Performers › Stage Performers
Yu Sansheng
Han-opera actor from Luotian who joined the Chuntai troupe in Beijing and became one of the three founding laosheng of Peking opera
Backstage of a theatre troupe, an open trunk spills embroidered red and blue robes, one worked with a phoenix, beneath a jewelled headdress with long plumes; a mirror stand, a stool and a row of painted drums stand beside it, with a red curtain hanging at the right.
Also known as Yu Kailong (given name) · Zi Qiyun
- Roles
- Stage Performers
Yu Sansheng, given name Kailong and courtesy name Qiyun, came from Luotian in Hubei, though one account makes him a native of Qianshan in Anhui. He first sang Han opera around Huanggang, playing mo roles, and in the Daoguang reign went to Beijing, joined the Chuntai troupe and switched to laosheng, the mature male role. He carried the melodies and diction of Han opera into the Anhui style and was known for ornamented singing; with Cheng Changgeng and Zhang Erkui he was counted among the three leading laosheng of the age. His regular pieces included Dingjun Mountain, The Fish-Gut Sword, The Fourth Son Visits His Mother, Capturing and Releasing Cao Cao and The Black Pot. Tan Xinpei learned from him, and his grandson Yu Shuyan was also a laosheng actor.
Life and times
Dates c. 1802 CE–c. 1866 CE