Wang Wenjuan

Biography

Wang Wenjuan was a prominent Chinese Yue opera actress, born in December 1926 in Zhejiang province. She began her artistic career in 1938 when she studied under teacher Zhu Sui'e, initially learning male roles before switching to female roles. In 1947, she co-founded the Shaozhuang Yue Opera Troupe in Shanghai with Lu Jinhua. She later joined the Yulan Troupe in 1948. In 1961, she married actor and director Sun Daolin. She served as the head of the Dream of the Red Chamber Troupe at the Shanghai Yue Opera Theatre. She was known for a distinctive performance style in female roles known as the "Wang School." She portrayed Lin Daiyu in the Yue opera "Dream of the Red Chamber." She received the first Golden Record Award in 1989, the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Shanghai Magnolia Drama Festival in 2017, and the Lifetime Achievement Award in Shanghai Arts and Literature in 2019. She passed away in August 2021 in Shanghai at the age of 94.