Niu Zhihong (born July 25, 1963), better known by her stage name Li Na, is a Chinese

folk singer Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

that gained particular popularity in the late 1980s and the 1990s China for singing many theme songs of highly-popular TV series, such as '' Kewang'' (1990). Earlier in her career she was a singer in Yu operas. Her

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

is "Qingzang Gaoyuan" (青藏高原, "Tibetan Plateau"), theme song of the 1994 TV series ''Heaven Road'' (). In 1997 she became a

Buddhist nun Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth ...

Mount Wutai Mount Wutai, also known by its Chinese name Wutaishan and as is a sacred Buddhist site at the headwaters of the Qingshui in Shanxi Province, China. Its central area is surrounded by a cluster of flat-topped peaks or mesas roughly correspondin ...

with the

Dharma name A Dharma name is a new name acquired during both lay and monastic Buddhist initiation rituals in Mahayana Buddhism and Pabbajjā, monastic ordination in Theravada Buddhism (where it is more proper to call it Dhamma or Sangha name). The name is ...

Shi Changsheng (释昌圣; "Master Changsheng"). Since then she has released several albums on

Buddhist music file:Left image detail, Kanjur Chinese Collection 196, inside cover Wellcome L0031389 (cropped).jpg, Tibetan illustration of Saraswati holding a veena, the main deity of music and musicians in Mahayana Buddhism Buddhist music is music (, ) crea ...

. She currently resides in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

References

* "Pop sensation Li Na became a Buddhist nun in 1997, purportedly as a result of a traumatic romantic breakup, and immediately thereafter released a hugely popular CD of Buddhist chant. This CD features..." {{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Na Chinese folk singers Buddhist music 1963 births Chinese Buddhist nuns Living people American Buddhists 20th-century Buddhist nuns 21st-century Buddhist nuns 20th-century Chinese actresses 20th-century Chinese women singers Singers from Henan Henan opera actresses Actresses from Zhengzhou