Li Chengxiang (; 1 October 1931 – 14 December 2018) was a Chinese ballet dancer, choreographer and educator. He was best known as one of the choreographers of '' Red Detachment of Women'', one of the most influential ballets of China. He served as Director of the National Ballet of China and received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the China Dancers Association.

Biography

Li was born 1 October 1931 in Harbin,

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...

province in Japanese-occupied

Northeast China Northeast China or Northeastern China () is a geographical region of China, which is often referred to as "Manchuria" or "Inner Manchuria" by surrounding countries and the West. It usually corresponds specifically to the three provinces east of ...

. He joined the

Communist Party of China The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

in March 1961. Together with Jinag Zuhui () and Wang Xixian (), Li choreographed the ballet '' Red Detachment of Women'', based on the popular 1961 film of the same name. It became one of the most influential ballets of China, now considered a "red classic". He also choreographed the ballet Mermaid. He created or co-created the ballets ''Ode to Yimeng'', ''Lin Daiyu'', ''Yang Guifei'', ''The Silk Road'', ''Goddess of Luo'', ''The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl'', among others. He also performed in many ballets including ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

'', ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance cano ...

'', ''

Notre Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

'', as well as ''Red Detachment of Women''. He served as Director of the National Ballet of China and trained many dancers. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the China Dancers Association. He was a delegate to the

4th National People's Congress The 4th National People's Congress () was in session from 1975 to 1978. It held only one session, in January 1975. There were 2864 deputies to this Congress. The Congress passed the 1975 Constitution of the People's Republic of China. Elected st ...

. Li died on 14 December 2018 at the Beijing Friendship Hospital, aged 87.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Chengxiang 1931 births 2018 deaths Chinese male ballet dancers Ballet choreographers Male actors from Harbin Writers from Harbin Delegates to the 4th National People's Congress