Yan Peiqiong

Biography

Yan Peiqiong was a renowned Chinese actress in the Gao Jia opera tradition, born on November 25, 1944, in Quanzhou, China. She joined the Quanzhou Gao Jia Opera Troupe in 1958 to study acting and became a national-level actress in 1961. She specialized in female roles (Dan Xing) and studied under masters Xiao Di Ping and Cai Xiu Ying. She was classified as a National First-Class Actress and was a member of the Chinese Communist Party. In January 2008, she was named in the second batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Inheritors by the Chinese Ministry of Culture for the Gao Jia Opera project, being the only woman among five artists listed. Her notable performances included "The Pearl Tower," "The Cat Replacing the Prince," "The Real and Fake Wang Xiu," "The Yellow Scroll Mosquito Poem," and "Pearl of the South Sea" (a modern play). After retiring, she taught at the Quanzhou Arts School in the Gao Jia Opera department and mentored students including Chen Su Ping, Chen Juan Juan, Liu Shao Xia, Fu Yuan Yuan, and Chen Qing Yu. She also authored books such as "Traditional Performance Routines of Gao Jia Opera." She passed away on July 9, 2012, from a sudden cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 70.