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,

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

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

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 territo ...

. 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 contributi ...

" 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. 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 The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...

. 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. 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 People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

. 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