Chen Ailian (; 24 December 1939 – 21 November 2020) was a Chinese dancer.

Biography

She was born on 14 November according to the lunar calendar in Shanghai, and her ancestral home was Panyu, Guangdong. Her father died in 1950 and her mother in 1951 leaving her at age 11 with just her younger sister. In 1952 she became a student at Central Academy of Drama (中央戏剧学院) in Beijing where she trained in classical Chinese dance and classical ballet with internationally renowned teachers. In 1963 she became a major trouper in China Opera and Dance-Drama Theatre. Chen is expert in the skill of dance, and is good at Chinese classical dance and folk dance. She once acted the leading role in the first performance of pantomime Fish-Beauty (《鱼美人》) in 1959. At present Chen served as the vice chairwoman of

Chinese Dancers Association Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

. On 21 November 2020 at 00:59, she died at her home, aged 80. Before she died, she required her family to help her put on the costume of ''A Moonlit Night among Flowers by the Spring River'' () for her in order to "leave the world without any regrets".

Repertory

Chen performed lead roles in dance dramas including: * Lady of the Sea《鱼美人》 * Red Flag《红旗》 * White Haired Girl《白毛女》 * Dagger Society《小刀会》 * Princess Wencheng《文成公主》 * Dream of the Red Chamber《红楼梦》

References

Chinese female dancers 1939 births 2020 deaths Beijing Dance Academy alumni People from Shanghai 20th-century dancers {{dance-bio-stub