Lingren Wangshi

Lingren Wangshi (Chinese: 伶人往事; pinyin: Língrén Wǎngshì; lit. 'Past stories of (Chinese opera) actors'), also known as Past Stories of Beijing Opera Stars,[1] Past Stories of Peking Opera Stars,[2] and Recollections of Actors and Actresses,[3] is a Chinese book on the later lives and sufferings of a group of renowned Peking Opera artists. It was written by Zhang Yihe[4] and originally published by Ming Pao Press in Hong Kong in 2005.[5] It was published by Hunan Literature and Art Press[6] in Mainland China in October 2006.[7]

Lingren Wangshi records the tragic experiences of eight Peking opera masters,[8] namely Shang Xiaoyun, Yan Huizhu, Yang Baozhong, Ye Shenglan, Ye Shengchang, Xi Xiaobo, Ma Lianliang, and Cheng Yanqiu, during the Anti-Rightist Movement and the Cultural Revolution.[9] The depictions of their unjust suffering and the destruction of their art resulted in this book's ban[10][11] by China's General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP)[12] on 11 January 2007.[13] In addition, Hunan Literature and Art Press was criticized[14] and severely punished by GAPP for publishing the book.[15]