Wang Yubao

Wang Yubao was born in Tianjin in 1926. Her father, the painter Wang Zhenqing, loved the kaoshan tune of Tianjin shidiao, and she learned from him as a child, starting with Xi Rong Gui. At twelve she began singing professionally in Tianjin teahouses to help support the family. In 1948 her Qiyue Qi, sung at the Xiaoliyuan in the Taikang arcade, was so popular that she won a long engagement there. In 1953 she joined the Tianjin Broadcasting Quyi Troupe to sing shidiao exclusively, later studying with the veteran Jiang Ershun; her singing was plain, bright and sweet. Her signature pieces include Qiyue Qi, Xi Rong Gui, Ti Jian and Qinlou Beiqiu, and late in life she received the lifetime achievement award of the Peony Awards for quyi. She died in Tianjin on 10 June 2021.