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Li Shengsu is a Chinese Peking opera singer-actress who plays Dan roles. Currently the director of Troupe One of China National Peking Opera Company, Li Shengsu is widely considered a Peking opera superstar. She is a student of Mei Baojiu.

Li Shengsu was a member of the 11th and 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and is a member of the Executive Committee of All-China Women's Federation as well a standing member of the All-China Youth Federation.

Acting Career
Li Shengsu was born February 16, 1966 in Baixiang County, Xingtai City of Hebei, China.

She began her career in Peking opera when she was ten years old. . At the age of 10, Li was specially recruited into the Yu Opera Troupe of Baixiang County by Wei Shengliang (魏胜良) who was a teacher in the troupe.

In 1979, at the age of thirteen, Li converted to learning Peking opera since the Hebei Art School was recruiting students for Peking opera. There, under the instructions of Qi Lanqiu (齐兰秋), she began learning how to perform Dan roles such as Tsing Yi and Hua Dan. Upon graduating in 1986, Li assigned to the Handan Peking Opera Troupe where she served the roles of main performer and leader. Because of her beautiful singing, unique personality, and skilled performance, Li Shengsu was highly popular with her audience.

In 1987, Li Shengsu became a disciple of the opera performer Liu Xiurong (刘秀荣).

Li Shengsu officially joined the Mei school/style of Peking opera in 1988 and became a disciple of Mei Baojiu. Mei Baojiu personally taught her performances such as the The Drunken Concubine (贵妃醉酒) and The Phoenix Returns Home (凤还巢).

In 1991, Li Shengsu transferred to the Shanxi Peking Opera Theater as lead performer. There she also served as the head of the Lanfang Peking Opera Troupe.

In 1998, Li Shengsu entered the Graduate School of Outstanding Young Actors of Beijing Opera for further study. After three years, Li mastered the professional theory of opera performance and graduated with a graduate degree in 2001. In 2001, she also transferred over to the second troupe of the China National Peking Opera Company as a special recruit. There, she was under the instructions of famous performers such as Qi Lanqiu, Liu Yuantong (刘元彤), and He Junying (何君英). Not only did Li Shengsu firther developed her skills in traditional Peking opera with her mentors, she and her mentors also innovated opera by integrating the different acting skills of various Dan roles into one and adding their own intepretations into old drama to give them new vitality.

Performances
Li Shengsu has performed in various places across China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan. Not only has she performed in China, she has also traveled the world to share her performance with audiences of other countries. Some countries that Li Shengsu has performed in are South Korea, Japan, Spain, Germany, Great Britain, France, America, Australia, Italy, Canada, Cuba and Egypt. Some of Li Shengsu's most representative works are listed in the table below:

Peking opera films and TV series
Li Shengsu starred in some Peking opera films and TV series based on stage productions, such as Xie Yaohuan (2001 TV series), Yuan Chonghuan (2009 film), and Mu Guiying Takes Command (2017 film, directed by Xia Gang).

Roles and Positions
Li Shengsu has held various important roles in the Peking opera world and in other fields. As previouly mentioned, she used to serve as leader of the Mei Lanfang Peking Opera Troupe for the Shanxi Peking Opera Theater. She is currently the director of Troupe One of the China National Peking Opera company, after she succeeded Yu Kuizhi to the position on September 18, 2010. She is also a member of the Chinese Dramatist Association as well. Other roles that Li Shengsu holds include being a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and being a member of the Executive Committee of All-China Women's Federations. She is also a member of the standing committee of the All-China Youth Federation.

Awards and Accomplishments
Li Shengsu has been recognized multiple times for her skill and talent in Peking opera.


 * In 1987, Li Shengsu won the outstanding performance award at the first CCTV National Youth Beijing competition with her performance of Lian Jingfeng.
 * In 1991, she was awarded the best performance award at the National Young and Middle-Aged Peking Opera Actor TV Grand Prix for her performance of Red Thread Stealing Box.
 * In 1992, Li Shengsu participated in the National Young Peking Opera teams's new play show where she won the Excellent Actor Performance Award for Meng Lijun.
 * In 1996, Li Shengsu became the recipient of the 13th Plum Performance Award.
 * In 1997, she won the title of "Outstanding Young Artist" at the 14th World Youth Festival in Cuba.
 * In 2001, she received the honorary award for the National Excellent Young Peking Opera Actors. That year she was also honored with the titles "Match 8th Red Flag Bearer", "Advanced Literary and Art Worker" and the "Second Top Ten You of Shanxi Province" by the provincial Party committee and the government.
 * In 2004, Li Shengsu became the first person to sing Peking opera in the Golden Hall in Vienna Austria.
 * In 2008, she was awarded the National Stage Art Excellent Project Award.
 * In 2010, she won the Excellent Performance Award of the National Art Academy Group Exhibition Competition.
 * On December 29, 2017, Li Shengsu won the 10th China Gold Record Award for Best Peking Opera and Quyi Performer with her performance in Symphony Peking Opera - Female General of Yangmen.
 * She also holds the title of national first class performer.