ChinaFaces Tan Yuanshou, one of the renowned Peking opera performers in China and great-grandson of legendary Peking opera artist Tan Xinpei, passed away at 92 on Friday noon in Beijing. Born in 1929, Tan Yuanshou is considered representative of 'Tan Style,' a school of Peking opera founded by Tan Xinpei and one of the second batch of country-level inheritors of Chinese intangible cultural heritage.
The 92-year-old became widely known to the audience by Shajiabang, a noted piece of modern Peking opera created in the 1960s where he was cast as Guo Jianguang, a political instructor leading his troops to defend the country during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. For decades, Tan has been considered one of the masters of Chinese art treasured by the country. "The Peking opera, rather than me, is the real gem of the country," said the master.