Yuan Shihai
The Chinese opera singer Yuan Shihai was born on 11 February 1916. Yuan studied singing from the age of eight, and went on to develop 'Yuan style', a Peking Opera singing technique for which he was best known. He played various well-known male characters, was a great support to other opera stars, continued to sing until his seventies, was an advisor to the Chinese government and was deputy manager of China Peking Opera Theatre.
Yuan Shihai died in Beijing on 11 December 2002, aged eighty-six.