Xu Yulan

Also known as Born Wang Yulan

Xu Yulan, born Wang Yulan in Xindeng, Zhejiang, in 1921, specialised in the young male roles of Yue opera. In September 1947 she formed the Yulan troupe in Shanghai, and in 1954 she joined the Shanghai Yue Opera House. Her xiaosheng singing became the Xu school. Her repertoire included Dream of the Red Chamber, The West Chamber, The Tale of Chunhyang, Chasing the Fish and The Prince of Beidi; in the 1962 Yue opera film Dream of the Red Chamber she played Jia Baoyu opposite Wang Wenjuan's Lin Daiyu. In 1987 she and Wang Wenjuan founded the Honglou troupe of the Shanghai Yue Opera House. She died in Shanghai in April 2017.