Man uncovers his late grandmother’s very glamorous life while going through her old photo albums

A California man had to wait until after his grandmother died this February to get a chance to look through her old photo albums — and he was amazed to discover how truly glamorous her life was.

Johnny Quan’s grandma Leung Ping (梁萍, also called Teresa Leung) died earlier this year at age 93, and it after her funeral that he was able to look back on her life as a model and prominent ‘shidaiqu’ pop singer under EMI/Pathé in Shanghai.

She ‘grew up in and witnessed hardships during the Chinese Civil War, Sino-Japanese War/WW2, and Communist Revolution. [During] the latter, shidaiqu was banned, deemed “Yellow Music” (in Chinese, “yellow.” 黄, is a pun for “pornographic”),’ he wrote for Bored Panda. ‘She fled to and continued singing in Hong Kong, then Singapore, before mostly retiring in San Francisco.’ 

‘She was very private of these photos — I’d never seen them before she passed,’ he added. ‘My aunt reflected how she once asked her if she could look at them, and she smirked, “You can look at them when I go.”

Now, he’s sharing the snaps of his grandma’s life through the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, showing her modeling, singing before large crowds, and posing for pictures with stars like Elizabeth Taylor. 

Treasure trove: Johnny Quan’s grandma Leung Ping (梁萍, also called Teresa Leung) died earlier this year at age 93

Proud: She wouldn't let family look through her photo albums when she was alive, so Johnny (pictured) has gone through them since her death

Proud: She wouldn’t let family look through her photo albums when she was alive, so Johnny (pictured) has gone through them since her death

Iconic: He found photos of her with Elizabeth Taylor, Mike Todd, And Run Run Shaw in Singapore, November 1957

Iconic: He found photos of her with Elizabeth Taylor, Mike Todd, And Run Run Shaw in Singapore, November 1957

Megastar: Shaw asked his grandmother be a representative of the Singaporean entertainment industry to greet Taylor

Megastar: Shaw asked his grandmother be a representative of the Singaporean entertainment industry to greet Taylor

Singer: She was a model and prominent 'shidaiqu' pop singer under EMI/Pathé in Shanghai

Singer: She was a model and prominent ‘shidaiqu’ pop singer under EMI/Pathé in Shanghai

Hobnobbing: His grandma poses with Marian Anderson, a famous American singer, in 1957

Hobnobbing: His grandma poses with Marian Anderson, a famous American singer, in 1957

Putting on a show! Leung Ping is pictured singing for a large crowd

Putting on a show! Leung Ping is pictured singing for a large crowd

Work it! His grandmother was a also a model and competed in the Miss Hong Kong pageant

Work it! His grandmother was a also a model and competed in the Miss Hong Kong pageant

She 'grew up in and witnessed hardships during the Chinese Civil War, Sino-Japanese War/WW2, and Communist Revolution'

She 'grew up in and witnessed hardships during the Chinese Civil War, Sino-Japanese War/WW2, and Communist Revolution'

Major moments: She ‘grew up in and witnessed hardships during the Chinese Civil War, Sino-Japanese War/WW2, and Communist Revolution’

History lesson: During the Communist Revolution, shidaiqu was banned, deemed "Yellow Music" (in Chinese, "yellow." 黄, is a pun for "pornographic")

History lesson: During the Communist Revolution, shidaiqu was banned, deemed “Yellow Music” (in Chinese, “yellow.” 黄, is a pun for “pornographic”)

'She was very private of these photos — I'd never seen them before she passed,' Johnny said

'She was very private of these photos — I'd never seen them before she passed,' Johnny said

‘She was very private of these photos — I’d never seen them before she passed,’ Johnny said

He added: 'My aunt reflected how she once asked her if she could look at them, and she smirked, "You can look at them when I go"'

He added: ‘My aunt reflected how she once asked her if she could look at them, and she smirked, “You can look at them when I go”‘

Belting it out: HIs grandma is pictured during a musical performance

Belting it out: HIs grandma is pictured during a musical performance

Lookin' good! She appears to have possessed quite an impressive wardrobe

Lookin' good! She appears to have possessed quite an impressive wardrobe

Lookin’ good! She appears to have possessed quite an impressive wardrobe

Selling stuff: She also appeared in advertisements, like this one for beck's Kunchi Beer

Selling stuff: She also appeared in advertisements, like this one for beck’s Kunchi Beer

Looking back: The photos are mostly from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s

Looking back: The photos are mostly from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s

Put that record on! Johnny shared a photo of one of his grandmother's old albums as well

Put that record on! Johnny shared a photo of one of his grandmother’s old albums as well

She does! She is pictured in her very glamorous white gown on her wedding day

She does! She is pictured in her very glamorous white gown on her wedding day

Keeping: Johnny has been spending time scanning the photos during the pandemic

Keeping: Johnny has been spending time scanning the photos during the pandemic

Baby: Some of the photos show her personal life, including this one with her daughter, Johnny's mom

Baby: Some of the photos show her personal life, including this one with her daughter, Johnny’s mom

Smile! In her younger years, his grandmother competed in beauty pageants

Smile! In her younger years, his grandmother competed in beauty pageants 

Cinematic: Grandma is seen presumably after disembarking from a plane

Cinematic: Grandma is seen presumably after disembarking from a plane

Later: He marveled at how beautiful she was even as she got older

Later: He marveled at how beautiful she was even as she got older

Missing her: Johnny, as a baby, is pictured with his grandma

Missing her: Johnny, as a baby, is pictured with his grandma