Yan Fengying (13 April 1930 – 8 April 1968), born Yan Hongliu, also known as Yan Daifeng, was a Chinese

Huangmei opera Huangmei or Huangmei tone ( or , pinyin: or ) originated as a form of rural folk song and dance that has been in existence for the last 200 years and possibly longer. Huangmei opera is one of the most famous and mainstream opera in China (others ...

artist who played ''

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...

'' (female) roles. Though she lived a short life, she left such a mark and is today remembered as the "queen of Huangmei opera". Like most famous

Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

artists, Yan Fengying suffered greatly in the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

(1966–1976). Charged with 13 (trumped up) criminal counts of "counterrevolutionary activities" and tortured beyond enduring, she killed herself in 1968. Her death reveals the shocking cruelty and lunacy of that period. After her overdosing on sleeping pills was discovered by her husband Wang Guanya, instead of rushing her to the hospital, the authorities held a

struggle session Denunciation rallies, also called struggle sessions, were violent public spectacles in Maoist China where people accused of being "class enemies" were publicly humiliated, accused, beaten and tortured by people with whom they were close. Usually ...

at her bedside. One hospital refused to admit her, and the one that did, reluctantly, refused to treat her without permission from her ''

danwei A work unit or ''danwei'' () is the name given to a place of employment in the People's Republic of China. The term ''danwei'' remains in use today, as people still use it to refer to their workplace. However, it is more appropriate to use ''danwei ...

'' (work unit). She died without receiving treatment, but was promptly dissected to find out whether she carried an enemy (

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

) radio transmitter in her body. Writer

Geling Yan Geling Yan (; born 16 November 1958) is a Chinese-American author and screenwriter. Early life Yan was born in Shanghai, China in 1958. She is the second child of Yan Dunxun and Jia Lin. She has an elder brother Yan Geping (严歌平). Her fath ...

, who grew up in

Hefei Hefei (; ) is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural center of Anhui. Its population was 9,369,881 as of the 2020 census and its built-up ( ...

, described what she saw on that day in a 2012 interview: Wang Guanya published a biography of her in 1981, and wrote the screenplay of the TV series ''Yan Fengying''. The 1988 biopic, which starred "the next Yan Fengying"

Ma Lan Ma Lan (born 23 April 1962) is a Chinese performing artist of Huangmei opera who usually plays ''dan'' (female) roles. Before her abrupt (and unannounced) departure from the stage in 2000, Ma Lan was considered the most popular Huangmei opera per ...

in the title role, became a national hit (and made Ma Lan well known among those who do not listen to opera). One man was so moved by Yan's tragic fate that he sold all his clothes to travel from

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

to Hefei to "beat up" Wang Guanya because he thought Wang did not protect his wife enough. More people, however, sympathized with Wang, who was himself tortured, and many girls offered to marry him. Until his death in 2013, Wang Guanya never remarried. He spent the rest of his life adapting Yan Fengying's repertoire into TV series, radio series, and Huangmei operas for the younger generation.

Repertoire (incomplete)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yan, Fengying 1930 births 1968 suicides 1968 deaths People from Tongcheng, Anhui 20th-century Chinese actresses Suicides during the Cultural Revolution Drug-related suicides in China Huangmei opera actresses Chinese film actresses Singers from Anhui Actresses from Anhui 20th-century Chinese women singers