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The Girl with the Butterfly Hands (Paperback)
Loot Price: R353
Discovery Miles 3 530
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The Girl with the Butterfly Hands (Paperback)
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Loot Price R353
Discovery Miles 3 530
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Donate to Against Period Poverty
Total price: R373
Discovery Miles: 3 730
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Chin Yu was born in a London slum to a Chinese man and a British
woman. When Chin was seven the family moved to her father's village
in China but he died soon after they arrived. Her mother took the
children to live in Hong Kong where, a few years later, she
remarried. A few months after Britain had joined World War II, all
British women and children were ordered to be evacuated to
Australia. However, Chin and her brother were excluded because of
the White Australia Policy, so they returned. Eighteen months later
the Japanese invaded Hong Kong and Chin's family were interned in a
camp. Although there was great deprivation, Chin fell in love -
with a Roman Catholic priest. He was released by the Japanese along
with other missionaries to China and, a few months later, she and
her brother were released as part of an exchange of American and
Japanese civilian prisoners of war. After a long sea journey, they
arrived at New York but found themselves suspected of being
Japanese spies and were detained on Ellis Island until the
employers of their uncle in Oregon agreed to sponsor them. After a
few months in Eugene they moved to San Francisco where Chin worked
in the propaganda section of the British consulate and she met her
first husband, Dick Ellison, who converted her into a passionate
socialist. They moved to New York where they were befriended by
many radical activists in Greenwich Village. Chin studied ballet
and got a part in the original production of "South Pacific" on
Broadway. After more than a year she went to London as a dancer in
the UK production of "Kiss me Kate". After six months Dick came to
London wanting a divorce. Many friends helped her get over him. She
even had started having an affair with another actor when she was
cast as an understudy in the UK production of "South Pacific". Her
opposite number was David Williams, an Australian who was married
and had a daughter. But they fell in love anyway and had an intense
on-again-off-again relationship for the duration of "South Pacific"
both in London and during its British tour - 3 years in toto -
until David got divorced. Chin left the tour early to play in
"Teahouse of the August Moon" in London. David and she did
eventually get married in 1954. They bought a house near Victoria
Station and in 1956 a son and daughter (twins) were born. Chin had
minor roles in various films, TV plays and even a (non-singing)
role in an opera but she was best known for her performance of
"hand-mime" - beautiful hand gestures choreographed to express
lyrics which David often sang in their cabaret act. The family
moved to Beckenham, Kent, which is just outside London. Lynne came
to live with them and Chin had a difficult time trying to teach her
"common sense" and the rudiments of taking care of a household. In
1960 Chin was in a play "A Majority of One", David was managing the
Pembroke Theatre nearby in Croydon. All seemed perfect until they
heard that David's father was very ill. They decided to move to
Australia. Unfortunately, they were too late to see David's father,
but all his family welcomed Chin very warmly. The last chapter
summarises Chin's life (another fifty years) in Sydney. She was a
very supportive wife, a loving and generous mother and stepmother
and later a devoted grandmother. Although she never regained the
celebrity she had enjoyed in London, she still played a significant
role in the Australian entertainment industry.
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