Chang Xiangyu () was a

Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

actress who performed renditions of the story of Hua Mulan across China in support of the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and who appeared in a 1956 screen adaption.

Biography

Chang was born in 1923 into a poor farming family in Gongxian County, Henan. From an early age she was taught how to sing and perform

Yu opera Yu opera (), or Yuju opera, sometimes known as Henan bangzi"Bangzi" meaning wooden clappers with bars of unequal length (), is one of China's famous national opera forms, alongside Peking opera, Yue opera, Huangmei opera and Pingju. Henan provin ...

by her father Zhang Fuxian who feared she may become a child bride. At aged thirteen she appeared in a performance of the Chinese classic

Romance of the Western Chamber ''Romance of the Western Chamber'' (), also translated as ''The Story of the Western Wing'', ''The West Chamber'', ''Romance of the Western Bower'' and similar titles, is one of the most famous China, Chinese dramatic works. It was written by the ...

() were afterwards she was given the title Queen of Yuju Opera. In 1944 she married a school headmaster, Chang Xianzhang who retired to help Chang in her career and to establish a school teaching Yu opera. The school which was called the Xiang Yu Opera Troupe opened in 1948 in the capital of

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

. On the outbreak of the

, Chang took part in live action performances of

Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary Chinese folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century Common Era, CE) of Chinese history. Scholar, Scholars generally consider Mulan to be a fictional character. Hua Mulan is depicte ...

across China to raise funds for a military plane. Along with other opera troops she eventually raised 1.52 billion yuan, enough for one plane. By 1956 the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

had banned all American films from being imported into China and nationalized the country's film studios so as to produce films with pro-party messages. To tout their gender egalitarian policies, a film about

was made with Chang cast in the lead role. Later Chang got into politics and was elected to the

National People's Congress The National People's Congress (NPC) is the highest organ of state power of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The NPC is the only branch of government in China, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs from the Sta ...

attending the first three session and then the fifth sixth and seventh. In 1995 she was awarded National Advanced Worker award for her contributions.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Xiangyu 1923 births 2004 deaths Singers from Henan Actresses from Henan Henan opera actresses 20th-century Chinese actresses Delegates to the 1st National People's Congress Delegates to the 2nd National People's Congress Delegates to the 3rd National People's Congress Delegates to the 5th National People's Congress Delegates to the 6th National People's Congress Delegates to the 7th National People's Congress 20th-century Chinese women singers People from Gongyi People's Artists of China