言慧珠

简介

Yan Huizhu was born in 1919 in Beijing, of Mongol descent. Her father was the renowned Peking opera actor Yan Jupeng, one of the greatest male performers of the early 20th century. Influenced by her father from childhood, she developed a passion for Peking opera. She trained under prominent masters including the string player Xu Lanyuan and actor Zhu Guifang. She achieved her first breakthrough in 1939 with her performance in "扈家莊". She moved to Shanghai and became a student of the Peking opera legend Mei Lanfang in 1943. In 1949, with the changing political landscape in China, she began facing professional difficulties. In 1953, she participated in the Shanghai delegation to perform in Korea, and upon returning she successfully adapted the famous Korean play "春香传". She established her own theater troupe known as the "Yan Troupe" and purchased Huayuan garden. In 1956, she joined the Shanghai Peking Opera Theater as a second-grade actress. In 1957, she participated in the political reform campaign and expressed her desire to continue acting, then was transferred to serve as vice principal of the Shanghai Opera School. In 1958, she visited ten European countries as part of the Chinese art delegation, performing over eighty shows of "百花赠剑". In 1959, her play "墙头马上" with her partner Yu Zhenfei was a success in Beijing. She remarried Yu Zhenfei in 1960. In 1964, she performed the role of Ah Qingsao in the modern Peking opera "沙家浜". In 1966, she was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution and passed away on September 10 of that year.