Photo album helps Chinese-American uncover late grandmother's illustrious past
By Cui Yingjie
Johnny Quan with his grandmother Ping Leung. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

Johnny Quan with his grandmother Ping Leung. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

How well do you know your grandmother?

Chinese-American Johnny Quan recently shared his late grandmother's photos on social media platforms, which received a lot of attention.

Quan's grandma, Ping Leung, also known as Teresa Leung, passed away in February at age 93 of natural causes. After the funeral, Quan found her photo album, which brought him a lot of surprises, showing a much different woman he'd previously known.

"My grandmother was very private of these photos, I'd never seen them before she passed. My aunt reflected how she once asked if she could look at them, and my grandmother smirked, 'You can look at them when I go,'" said Quan.

After opening the photo album, Quan felt as if he had entered a space-time tunnel and traveled to old Shanghai in the 1940s and 1950s.

Ping Leung sings in a musical performance. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

Ping Leung sings in a musical performance. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

Ping Leung in a performance with dancers. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

Ping Leung in a performance with dancers. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

Ping Leung appears in a beer advertisement. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

Ping Leung appears in a beer advertisement. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

Ping Leung in a Western-style dress. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

Ping Leung in a Western-style dress. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

Leung was a prominent pop singer and model when she was young. Although many people have never heard of her, if you search online, you can still find traces of her popularity during that period.

According to Wikipedia, Leung grew up in Shanghai and was the fourth child in her family. She showed a talent for singing at an early age. After graduation, she went to the Shanghai National Music Institute (now Shanghai Conservatory of Music), the first music institution of higher education in China, to study vocal music, music theory, piano, and choral skills, which built a good foundation for her later singing career.

At the age of 15, Leung was admitted to Pathé Records (later called EMI Group), the first major record company in Shanghai, through fierce competition. While studying at Shanghai National Music Institute, Leung began to record for Pathé.

Her famous songs include "My Youthful Days," "Wang Zhaojun" and "Spring Does Not Come." These songs were still widely sung by the 1960s and the 1970s.

One of Ping Leung's old albums. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

One of Ping Leung's old albums. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

News clippings of Ping Leung competing in the Miss Hong Kong pageant. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

News clippings of Ping Leung competing in the Miss Hong Kong pageant. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

(From left to right) Run Run Shaw, Ping Leung, Elizabeth Taylor and her husband Mike Todd in Singapore in November 1957. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

(From left to right) Run Run Shaw, Ping Leung, Elizabeth Taylor and her husband Mike Todd in Singapore in November 1957. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

In the early 1950s, Leung moved to Hong Kong (she also lived in Singapore for some time) and in 1971, she emigrated to the U.S. where she taught Chinese in San Francisco. Meanwhile, she continued to study music in a local music school, performed in local restaurants, and participated in local schools' choirs, among other events. She was invited to perform in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and even Australia and Canada.

Ping Leung in her glamorous white gown on her wedding day. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

Ping Leung in her glamorous white gown on her wedding day. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

Ping Leung with her daughter, Johnny Quan's mother. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

Ping Leung with her daughter, Johnny Quan's mother. /via Facebook @Johnny Quan

For Quan, his grandmother's private photo album was more than a surprise, it allowed him to know more about her intriguing life. His seemingly ordinary grandmother was anything but ordinary.

The album, which reappeared halfway around the world, allows more people to remember the life of Leung, and as one netizen put it, it is the most "beautiful tribute" to her.