Taiwanese artist Shi Ban Yu, known as the “designated dubbing artist for Stephen Chow,” passed away in Beijing on September 17 at the age of 66, causing an outpouring of grief among netizens. On the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), user “Mr. Li Is Not Your Teacher” posted a video on the 18th, accompanied by the caption: “On this day last year, he (Shi Ban Yu) released a video complaining about the forced demolition of his studio in Beijing.”
Shi Ban Yu started his dubbing career in 1983 and gained fame for dubbing Stephen Chow’s characters in movies like “Flirting Scholar,” “God of Cookery,” and “Shaolin Soccer,” capturing the hearts of many movie lovers with his distinctive voice. He had been working in China in recent years and his sudden passing on the morning of the 17th in Beijing shocked many. According to Chinese media reports, his agent revealed that Shi Ban Yu suffered a sudden myocardial infarction leading to respiratory arrest that morning, describing the event as “very sudden.”
Hong Kong voice actor Ye Qing mourned the loss of his friend on Weibo and shared a WeChat post left by Shi Ban Yu. He wrote: “Dear old friends, new friends, I’m in a hurry to go to another world to record in the studio, so I won’t accompany you for now! Bye, I’m off first! Haha~” Just like his playful dubbing in movies.
Shi Ban Yu also threw the first pitch at a Taiwan professional baseball game in June this year, making his sudden passing even more lamentable to the public.
On the 18th, a video shared by user “Mr. Li Is Not Your Teacher” on X platform showed Shi Ban Yu speaking to the camera on September 18 last year, where he accused a group of men of forcibly demolishing his studio in Beijing. He mentioned that he had rented the studio for 10 years but was suddenly asked to vacate the premises without receiving any compensation for relocation costs or damages.
Shi Ban Yu mentioned that he established the studio in Gaobeidian 10 years ago for both living and working purposes. However, the landlord later demanded the property back and only agreed to refund 10 years’ worth of rent. The landlord’s reasoning was that the authorities stipulated lease contracts could only be signed for a maximum of 20 years, but Shi Ban Yu was asked to pay 40 years’ worth of rent upfront when he initially rented the place.
Apart from Shi Ban Yu, over 200 other residents were also forcibly evicted from their premises. He pleaded for someone to assist in resolving the issue, “I’m 65 years old, my hair is all white, it’s really pitiful,” he said. Unfortunately, during the forced relocation process, he did not receive any compensation for renovation, relocation, or moving costs.
Due to the one-year gap between his statements and his passing, the post reignited discussions and debates online. Netizens left comments expressing their concerns such as “Is there any follow-up on the forced demolition issue?” and criticisms like “China is not a country of the rule of law,” “Justice for Shi Ban Yu,” and “It’s so memorable, when the news first came out not long ago, the Gaobeidian incident was forgotten, and it was only searchable when his name was mentioned together with it, but no follow-up results can be found.”
Some netizens raised suspicions, saying “It’s too sudden, most likely not a natural death,” “The communist regime is silencing him,” and “This incident clearly illustrates that under this dictatorship, no matter who you are, you cannot challenge authority. They didn’t just demolish his studio, but also destroyed his years of hard work and dignity.”
Born as Shi Ren Mao, Shi Ban Yu was born in Taiwan in 1958 and began dubbing for Stephen Chow’s movies, such as “God of Gamblers,” in 1991. Since then, he became Stephen Chow’s designated dubbing artist, providing voiceovers for about 30 films, including “Flirting Scholar,” “God of Cookery,” “Shaolin Soccer,” “Kung Fu Hustle,” “CJ7,” and “The King of Comedy.” In the hearts of many, Shi Ban Yu’s voice is synonymous with Stephen Chow’s movies.