Yan Huizhu

Yan Huizhu (Chinese 言慧珠, 1919–1966) was an Peking and Kunqu Opera singer of ethnic Mongolian descent. In 1946, she received high acclaim for her performance in Shengsi hen (Regret for Life and Death) in Beijing, becoming known as the "Queen of Beijing Opera". In 1957, she served as vice-president of the School of Traditional Operas in Shanghai and toured in Europe. Denounced under the Cultural Revolution, in the night of 10 September 1966 she committed suicide after the Red Guards had ransacked her home and accused her of being a counter revolutionary.