Chinese actress He Qing. Photo: Screenshot

Renowned Chinese actress He Qing, best known as the only performer to portray characters from all four of China's Four Great Classical Novels, has passed away at the age of 61. According to an obituary released by her family, she died peacefully in Beijing on Saturday, Yangtse Evening Post reported.

He Qing was born on January 13, 1964, in Jiangshan, a county-level city in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province. She graduated from the Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe and began her acting career in 1983 with her film debut Disciples of Shaolin Temple.

According to local media, He Qing was the only actress in the Chinese mainland to portray roles in screen adaptations of all four of China's Four Great Classical Novels, earning her a reputation as a "classical beauty icon." 

In 1984, she appeared in the television series Journey to the West as Lianlian, an incarnation of the bodhisattva Manjushri. She later portrayed the ill-fated Qin Keqing in the 1988 film adaptation of Dream of the Red Chamber. In 1993, her portrayal of Xiao Qiao in the television epic Romance of the Three Kingdoms became one of her most recognized performances. She completed the quartet with her role as Li Shishi in Water Margin, noted for her grace and elegance.

On Sunday, actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong paid tribute to He Qing in a post on his WeChat account, writing "Farewell, classmate He Qing."

According to a report by China News Service, Liu Xiao Ling Tong said that He Qing was his junior-class classmate when they studied at the Zhejiang Kunqu Opera Troupe. He noted that she had a deep command of Kunqu Opera and later achieved remarkable success in film and television, with audiences fondly calling her "Sister Lianlian" for the character she portrayed in the China Central Television (CCTV) adaptation of Journey to the West. Liu Xiao Ling Tong also said that He was the only actress to have performed roles across all four of China's great classical novels, describing her achievements as extraordinary.

"We will always remember her. May there be no illness in heaven. Farewell, classmate He Qing," Liu Xiao Ling Tong said.

According to a social media post by Yu Yong, a research fellow at the School of Drama and Film Studies at Nanjing University of the Arts, He reportedly passed away due to an illness. Yu expressed his condolences by sharing a black-and-white photo of He. 

Netizens left more than 1,000 comments under Yu's post, expressing shock and sorrow, with many saying they were still unable to believe that He had passed away.

He's Baidu Baike page has been greyed out, and it now clearly lists both her year of birth and year of death.

According to the obituary, He's farewell ceremony will be held at 10 am on December 15, at the Jiu'an Hall of the Changping Funeral Home in Beijing.

  
Global Times