Li Guizhen p Lǐ Guìzhēn; 1907–1942), better known by her stage nameBai YushuangYùshuāng, Jade Frost"), was a ChinesePing Operasinger and actress. She was one of "The Four Famous Dans" Sì Dàmíng Dàn) and remains known as the "Queen of Pingju" Píngjù Huánghòu).
Life
Li Guizhen was born in Guye, Luan County, Hebei. As a child, she was sold to the wandering entertainer Li Jingchun and his wife Mrs Bian, who renamed her Li HuiminLǐ Huìmǐn). Her status within the family was reduced when Mrs Bian gave birth to a son, Li Guozhang. She was then forced to earn money on the street by singing stories accompanied by a small drum or other instrument. At fourteen, she began learning pingju from Dong Faliang, taking supporting roles under the stage name "Bai Yushuang". She became celebrated in Beiping and Tianjin for her extreme range, from very high notes to lower than lowest note of the erhu. Upon Li Jingchun's death, his widow Mrs Bian purchased more girls from poor families. The 4-year-old Xiaodezi was renamed Fuzi and instructed to refer to Li Guizhen as her mother. Bai Yushuang began to perform lead roles for the Yushun Opera Troupe. This company was owned by Mrs Bian, managed by her brother, and accompanied by her son on the erhu, a situation which led to its being generally known as the Li Troupe. She became notorious as a "slutty performer", when her costume consisted of a red dudou and tight white clothes under some long scarves, and was expelled from Beiping by its mayor for performing "obscene lyrics". The Chinese periodical Women's Lives reported icily that "thousands of square miles of Chinese territory have been occupied by the Japanese without any resistance, but if a woman offends public decency, she must be expelled." Relocating to Shanghai in 1935, Li Guizhen performed pingju alongside Ai Lianjun, Yu Lingzhi, and Zhao Ruquan to large audiences at the Enpaiya Theater and on tour through Suzhou, Wuxi, and Nanjing. The repertoire included Pan Jinlian, Spring in the Jade Hall, Yan Poxi, and The Lioness's RoarHédōng Shīhǒu). She was arrested and accused of murder but Mrs Bian was able to extricate her from the charges. Her character was attacked by conservatives but defended by Zhao Jinshen and A Ying in the press and the reformersTian Han, Hong Shen, and Ouyang Yuqian worked with her to work "anti-feudalist" messages into her historical dramas. She became a movie star following her role in Zhang Shichuan's 1936 Red BegoniaHǎitáng Hóng) and was considered one of "The Four Famous Dans", alongside Liu Cuixia, Ai Lianjun, and Xi Cailian. She fell in love with the cymbal player Li Yongqi, but Mrs Bian prevented their marriage to protect the profits she was deriving from her "money tree" —only replaced her once she was too ill to take the stage. In Spring of 1942, Li Guizhen returned to Tianjin to find that her bank accounts and property had been transferred to Mrs Bian's son. She collapsed on stage during a performance of Understandingafter DeathSǐ Hòu Míngbai) with Li Yifen in July 1942 and subsequently died.
