sichuan province and held a charitable fundraising concert in aid of the | giant panda, producing a cassette tape of the concert called Spring (Chinese:「大地回春」)

She had married Lawrence Tse (Chinese: 謝嘉亮) in 1979 and a few years later announced that she would scale back her live performances, instead recording albums in the studio, in order to concentrate on her family life. She became a Christian during this time and recorded several series of traditional hymns on cassette.

1990s
During 1997-1999, she toured the world in order to raise funds for local Chinese churches, performing charity concerts in London, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and all over the United States. She is linked with many Christian organisations across the UK, Canada and the US and is deeply involved in supporting and bearing witness to the Christian faith.

2000s
After an absence from the Hong Kong public stage for 21 years, Stella Chee performed at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in December 2000 to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of her singing career. In 2001, she released a Collector's Edition album on CD called "Portrait of a Night of Sound" (Chinese:「聲夜傾情」) which included the following songs: The Wandering Songstress (Chinese:「天涯歌女」), Sending Lovesickness from a Thousand Miles under the Moon (Chinese:「明月千里寄相思」), Olive Tree (Chinese:「橄欖樹」), Three Years (Chinese:「三年」), A Peaceful Life (Chinese:「好人一生平安」), The Girl from A-Li Shan (Chinese:「阿里山的姑娘」), Do Not Pick Wildflowers on the Side of the Road (Chinese:「路邊的野花不要採」), How Great Thou Art (Chinese:「你真偉大」), Green Island Serendae (Chinese:「綠島小夜曲」), Fragrant Lotus Incense (Chinese:「荷花香」), and Only Thanks (Chinese:「只有感謝」).

In 2000 she released an album on CD called "A Mother's Heart" (Chinese:「娘心」) which spans her 33-year career as a singer. In this touching compilation, she expresses her appreciation for her parents, loved ones and her homeland. Both albums were manufactured by The Hong Kong Performing Arts Association for Sacred Music" (Chinese:《香港演藝聖樂協會》) and had new video content including photos, recording studio and live concert footage in the accompanying VCDs.

In 2007 she was invited to participate in the "Spring Festival", organized by | Dragon TV (Chinese:《東方衛視》) with a solo concert titled Hong Kong's beauty (Chinese:《美麗的香港》). This was held in | Shanghai to commemorate the singer's 40th anniversary, the 80th anniversary of the birth of Chinese pop music in Shanghai, as well as the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.

Recent years
Stella Chee resides in Hong Kong and attends XXX church in Kowloon, XXX church in | Weihai (Chinese: 威海) and XXX church in | Shenzhen (Chinese: 深圳). She is dedicated to serving the community and frequently visits many different churches, hostels, clubs, schools and hospitals in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Family Life
Stella Chee is still happily married to her husband of thirty-four years, Lawrence Tse (Chinese: 謝嘉亮) despite the opposition of his father, Xie Liyuan (Chinese: 謝利源), who had made his wealth through ownership of a chain of luxury jewellery shops in Hong Kong and Macau, and disapproved of the love match.

On 19 August 2012, she performed at the celebration of marriage of her niece, Claire May-Chen Chee (Chinese: 奚美珍) to Dr Chiin-Zhe Tan (Chinese: XXX) at Phoenix Palace, London. She duetted with her husband, singing The true meaning of love in a moving show of musical and marital harmony. Her picture is now on the wall of fame next to that of | Tony Blair and other dignitaries who have visited the restaurant, including XXX XXX and XXX.

Discography

 * Portrait of a Night of Sound (Chinese:「聲夜傾情」)
 * A Mother's Heart (Chinese:「娘心」)
 * 18 Classic Hits of Stella Chee, Series 2 (Chinese:「奚秀蘭經曲金曲18首第二輯」)
 * Wang Zhaojun (Chinese:「王昭君」
 * 18 Classic Hits of Stella Chee (Chinese:「奚秀蘭經典金曲18首」)
 * Focussing on my hometown (Chinese:「原鄉情濃」)
 * Sending lovesickness from far away (Chinese:「遙遠寄相思」)
 * Chinese Folk Songs Set (Chinese:「中國民歌集」)
 * Chinese Hits Set (Chinese:「中國名曲集」)
 * Come Again (Chinese:「何日君再來」)
 * A Little Album (Chinese:「小調專輯」)
 * Chinese Film Hits set (Chinese:「中國電影金曲集」)
 * Platinum Hits (Chinese:「白金勁歌」)