Li Guyi (; born 4 November 1944) is a Chinese singer and dancer. Li rose to fame after singing ''Homeland Love'' (), a mellow love ballad written by Ma Jinghua and Zhang Peiji, in 1980, the year of China's reform and opening-up.

Biography

Li was born in 1944 in

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the ...

, at Huidian Hospital (), she graduated from Hunan Art College (now part of

Hunan Normal University Hunan Normal University (), founded in 1938, is a public university in Changsha, Hunan Province. The university is the 211 Project university, one of the country's 100 national key universities in the 21st century that enjoy priority in obtain ...

) in 1961. From 1961 to 1974, Li worked in Hunan Opera Theatre. In 1970, Li performed ''Tinker a Pan'' (). Chinese officials thought she was a revisionist black talent. Officials searched her house, confiscated her property, and she was sentenced to hard labor. From 1974 to 1984, Li was transferred to

Central Philharmonic Orchestra The Central Philharmonic () is a symphony orchestra (with chorus, chamber orchestra, and group of soloists) based in Beijing, China. Its predecessor was the Central Opera Company Orchestra. In 1996, it was renamed the China National Symphony Orche ...

as a solo. Then she has toured with the Central Philharmonic Orchestra to perform in China and abroad, including in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, Japan and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. In 1980, the Chinese officials criticized Li as "

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

Teresa Teng Teng Li-Chun (; 29 January 1953 – 8 May 1995), commonly known as Teresa Teng, was a Taiwanese singer, actress, musician and philanthropist. Referred to by some as " Asia's eternal queen of pop," Teng became a cultural icon for her contributio ...

" for singing ''Homeland Love'' (), considered the first pop song in mainland China. The song was prohibited for several years. In 1986, Li worked in Chinese Light Music Group as the head. In 1996, Li transferred to Central Oriental Song and Dance Troupe as the

CPC Party Secretary A Party Committee Secretary () is the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organization in a province, city, village, or other administrative unit. In most cases, it is the ''de facto'' highest political office of its area of jurisdictio ...

. Li is actively involved in politics, and was a member of the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. On January 6, 2020, she was hired as a member of the Hunan Literature and History Institute.

Family

Li was twice married. Originally wed to musician

Jin Tielin Jin Tielin (; 21 June 1940 – 15 November 2022) was a Chinese vocal professor, musician and artist. His disciples include Peng Liyuan, Li Guyi, Dong Wenhua, Tang Can, Song Zuying, Zhang Ye, Li Danyang, Yan Weiwen, Liu Bin, Lü Jihong, Da ...

. After a turbulent divorce, she remarried in 1976. Xiao Zhuoneng (), her second husband, the son of

Xiao Jinguang Xiao Jinguang (; Former name Xiao Yucheng 萧玉成 Nickname: Man Ge 满哥) (January 4, 1903 – March 29, 1989) was a revolutionary and military leader, one of the main leaders of the Red Army and the People's Liberation Army, and one of the te ...

, who was one of the ten senior commanders of the People's Liberation Army. The couple has a daughter, Xiao Yi (). Xiao Zhuoneng died on May 29, 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Guyi 1944 births Living people People from Kunming Hunan Normal University alumni Singers from Yunnan 20th-century Chinese actresses Chinese opera actresses 20th-century Chinese women singers 21st-century Chinese women singers Actresses from Yunnan