Born in
Shunde, Guangdong, China, his parents divorced when he was eight. His father, Tang Kei, was a gambling and Cantonese opera addict. He moved to
Hong Kong with his mother, Lo Lin, after she had divorced his father. His mother worked as a maid and was often bullied. Tang later left home to learn Cantonese opera. Tang impressed the Cantonese opera industry by his stunning performance that resembled
Ma Sze-Tsang, a famous Cantonese opera singer. His teacher gave him the stagename Sun Ma Sze Tsang, meaning 'New Ma Sze-Tsang'. Sun Ma Sze Tsang became very famous for his singing technique. He later became pupils of
Sit Kok-Sin,
Kai Chiao-tien and other famous Chinese opera singers in Shanghai. From then on his career flourished and he went on to become a film star, while continuing to perform in Cantonese operas. His film debut was in 1936. Scientists wanted to study his skeleton to understand how people with a small frame like him could hit ultra-high notes. Sun Ma Sze Tsang refused when he was alive, and his family never approved of it. ==Charity==