Yan Huizhu (Chinese 言慧珠, 1919–1966) was an ethnic Mongolian

classical Chinese opera Classical may refer to: European antiquity *Classical antiquity, a period of history from roughly the 7th or 8th century B.C.E. to the 5th century C.E. centered on the Mediterranean Sea *Classical architecture, architecture derived from Greek and ...

singer who performed in the '' jingju'' and ''

kunqu Kunqu (), also known as Kunju (), K'un-ch'ü, Kun opera or Kunqu Opera, is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera. It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu (region), Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate ...

'' genres. In 1946, she received high acclaim for her performance in ''Shengsi hen'' (Regret for Life and Death) in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, becoming known as the "Queen of Beijing Opera". In 1957, she served as vice-president of the School of Traditional Operas in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

and toured in Europe. Denounced under the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, in the night of 10 September 1966 she committed suicide after the

Red Guards The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...

had ransacked her home and accused her of being a counter revolutionary.

Biography

Born on 5 October 1919, Yan Huizhu was born into a musical family of

Mongolian Mongolian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Mongolia, a country in Asia * Mongolian people, or Mongols * Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, the government of Mongolia, 1911–1919 and 1921–1924 * Mongolian language * Mongolian alphabet * ...

ethnicity. After her parents were divorced while she was a small child, she was brought up by her father Yan Jupeng (1890–1942), a jingju actor who had developed his own style of "Yan" singing. Despite her father's efforts to discourage her from entering a difficult profession, she developed her artistic talents and learned songs and acting roles while he was away on tour. While at Chunming Girls' School in Beijing, she played Nüqijie in the opera ''Yutangchun'' so well that Yan Jupeng allowed her to act. As a result, in 1937 she took singing and acting lessons using the stage name Huizhu and joining the Yongpingshe Troupe. When she was 24, she was trained by the ''jingju'' master

Mei Lanfang Mei Lan (22 October 1894 – 8 August 1961), better known by his stage name Mei Lanfang, was a notable Chinese Peking opera artist in Chinese theater, modern Chinese theater. Mei was known as the "Queen of Peking Opera". Mei was exclusively know ...

who devoted time to her while he was unable to perform during the city's occupation by the Japanese. As she gained popularity, Yan Huizhu became known as "Little Mei Lanfang". In February 1946, she was particularly successful in performing ''Shengsi hen'' at the Queens' Theatre, after which she became known as the "Queen of Beijing Opera". Following the establishment of Communist China in 1949, Yan Huizhu continued to perform. In 1957, she was appointed vice-president of the School of Traditional Operas in Shanghai and taught at the Mei school. Together with the celebrated Yu Zhenfei, she frequently performed in a revised version of ''Qiangtou mashang'' which led to their marriage in 1960. At the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, she was denounced by the Red Guards who ransacked their home. She committed suicide by hanging herself on the night of 10 September 1966, while Yu Zhenfei who was in the same room denied any knowledge of what had happened.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yan Huizhu 1919 births 1966 deaths Actresses from Beijing Singers from Beijing Chinese film actresses Chinese Peking opera actresses 20th-century Chinese actresses 20th-century Chinese women singers Suicides during the Cultural Revolution Chinese people of Mongolian descent Kunqu actresses Suicides by hanging in China 1966 suicides