Ye Zi

Chinese actress Ye Zi (1911-2012)

Ye Zi (叶子), an actress and performing artist of the Beijing People's Art Theater, died in Beijing on Aug. 26, 2012 at the age of 101.

Born on May 24, 1911, Ye finished her maiden work, the one-act play "The Younger Sister's Mistake", at the age of 13. In 1931 she enrolled into the Chinese Department of the National Women's Normal College. In 1935 she entered the Nanjing National Drama College. In 1937 she joined in the Raging Tide Troupe in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and starred in many progressive drams including "The Eve" and "Put Down Your Whip".

In 1949 Ye Zi helped set up the Beijing People's Art Theater, and became part of the first group of artists to perform at the theater. She successively held the posts of member of the theater's art committee and head of the actors group. At the age of 80, she published articles of the "Several Issues on Drama Art Practice" and the "Research and Discussion on Character Image Creation".

Ye was noted for her roles of Dingsisao in "Longxu Ditch", Cuixi in "Sunrise", Siyi in "Peking Man", Tiger Girl in "Camel Xiangzi", and Elder Sister in "Three Sisters". With her rich stage experience and superb performing skills, Ye was crowned with the title of "Queen of Drama" by Chinese audiences. She was so devoted to the role of Dingsisao in "Longxu Ditch" that her voice was badly damaged by her portrayal of the character's harsh vocals. Ye's voice never fully recovered after the incident.