Ai Shiju

Biography

Ai Shiju was a Chinese Peking opera actor, born in 1916 in Beijing. He specialized in clown (chou hang) roles. His original name was Ai Yunzhang, and he previously used the stage name Ai Shihuan. He trained at the Beijing Fu Lian Cheng school, in the "Shi" branch, under chief instructor Xiao Changhua and senior colleagues Ma Fulu, Xiao Shengxuan, and Ye Zhangzhang. After 1949, he worked in Shanghai, serving as the principal clown actor at the Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre and its predecessor, the Shanghai People's Opera Troupe. He portrayed the main antagonist, the class enemy Qian Shouwei, in the model opera "The Harbor" (including the color film version). Among his students were Yan Qinggu and many others. He passed away on June 2, 2012.