| Peng Liyuan | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 20, 1962 |
| Origin | Yuncheng County, Shandong, People's Republic of China |
| Genres | Chinese Folk, opera |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Website | Peng Liyuan's homepage |
Peng Liyuan (simplified Chinese: 彭丽媛; traditional Chinese: 彭麗媛; pinyin: Péng Lìyuán; born on November 20, 1962) is one of the top Chinese folk music singers, and a performer popularized by her regular appearances on the annual CCTV New Year's Gala, a widely viewed mainland Chinese television program that airs during Chinese New Year. She has obtained many honors in singing competitions nationwide.
Her most famous works include People from our Village (父老乡亲), Mount Chomolungma (珠穆朗玛) and On the Plains of Hope (在希望的田野上). Peng Liyuan is a civilian member of China's People's Liberation Army and currently holds the civilian rank comparable to that of a major general. She was one of the first in China to obtain a Master's degree in traditional ethnic music when the degree was first established in the 1980s. She is married to Xi Jinping who is the current member of the Politburo Standing Committee and the Vice President of the People's Republic of China.
Peng Liyuan is a native of Yuncheng County, Shandong. Peng joined the People's Liberation Army in 1980, when she was 18. She began as an ordinary soldier, although eventually with her vocal talent she began performing at PLA performances to boost troop morale.[1] Peng first performed nationally and came to fame during the earliest rendition of the CCTV New Year's Gala in 1982, when she performed On the Plains of Hope.
She has been married to PRC Vice-President Xi Jinping for over 20 years; they have a daughter named Xi Mingze (习明泽) born in 1992, nicknamed as Xiao Muzi (小木子). For the greater part of their relationship Peng has been considerably better known to the public than her politician husband.
Xi and Peng were introduced by friends like many Chinese couples in the 1980s. Xi was reputedly academic during their courtship, inquiring about ethnic Chinese music. Xi was the son of famous Chinese revolutionary Xi Zhongxun, and Peng's family did not accept the relationship with ease. The general feelings at the time was that higher official's children were corrupt and arrogant. Xi, however, was reputedly modest and low-profile. After parental consent, the couple married on September 1, 1987 in Xiamen, Fujian. Four days later, Peng Liyuan had to return to Beijing to appear on the national art festival and then immediately left for the United States and Canada to perform. Since then they have led largely separate lives, with Peng spending most of her time in Beijing and her husband in Fujian and later Zhejiang.
Peng has performed at almost every CCTV New Year's Gala since its inception, with a notable exception in 2008, after her husband's promotion. Her songs are focused on ethnic or rural Chinese themes, and generally deal with a wide range of emotions expressed by ordinary rural citizens.
Peng is actively involved in politics herself, and is a member of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
She is an alumna of the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing, holds both bachelor degree & master degree from the institute.